You may be starting to wonder, “how should I study for these tests/quizzes?” And the thought of it can be overwhelming, especially the night before the test. To help you best prepare below are 7 strategies on how to create a good study plan.
Strategies for Successful Studying
1. Avoid Passive Studying--Students tend to want to re-read the textbook or re-write notes, but these activities only passively engage your brain in understanding the material. To make the most of your time spent studying, try engaging with strategies that require your brain to recall and synthesize information.
2. Summary Sheets--Try to create a sheet of “need-to-know” information for each chapter of the course while NOT using your notes. You will be challenging yourself to recall information that is the most important for your test. This could be concepts, formulas, keywords, etc.
3. Concept Mapping--Make a flowchart or map of the kind of problems, concepts, keywords, etc. you need to know for the test and allow your brain to make connections. Physically drawing the connections and seeing the information in your own way will allow you to recall the information better on the test.
4. Quiz yourself--Use notes, summary sheets, concept maps, flashcards, keywords, etc. to quiz yourself. Once you have tried to remember as much as you can about that concept, problem, formula, keyword, etc. check and see if you are correct.
5. Differentiate--Try to determine why the author of the book chose specific problems and establish what concepts they might have been trying to teach you. Then take a couple problems and see if you can make them harder and then try to make them easier. Being able to manipulate problems tests your understanding of the concepts.
6. Study Groups--Teaching someone else a chapter or topic that you know does wonders for your understanding. Allowing others to teach you what they know will also do wonders for their understanding and help you understand something that you may be struggling with.
7. YouTube Videos--When you are struggling with a particular concept, you can search for a video demonstration on YouTube. Do NOT passively watch the video from start to finish though. Watch the introduction and write down the problem, now try to solve as much as you can. If you get stuck, play the video and if you feel like you get to a point where you can solve the rest of the problem, pause the video again and try. If you engage with YouTube this way, it can help you with all types of problem solving while also challenging your brain.
When thinking of how exactly to attack studying for exam, the idea may be incredibly overwhelming. A list of tasks without any time-related goals attached to them are extremely hard to accomplish. Try to take each activity you would like to complete and plan a certain block of time to complete it along with when you actually will do it. For example, if I am going to create a concept map for Ch. 2 of Calculus 1 I might set aside 1 hour on Wednesday from 4-5 pm. Planning out all of your classes, extracurricular activities, and study times into an hourly calendar can help make your goals more achievable. Here are two examples of study plans from current engineering students:
The idea of planning ahead may still seem overwhelming, but picking 2-3 activities you want to try is a great place to start! The most successful students start studying 4-5 days prior to their test and schedule in specific times to do some of the strategies above. What is your plan? Email your plan to seas.success@gmail.com to receive feedback. You may be highlighted in a future post.
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