[GUIDE] ~How To: Improve Exam Performance~

I am guessing that most of the people have or will be taking tests in the very near future, correct? Don't you sometimes wish you had studied better to get that grade up just that little bit? Well, in reality, it's not always how MUCH you study, it's just plain HOW you study. Quality, not quantity, is really the key to success.

I. Taking Notes and Maximizing Efficiency in Class

Taking good notes is the backbone of studying, yet most people do a crappy job or don't take them at all. During class, it seems easy to remember a teacher's lecture because they are standing right in front of you and emphasizing certain points of importance. I'm sure if we had a quiz on the stuff we learn in class any given day, the majority of us would do just fine. At that point, it may seem pointless to take down the main points of what your teacher is saying. But sadly, most tests are cumulative; you have to tie together stuff you learn in more than one class. And sometimes, tests are not only on big ideas, but small details. By taking notes in class, you are not only using your hearing sense, you are also recording the information, which deepens your understanding of the subject. This makes it easier for the brain to recall this information. Even if you plan on never studying from these notes again, it will still be advantageous to take them.

But do you think literally recording every word the teacher says will help you? Of course not. It is still going to be difficult to recall the information if you record everything. What I recommend is to record big ideas, and then take notes in outline form. Remember, notes should be taken as a tool you will use to study when the day for the exam comes. Remember to leave room in the outline to add more ideas. There are many different ways to take notes, to be honest, but here is an example of a good notes sheet:



Honestly, if you really want to do well in school, just take good high quality notes that you can reference later when studying. They will also help you tremendously when studying for the dreaded final exams, because with notes like these, you can easily look back at stuff you don't remember, rather than re-reading all of your notes and forgetting them the next day.

II. Reading Tips

I don't know about you, but there is literally NOTHING in school I hate more than going home and knowing you have to read from a textbook or a big, fat packet. It sucks, it really does. However, your textbook can really become a great tool for the test. If you can create an outline, like the one shown previously, for every chapter or section or packet you read, you don't know how much easier your life will be. Again, writing proves an understanding of the chapter AND will help you review. If you don't have the time, all hope is NOT lost, however. The first few tests of the year almost always tend to be the toughest, because you don't really know what to take from the reading. Does the teacher like specific details? Big ideas? Connections? You have to wait and see. Something that always helps, though, is to jot down big divisions, like chapter titles, and a sentence or two summarizing each of these divisions. I would recommend summarizing each section, be it a page or five pages, after completing this section - before moving on to the next. Also, if the book offers review questions at the end of the section, I would recommend ALWAYS completing this, even if it's not necessary, because it's added review of the chapter. Here is an example of good reading notes:



III. Tips on Studying for Tests

In my opinion, there are two methods of studying. One is the "last minute, must focus and get an A the next day" method. This is also known as CRAMMING, and while teachers recommend not doing this, if you do it effectively, you can use it to your advantage. However, if you do it incorrectly, it could really end up making you do worse.

CRAMMING: When cramming for a test always try to be in a quiet and dull environment. You want to be able to focus on studying and nothing else, because cramming involves engaging short-term memory to its limits, and if you try to focus on too many things at once, it could be a big problem. Here are some ways to fix this:

• Try to be in a room with few windows and the shades closed; if anything, face away from the street because you will be subconsciously looking up at any car or person that passes by. You want to be in a state of complete concentration for a short period of time.
• Stay away from listening to music. It doesn't matter what the genre or the volume. It does not matter how good you are think you are at multitasking. It is not effective because you will not have 100% focus on what you should be studying. You want to limit noise, and, if at all possible, verbalize as much as possible. Read your notes out loud - this engages more of your brain. You don't want to have to read one thing while listening to something else, it doesn't really make sense...
• Sit upright and at a clean desk. Unless you want to do a half ass job then, get your ass out bed and put yourself at a desk. Lay your notes and books out on the table, and just focus really hard. If you cram right before you sleep, one of two things will happen: you will not retain ANYTHING (if your mind is wandering), or you will retain EVERYTHING BETTER (if you are 100% focused). Try to get to sleep as early as possible, but DO NOT sacrifice studying for a half-hour extra of sleep. Seriously.

If you keep those tips in mind, your last minute studying will be much more effective. Just remember: FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS!!!

Long Term Studying: This is obviously the preferred method of studying. You want to spread your studying out over a period of 3/4 days, at least, and each day spend some time reviewing what you did the night before, along with covering something new. Here, you don't need to be 100% focused, because you are actually trying to engage long-term memory, and short-term distractions do not effect you too much. It's not a problem to listen to mellow songs, or anything that does not require you to really "think" about the music. My favorite music to listen to while studying would have to be techno - Daft Punk and DJ Splash work really nicely for me. Another song that works well for me is Handlebars by The Flobots, but it's all really personal opinion. Make sure you are still able to keep about 80% concentration on the studying, though. Remember, it's not as effective to repeat everything every day as it is to just do a little bit more each day, while reviewing what you did the day before.

