How To Prepare For A Test: STUDY!

Everyone knows that to prepare for a test one must study. To some people this may mean briefly looking over their notes. And in the case of preparing for math tests there are people who insist that you can't study for a math test - so they don't. Neither of these approaches will result in effective preparation for a test. In order to adequately study for a test there are a few details that you need to understand about how to study,

Analyze what the questions on homework and quizzes (and past tests) have been like. Can you sort them out into a few different categories? Try to find keywords in a question that will tell you which type of question it is, and what kind of answer, or what process to use (in the case of math tests) for that type of question. Or, if keywords aren't working for you, just come up with a clue to yourself about how you can recognize a certain type of question. This is invaluable!

For example, in statistics, if a question says "Is there evidence that the claim ........is true?" this means you need to do a hypothesis test. If you can't categorize the questions in the course that you are taking, ask your teacher. They should be able to help you with this. And they will be impressed that you are asking for a specific kind of help rather than leaving it to them to figure out what kind of help you need.

There are three kinds of learners - visual, auditory, and kinesthetic.

Visual Learners

You process and retain information best when you see it, as opposed to just hearing it. For example, the things that help you learn are notes that your teacher writes on the board (or projects on a screen); demonstrations; or rereading your own notes and textbook. So your best studying methods would be reading.

Auditory Learners

If you are a auditory learner then you learn best when you not only see the information, but hear it spoken. An example would be your teacher's lectures. You might consider bringing a small tape recorder to class and (with your teacher's permission) tape the lecture and/or class discussion. Then you could play it back when you are studying. Another option would be to find videos on the subject. There are probably lots of things like that on You Tube.

Kinesthetic Learners

Kinesthesis is the sense that detects bodily position, weight, movement of the muscles, tendons, and joints. Being a kinesthetic learner means that doing and manipulating things are what help you to learn. Anything that requires some movement on your part would be considered kinesthetic. If what you are trying to learn does involve some form of mechanical manipulation then you will retain it best by actually doing it, not just reading or hearing about it. But also, even if it seems like your motion is not directly related to what you are trying to learn, the fact that you are satisfying some need you have for movement while you are studying opens the pathways in your brain. I find that I have to write something down in order to comprehend it.  This holds true for information that I am being told or reading for the first time. It also is a big part of how I would study for a test, or a speech. I think that the act of writing, the "motion" of my hand, enhances my internalization of what I am writing.   

Don't forget that you're learning style may be a combination of these. For instance, while I believe that the actual act of writing something helps me process it, there is also an aspect of visual learning going on that really helps me. Thinking about it, I've realized that even if I can't write something down if I visualize it in my mind I can make it "mine." This happens when I'm given directions - I actually visualize the streets and the turns; or when someone recites a phone number for me I repeat and visualize the numbers in my mind. If you analyze such things you can figure out what methods work best for you.

When I am studying for something I write a sequence of notes that are more and more condensed each time I rewrite them. By the time I have finished that process I have accomplished two very important things. The first is that each time I rewrite the notes I am required to synthesize the information in order to translate it to a more condensed version of the same information - that's what learning is - synthesis of information until it becomes "your own." The second benefit is that now I have a very concise study sheet that I can go over and over up until the test.  While this very brief outline might not provide enough studying if someone else gave it to you, the fact that you've been processing the ideas as you've written each brief reminder means that when you see the reminder, it will trigger the more detailed information that you started with.

This may sound silly. Who wouldn't study for an A? Well, there are a lot of people who think, "I'll be satisfied with a B(or a C, or just to pass), I don't need to get an A. But here's a question for those people. How do you know when you've studied enough to pass, or to earn just a B? You probably don't. You probably just use such a statement to justify a less than thorough job of studying. But guess what - there is not a direct linear relationship between the amount you study and the score that you earn. Let me explain - there most definitely is a direct relationship - one goes up, the other goes up (or, one goes down, the other goes down). But a linear relationship is a different thing. This would imply that they go up or down proportionally - if you study only 80% of the material then you will score 80% on the test. But it doesn't work this way.

There are two ways that this kind of thinking can undermine you. The first is that even if you confidently know 80% of the material, what if the 20% that you don't know makes up more than 20% of the test? What if it is 50% of the test? Now you are only confident about 50% of what you are being tested on.

The second problem with this approach is the more common one. You may think you know 80% of the material very well, but when you come across something that you don't know this tends to make you feel less confident about what you thought you knew. The test topics may be inter-related and without understanding all of it, you can't give an intelligent answer to any of it. Now you are filled with anxiety and you perform at a lower level than you thought you would. This is one of the biggest reasons for failures in math, in particular, but I am sure it applies to other subjects equally as well.

The only way to ensure that this scenario doesn't sabotage you is to study to 100% of your ability. Maybe you will surprise yourself, and actually earn an A, or at the very least, anxiety and confusion will not cause you to achieve less than you could have.