One of the most important steps ineffective test prep is creating a plan. In general, plan to start about 7-10 days in advance to make sure you maximize your study time. Remember, it is better to space your studying out over a period of days rather than clustering your studying just before the exam. Ten hours of studying over 5 days is better than 10 hours of studying over 2 days! Organize your material by concepts, planning to start with the most difficult material first. This gives you the most time to seek out support well before the exam. Use the guidelines below to create your plan.Use your resources and remember to use active study techniques! You got this.
7 days before the exam:Overview of all of the material
Review notes/quizzes to identify the difficult areas that are giving you problems
Create a to-do list and fill outSeven-Day Test Prep Chart
Decide whichstudy toolsyou will create to organize your materials:
Keepactive study strategiesin mind when planning for your exams
6-4 days before test:Review content and self-test, begin with difficult areas
Reviewing strategies
rework homework and quiz questions
self-test on chapter and lecture notes
answer chapter or study-guide questions
attend a review session, office hoursand/or tutoring
study with a friend or teach someone else the concepts
explain concepts in your own words from memory
For essay exams
Come up with ten possible essay questions using your notes and texts
Outline a brief answer to each
Reduce the outlined answer to key words that you can remember. Use acronyms or mnemonic devices to remember these key words
Even if these questions do not appear, you will have organized the course content in your mind.
3-2 days before test:
Study all material thoroughly.
Work with others to work-through material and ask possible exam questions.
1 day before the test:
Review briefly and get a good night’s sleep. You have studied the material three times in the past seven days. Sleep will help you recall and use what you have learned.
Active Studying | Passive Studying |
|
|