For example, if I had to study 10 chapters of a textbook, I might split it up like this:
Day 1) Chapters 1-5
Day 2) Review briefly 1-5, study 6, 7.
Day 3) Review briefly 1-7, study 8, 9, 10
Day 4) Review chapters 1-10. You want EVERYTHING to be re-review on the night before the test.


IV. The Day of the Test

Alright, so you've done all your studying, gone to bed on time, and yet you still don't feel so confident that you'll do well? Here are a few tips that I like to use that have seemed to benefit me. Many of these are common sense, but some of them you may not have heard before. If there are any you feel like I should add to the list, please let me know! This is a WORK IN PROGRESS, and I need your help

• Eat a good breakfast. This isn't too complicated, but many people I've talked to have a tendency to skip breakfast in order to study a bit more or just because they're lazy. A good breakfast jumpstarts the metabolism, which makes it easier for the body to use energy [or something like that ]. Your brain requires carbs to perform at optimal level, but don't go overboard. My favorite breakfast on days of tests would probably be blueberry pancakes with syrup with some sausage on the side. For those of you who don't have awesome parents that cook you great breakfast, just eat something balanced with proteins AND carbs. Eggs, some cereals with milk, and waffles are all nice too.
• Do NOT do any more last-minute "cramming," unless you circled some terms while reviewing the night before that you are unsure about. You won't have time to review everything you have to, and you want to keep what you've already reviewed on the first level of memory. Only review that which you have an uneasy understanding with and big ideas (unless, of course, this quiz is purely memorization -- if you need to apply concepts, look at a few review problems or something but don't go crazy re-reviewing what you did last night).
• Do NOT stress out about the test. You know the expression "it takes more muscles to frown than to smile?" The same also applies for thinking negative thoughts. Don't think about how you might fail to motivate yourself, think of like what GOOD will come out of doing well on the test. Make sure you are in a good mood before taking the test - seriously, I've noticed that whenever I'm worried about a test that I've prepared for, my performance is worse than it is on tests that I'm telling myself that I'm excited for.
• Talking with friends is always a good tool to use when preparing for a test. You've already studied enough by yourself, so there's no need to cram more of the same into your brain. Talking to friends, however, can help keep you relaxed and also introduces "listening" as a way your brain retains the information. You may have heard the teacher talking about it a while ago, but it's nice to get that element refreshed.

I will be updating this section as I get more input from YOU!

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I hope you have learned something new in this guide. I just wanted to share my study habits with everyone, because establishing good study habits at an early age will definitely improve your performance as school gets increasingly difficult!

Any suggestions? Comments? Please don't hesitate to share!

 

Very well written, I will follow this guide and put it to good use on my future tests/exams.

10/10

 

great guide easy to read and understand 10/10 ill use it

 

very nice 9/10 could use a little bit of color.
and for now on imma remember..."FOCUS FOCUS FOCUS!"
that will be my modivation.

 

Using this guide for my bigass physics unit test.
Thanks!

 

wow thanks for this will help me at college

 

Ah, thanks for the info on the Crammed studying!

I almost always do this, and usually, I watch TV or something like that while doing it. THANKS!

9/10

Impovements: A bit colours...looks boring

 

Thanks this guide will really help me in school. Cramming guide will really help me =]

 

very good guide i think i need to read it more than once to get it all in
10/10

 

I thoroughly enjoy reading the guides you produce, the way you present them is just fascinating. I love the way you mix the use of color in with the standard white, the quantity of work that you provide, the quality at which it comes in. You really show the time and dedication needed for writing up guides, I really hope to see you become part of the UE team.

Well Done.

 

Well made guide, best I'm seen in the User Submitted Section for a while. Like viper said, the way you present your guides amazes me. Having the flow off color-to-white-to-color just makes it easy on the eye. Also, you include just enough pictures to not make the guide look too busy, so good job on that part too. Overall, amazing work as always from you and I hope to see you on the team soon.

9.5/10.

 

very good guide used it for my maths gcse unit 1 and sure i got atleast A or A* altough havent got results

 

i will give a 10/10... great guide... easily understood

 

In what aspect? And lovin' your Spam everywhere too.

Very nice Guide Matt. You got to write it before I could, but your Guide is definately way better than mine, for the Note / Outline that you have created is simply remarkable.

Btw, congratulations again on getting into the UE. =]
-We knew we'd all make it someday!!

~~~<3

 

Great guide 10/10

Ill be using this in the future... I dont study much so when I do ill take your word for it and do it the right way

 

nice guilde 9/10 easy to follow might use it on my next test

 

The Day of the Test

Complete it now I say!

My exams are less than a week away, I have a lot of studying to do...

So yeah complete the guide, nao!
I'll talk to ya on msn if I need any more tips, you're on my list I think. If not, add me [email protected]

9.5/10

 

Completed! Good luck with your exams, and sure - if you need some more tips, find a way to talk to me. I have you added on MSN, too.

 

I like this but not every one can learning by reading notes, there is different kind of learners as you may know. I myself rewrite notes but my friend learns better by hearing stuff and drawing it out.

 

Pretty interesting guide, would be better if a bit more color, and change fonts (size and type) would have been used, to make it a bit more easier to remember when you read.

8/10