I Don't Know How To Study

[Zoobaby14]

I have just sat my yearly exams and failed my maths and science one.

And just passed most of my other ones, and the reasoning behind this i believe is becasue i was never given any ways to study.

I have my big exams in 5 weeks and i need to do well.

So my question is how do you study?

Do you read over notes, summarise everything ect;

 

[Galeongirl]

I've the same problem... exams in two weeks, and no clue how to study... I just get way too distracted!

 

[mysterious_jen]

umm read through what you have done this semester, summerise the main points for each topic and memorise any formulas, if you studied texts then you need to have a good overview of the main points of the text and what the author was on about and probably be able to give specific examples. will they give you any practice exams or hints as to what they are looking for?

ohh yeah - shut down the computer and stay away from the blu crack till you are done!

 

[cobl04]

The best way for me is doing past exams - they help tons. Do them at home or wherever under exam conditions with all that you'll be allowed. Correct it later and mark all over the exam questions you got wrong and where you need clarifying and go to your subject teacher and ask for help.

But what jen says is true - do not come here. A quick foray will lose you hours. Good luck.

 

[Angela Harlem]

Is this the year 10 exams, chook? God, I can't even remember what subjects I did at school, let alone how they were set out. One thing I can tell you for certain is that we all learn differently. I like notes. I like written notes to resemble a building site. I draw lines and everything all over the place when getting back to basics. I think it needs seeing lol. I can't explain it, but it seems to be working.

Work out if you're a notes type person, or do you need to read instead? Maybe a bit of both? Maybe you're a mind mapper. Find your style, is my suggestion, and then go back as far as the stuff you have already grasped and begin there. Redo some stuff you already know' get your studying rhythm working. Get some confidence. Say to yourself "yep, I do know this, I can do it", and then progress on to the stuff you're not retaining.

Can you get some guidance from one of the year advisors (or your equivalent)? And has term started back for you guys yet? Now's the time to get cracking if it has. New term, new start.

Don't be convincing yourself you can't do this. School is something few look back on particularly fondly, and despite what they all tell you, it isn't the be-all stepping stone to the rest of your life.

 

[redhotswami]

one suggestion i give to my students is to take notes on their own notes. of course, this is only helpful if that student takes a good amount of notes in each class. make sure you fully grasp the concepts. a way to try this out is to try teaching someone else a concept or how to solve a problem. teaching is the best way to learn

also give yourself plenty of study breaks. and make sure the breaks aren't longer than the time you took to study! use them effectively to refuel for example eating a light snack, taking a brisk walk, etc.

Good luck!

 

[Bonochick]

I'm not in school anymore, but when I was, I studied different way for different subjects. I was a very visual person...actually looking at words was a good way for me to remember information, as I could remember seeing it on paper and have that image appear in my head. I also did well with repitition, having somebody else test me on things over and over again, totally drilling it in my brain. I liked for my notes to be nice and neat while I study. If my notes were a little sloppy, I would sometimes rewrite them or type them out. If my textbooks had questions in the chapters with answers in the back, I would try to answer the questions and then check my work to see how I did. On the occasional item, I'd actually make up a song about it.

Everybody learns and absorbs information differently though, so you will have to figure out what works for you. You could talk to your teachers or a counselor, and I bet they'd be able to help you determine the best way for you.

 

[cell]

if i had to study i would just write everything out, then rewrite til its ingrained into my head.

 

[Liesje]

I re-wrote everything, tried to organize it or word it in a different way so I was actually thinking and processing the info, not just reading it and copying it. for notes or printouts, I would re-write, for book information, I would re-phrase and write out or type all the important information. I would do sections at a time, then shut the book, close my eyes, and recite the important parts in my head. After the next section, I'd do the same, but also review in my head the previous sections. If I forgot things, I went back right away. I also always made sure to get a good night's sleep and study before bed, not the morning of the exam. I read that your mind basically "writes" the data into your brain while you sleep (like a computer burns a CD), so the better you study it BEFORE bed and the more good rest you get, the more thoroughly it's kept in your mind for later. I also liked to break it up a bit, like 15 minutes of TV or computer for every 1 hour of studying. If I study for hours and hours with no break, I sort of daydream as I'm studying and don't recall anything later on.

