When/how to study for an exam

Transcription

1 When/how to study for an exam

2 First things first Download your syllabus from Scholar. Copy down each exam date and other deadlines. Do this for each class. If you use a planner, Microsoft Outlook, ical, or Google calendar, it will be easy to see how all of your exams fall over the semester. Look at the Google calendar on the next slide for an example of what your month might look like. FYI, this type of schedule happens quite often!

3 Assignment Schedule

4 Two exams in one week?? This type of exam schedule is pretty typical. I have had some weeks with 5 exams in 3 days! What you need to do is develop a study schedule to study for exams on top of your assignments. Work ahead on other assignments to bank more study hours for your exams. This is called frontloading and will give you more time later in the week for larger assignments or prepping for exams. Let s look at each week individually to determine when you should study for your exams.

5 When to study

6 Weeks 1-2 So for this week, you ll need to work ahead on some things and push others to later in the week. Study for Math exam on 9/3, take exam on 9/4 in the afternoon. Finish the Chem homework anytime between 9/1 and 9/4. Work on the Chem lab report 9/4-9/5. Finish the Biol lab report by 9/7. Study for the Math quiz on 9/7 and take it on 9/8. Begin the Engl writing on 9/7, finish 9/8.

7 Weeks 2-3 Okay, there s a little more free time to get things done early this week! Work on Chem hw from 9/9-9/11. Complete the Chem and Biol lab reports by 9/12. All that s left are the Math quiz and the Biol exam. Study for the Biol exam 9/13-9/14. Study for the Math quiz on 9/13 and take it 9/14 in the evening. That doesn t seem so bad, right?

8 Weeks 3-4 This is the week that you will really have to work ahead on assignments. Spend all weekend working on the Chem hw, Engl paper, Chem and Biol lab reports. Have them done by midnight, 9/18. Study for the Chem exam 9/19-9/20. Study for the Math quiz 9/21, take it on 9/22. Study for the Mus exam 9/21-9/22.

9 Weeks 4-5 This last week isn t so bad, and things should calm down for a few weeks. Study for the Math exam 9/24, take it 9/25. Work on Chem hw 9/24-9/25. Complete Chem lab report by 9/26. Work on Biol lab report 9/27-9/28. Study for Math quiz on 9/28, take it 9/29. Begin Engl writing 9/27, finish 9/29. You ve made it through!

10 Okay, but how do I study? Did you notice that I only had deadlines listed on the calendar? That doesn t mean that you should only study for your classes for those 2-3 days before the exam. You should be keeping up with your classwork every week so that you will have productive studying, not last minute studying.

11 How to study

12 Before and after class Take the time before and after lecture to review your notes. Highlight, re-copy, make flash cards whatever works best for you. At the end of each week (or at the start), take notes on the past 2-3 lectures. o This would be a good time to decide if you should go to office hours or not. If you are struggling from your reviews, get help now while that material is still fresh in your memory! It s better to learn it correctly in the beginning than to hold on to misconceptions until right before the exam. Many textbooks have online resources for each chapter. You may have online homework due on these sites, but many offer additional problems for practice. Once you get to your study days before your exam, you re not just starting from scratch!

13 Study days Make study guides from your review notes from the last few weeks. o Definitions, example problems, written processes for problem solving, pictures, graphic organizers, etc. Write definitions in your own words what makes sense to you is how you will best remember it. Keep your study guides organized and labeled o Do this by chapter, unit, topic, etc. After making your study guides, use them! o Review your notes o Go over practice problems o Try to remember definitions without looking at your notes Don t toss out your study guides after the exam you can use them again for the final!

14 Practice exams Many professors post practice exams on Scholar. Only take the practice exam after you have thoroughly studied the material. Do not look through your notes while taking the practice exam. If you re stuck on a question, move on. After you ve completed the practice exam, use the answer key and compare missed questions with your notes. o A good rule of thumb is if you got the question right without help from notes or peers, you ve mastered that material. o If you got a question wrong, you need to spend more time on that material.

15 The day of the exam Do not pull an all-nighter. It will likely make you more anxious for the test. Aim for 6-7 hours of sleep. Eat breakfast (or lunch or dinner). Don t sacrifice food for more time to study! If you ve been keeping up with material throughout the last few weeks, you will be fine! Get to the exam early. Don t show up 5 minutes before class starts. It s always harder to find a seat on exam days. Follow the instructions. Many exams have different forms, so be sure to mark the correct one! If you re stuck on a problem, mark it and move on get what you know done with first, then come back. If it s a multiple choice test, make sure your answers match up with the ones on your scantron!

16 The final exam Many of your final exams will be cumulative. That means it may cover around chapters. If you ve been keeping up with your reviews every week and made well organized study guides for each exam, you ve already done most of the work to prep for this test! Make a final study guide from your exam study guides. Begin this early so that you can make an appointment with your professor if you need to. If there is a practice final exam, take it after you ve thoroughly studied your study guides. Then go back and review the questions you missed. Take the final and guess what? You re done with the course!

17 Other resources The CAEE offers many seminars that offer assistance in time management, note-taking and study techniques, test anxiety, and avoiding procrastination. o o Check out some of their programs here: Need help in a freshmen course? The CAEE also offers free tutoring in many freshmen level courses. o o Learn more about the tutoring program here: The Cook Counseling Center offers free online study skills self-help guides. o o Find the right guide for you!