Perhaps you are overwhelmed with all the finals you have to take, or maybe you find yourself stuck when it comes to knowing what material to study for your exams. I’ve been in the same boat. Here are some methods that help me get out of a studying rut.
Focus
1. The Pomodoro technique
The basic premise of the Pomodoro technique is intense focus for 20-25 minutes followed by a 5-10 minute break. After you repeat that four times, you can take a longer break of 10-15 minutes. The Pomodoro technique breaks your study session into manageable pieces, minimizing procrastination and preventing mental burnout. There are a few Pomodoro timer apps out there but you can read about my favorite here.
2. Minimizing distractions
Many researchers have studied attention psychology and found various methods for increasing focus/performance, and I haven’t taken the time to read them all, but I this chart has been a good guideline for me.
Note taking
1. Cornell notes
I learned this method in 9th grade as a way to take notes in classes that mostly focus on important terms/concepts. Cornell notes lend themselves well to studying for exams, so you don’t have to make extra flashcards at the end of the semester, you can just use your notes.
2. Highlighting
An alternative (or perhaps addition) to Cornell notes is using highlighters to color-code certain details in your notes/textbooks, etc. I like to use this method when I’m reading scientific papers. I put a key at the top of the paper with what each color stands for. For example, I might have blue represent things I’m confused about, yellow for things I think are important, and pink for references that I want to read. These quick color annotations help me efficiently extract information from the paper that I will use later.
3. Memorizing dates
This is especially helpful in American Heritage.
Knowing what to study
1. Study guides
If your professor was kind enough to give you a study guide, use it. One great way to use a study guide is to upload it as a Google Doc that you and your friends in the class can fill in as the professor’s giving the test review. With more people working on the study guide, it will be less likely that you’ll miss something important.
2. TAs
If you don’t have a study guide, the class TA is a great resource for test review. Often, the TAs have seen the test or at least taken the exam in a previous semester, so they know what you should focus on to pass. Usually, the TA will tell you what you should study if you ask, but if they’re hesitant, you can try narrowing down your question: “Should I worry about this detail for the test?”
3. Learning objectives
If all else fails, the learning objectives (usually given at the start of the lecture or on the course syllabus) are pretty much a built-in study guide for every class. Most learning objectives will be written as an expectation, e.g., “Students will be able to…”. You can make your own flashcards/study guide based on these by using the expectation as the question and the completion of the expectation as the answer.
Reviewing
1. Quiz yourself
According to the authors of the famous book Make it Stick, the most effective way to learn and remember information is not to re-read your notes, but to quiz yourself on the information. Having to recall the information without the answer right in front of you solidifies the concept in your mind. Quizlet flashcards or study groups are great resources to help you quiz yourself on the information.
2. Explain it
Sometimes processes/pathways don’t fit into a flashcard very well. A good way to remember these is to explain the process/pathway to another person. The person doesn’t necessarily have to be in the class; in fact, people who are not familiar with the material are great sounding boards because you’ll have to explain the material in a way that they can understand.
3. TAs
As mentioned previously in the article, TAs have usually seen the test or taken the class, so they know the material you will need to memorize for the exam. You can try explaining concepts/processes/pathways to a TA and they can correct where you have misunderstood something.
What are your favorite study tips? Leave a comment and let us know.
Peer Consulting 