 

[starsgoblue]

I find I need to leave the house and study at a coffeehouse or something. That way I have zero temptation to "quickly" check emails or flip through the channels.

 

[I'm Ready]

so far through highschool I've pretty good success with "finals" or cumulative tests. Here is how I study for each subject

4 Days Before Test: Read through all your notes from the class. Try and highlight key points, main ideas, or anything that may show up on the test

3 Days to 1 Day before the test: Re-read through your highlights and find some way to test your knowledge. If it's a math class, do practice problems. If it's a history class or some other subject make flashcards. Go over your flashcards or practice problems until you get nothing wrong.

Yes this is time consuming, but it works

 

[VertigoGal]

to add to what others have said, I find it helpful to categorize information in my head, and use little shortcuts to relate certain key words. Basically I'll find key points and somehow find a stupid but logical way to remember them (similar letter sounds, shorter or longer words, whatever), and I find once I have a general outline in my head the other facts kind of fall into place. For something like math, practice is the only way but make sure you have the right answers and preferably even all the work to get to the right answers with you. you could possibly get this from a teacher if they're helpful, or maybe a math genius in your class. I dunno I always manage to find someone.

good luck!

 

[Got Philk?]

Here's a big one that I like to add...if you bomb your first tests...learn from them. It is not the end of the world.

In fact, I did just this last semester...and came back on the next one to get a B+. So no need to panic after one poor exam. You can make it up with other options.

I also met one on one with professors. It seems like a scary thing, but I promise you...it helps TONS!
I have an exam Friday...

 

[Lancemc]

I've never known how to study. So I typically don't. I am a marvelous bullshitter though.

 

[cobl04]

I've never known how to study. So I typically don't. I am a marvelous bullshitter though.

oh yes. That is one of my specialties as well, especially in literature. it pisses off my teacher heaps, cos i do shit all in class but still get good marks

 

[mysterious_jen]

being an excellent bullshitter is one of the greatest skills in life be proud if you have mastered it and use it at all times

 

[Zoobaby14]

^ i like that idea

Thanks everyone for the ideas Hopefully I will reiceve better marks next time round.

 

[A_Wanderer]

I find that going over the material and summarising with notes sets most of it in my brain, then going over my notes a couple of days later to make sure that I have it memorised works well - having reached the point where I don't have to do exams anymore is great

 

[Zoobaby14]

having reached the point where I don't have to do exams anymore is great

Oh i wish that day will come soon ray:

 

[A_Wanderer]

Ah but that isn't the end of study, I get to reasearch and write my thesis with a whole years worth of hectic study versus months of hectic cramming.

 

[Souly]

Unplug your internets and read your books.

 

[Lancemc]

Unplug your internets and read your books.

Books are so 20th century.

 

[A_Wanderer]

Why stop there, I have citations on nonmarine bivalves from the 19th Century

 

[Marien]

Look, what I think is that everybody has to find his own learning style, what works for you, but there are some general recommendations I usually give to my students:

-make sure you understand what you are studying
-change subject every 50 or 60 minutes and have a short break (5' / 10') between subjects
-don't try to learn the whole thing in one session, some scholars say human brain can only intake new knowledge for about 10 minutes at a time, so the rest of the time should be devoted to repetition or practice of some kind
-eat and drink healthy and sleep at least seven hours a day (this is really important)
-don't study anything just once, you will forget
-don't study too much the day before the exam, but start studying good in advance (it would be better if you studied every day from the beginning of the term, but I understand...).
-Maths need a lot of practise, go over the exercises again at home everyday and check you understand every step.

The rest, I guest, depends on your cognitive style, I need to see the whole thing, so I make a very general overview and later on I start to fill in the details, then how they interact and so on, the last thing I study are names and dates, at the same time I need to be making some kind of movement, writing if I'm in a library, but if I'm at home I may be dancing while I study 'cause I'm very visual-kinesit.
You may ask advisors or teachers to help you find your own style. Good luck.