HOW TO STUDY

Step One: Create a Study Schedule  Do not cram everything into the day before a test.  Divide out your studying across multiple days (3-5) and have a set place and time to do so.  Only bring the necessary items with you to study and leave everything else in a different place to minimize distractions  Good: textbook, notes, flashcards, highlighters, pens, snacks  Bad: cell phone, room with a tv or computer

Step Two: Stick to that schedule  When studying, it is not effective to do a marathon (get it, battle of marathon, nike, dying words, ok you get it) session of 4-5 hours.  Study for one hour, then give yourself a 5-10 minute break to stretch, get a snack, check your twitter, etc.

Step Three: Take effective notes  Just rereading the textbook is not an effective form of studying.  Try different styles:  Cornell Notes over the Chapter. Left Column are major ideas you glean from a quick survey of the chapter, right column is for information to back up those major ideas. Always rewrite the material in your own words. Copying down verbatim what the book says does not help you much.  Compare notes with other students and then reorganize the material. Don’t be afraid to rework your notes or reorganize them into a more natural way that benefits you.

Step Four: Study Tricks  Image-word association – This study method associates words with images. Some people memorize best when they can visualize a word or concept in their head. Students who use this method associate an unknown term or concept with something they already know.  Acronyms and mnemonic devices – An acronym is a combination of letters that can be used to help you memorize a term or concept. You can combine the first letter of each word of a compound term or idea to spell a word that is easy to recall.. You can come up with personal and creative ways to use mnemonic devices to study for a test. Create something that is useful and easily memorable to you.  Hide-write-compare –While this seems like a simple method often used at the elementary level, it is a useful studying tool at the college level. For example, after you have read a chapter in your textbook and written down all the important terms, you can test your knowledge to see if you remember them. Cover up the definition of each term and try writing it again from memory. When finished, compare with the correct definition. Writing something down repeatedly helps it stick in your mind better.

More Study Tricks  Story Telling –. For example, instead of looking at your textbook as full of boring facts, turn that information into an exciting story with details that can help you remember. Tell the story to yourself out loud, and to others if you find it helps. Many professors even choose to teach using storytelling.  Analogy – An analogy is the comparison of two or more things. You can use analogies to compare and contrast specific terms or ideas. There are several kinds of analogies, including parts to whole, such as a battery is to a flashlight as a keyboard is to a computer. Cause and effect analogies are also common, such as smoking is to cancer as itching is to scratching. While you can create your own analogies, one of the keys to smarter studying is recognizing analogies that are already in the content you are studying. With practice, you’ll become more skilled at recognizing patterns and analogies that help you digest course material.  Repetition – Repetition is the most common study method students use. Repetition involves reviewing information again and again until you have grasped the concept. Repetition can be used in several ways. For example, you can create flash cards to master material that requires rote memorization. When studying a foreign language, some students choose to repeat terms or concepts aloud or write information down repeatedly. You should consider what way you learn best to determine what style of repetition to use