Tests are beginning to sprout up around campus, but before you panic and become consumed by fear, don’t worry. When you’re sitting there during the test and you look over to the person next to you who is freaking out, you’ll sit fine knowing the material. Review these tips and you’ll be set for test time.
First, we should get the elephant in the room out of the way. To have the best chance at studying, you will need to take good notes.
Having good notes will allow you to go back to them later and will give you a more concrete understanding of the material. If you think that you may need more material, then go ask your professor.
A common tactic people use when studying is going to a quiet place, like the library or your dorm’s study room, if it has one. Having a quiet place to study makes for an easier study time.
A study published by “Education Corner” said that having a set time to study will get you into a habit. If you do the same thing every day for two or three weeks, it will become a habit. For example, going to the library around four or five o’clock to study can help in the long run.
How should you study, though? The first thought may be to study notes, or set a goal for your studying. Having trouble with that calculus or the foreign language? Set a goal. Some goals may include learning a new math function in under an hour, or learning how to conjugate a foreign word. Having small goals throughout a study session can help improve study efficiency.
Another study strategy often used by students is the reward method. Rewarding goes well with setting specific time aside for studying.
A common goal could be studying for 50 minutes and rewarding yourself with an hour of Netflix. The longer the study time, the more Netflix to watch.
But how long should this study session be? All-nighters may seem like a good idea at the time, but they can have disastrous effects on long-term memory.
A study published by the “Wall Street Journal” said that multiple short study sessions are much better than a few long ones or an all-nighter.
KSC first-year Tristan White said he studies for about 15 minutes before taking a break. “After [the break], I go back to studying for another thirty minutes,” he said.
There are also some uncommon but effective methods of study. One way of studying is to teach what you’re learning to someone else. When you verbally recite what you study, you’re more likely to commit it to memory, according to a study at the Wall Street Journal.
Grab someone who you know in the class you’re studying for and teach the material to each other. Another great way of studying is to put yourself in the test environment.
Create a practice test for yourself and test your knowledge. This will not only give you an idea of how it could go, but also let you know what areas of material you’ll need to work on.
Another study tip used by many students is forming a study group. For example, students from a certain class can come together to exchange notes.
KSC first-year Trevor Kaufman said he really likes study groups “because they allow you to hang with friends while also studying.”
“Plus,” Kaufman said, “Someone could have something on the notes that you might’ve missed, so you’re more likely to get information.”
Michael Fremeau can be contacted at mfremeau@kscequinox.com
