Favorite way to study for exams/ tests?

[Drunk Not I Am 1,070]

I've always been terrible at preparing for these sort of things and with winter break approaching for college and most schools otherwise,  I'm curious to know other folks methods, maybe i could learn a thing or two. I find the best and only way i can get myself to study is doing it in increments at a time. It helps me study what i need without wearing myself down to the point of exhaustion.  

[FlitterFlutter 1,583]

Well this is probably not the best way but it is what I do.

 

I don't do anything till the night before it is due, then I stay up all night trying to finish it and hope for a C.

[Moonlight 7,286]

Not studying at all. For whatever reason I get higher scores when I don't study and lower scores when I do study.

[retrobakon 57]

Yeah I generally don't study, and it's worked out fairly well for me. 

[MoltenKitten 341]

ADHD powers of distraction activate!

[Sweet Pen 1,348]

I don't study, because I'm always great at stuff.

Oh yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

 

[Celtore 2,770]

I usually study 2-3 days in advance. I mostly study by creating a cheatsheet of everything in as small handwritting as I can. By the time I finish and the day of the test arrives, I have that piece of loose leaf in dedicated memory. Though I guess quizzing myself in the shower and pretty much the entire evening helps too.

[duidamasterXD 9,627]

Depends on the type of test, but some general advice on test taking:

 

Do the reading. Make sure that you've looked over all the material you're supposed to know for the test, and know it (or the parts you think you're going to be tested on) well enough to explain them to somebody else. That's a good method to know whether you've ingrained something in your head or not. If you don't feel comfortable explaining it to somebody else, go back and figure out what's confusing you.

 

Notecards help too. Just write a term or an equation on one of them, and an explanation on the other side. See if you can generate the explanation from just seeing the term. I was skeptical once, but it's helped me a lot this term.

 

Don't do the "cram everything at the last minute" thing. Sometimes you've procrastinated or been busy, so you have no choice, but don't make a habit of it. Learning the material at a more relaxed pace will help you commit it to memory better. Just try to do a bit of review every day, or every day leading up to your test.

 

Generate problems for yourself.

 

Go to your teacher's office hours if they have them. I haven't been the best at doing this, personally, but most teachers will be more than happy to explain anything that you're struggling with.

 

---------

 

If you want specific methods, the notecards and "try to explain to a friend" technique are the ones that've helped me most. But yeah, shop around and find out what works for you.

[4april 374]

I practice past questions and papers. That way I can get what I know intuitively onto the paper.

[SquipyCheetah 449]

I never study and it's been fine for me since elementary school.

[MeanBlackHawk 147]

I make flashcards.  The act of writing down information will help you recall the information better.  Good practice for muscle memory and you are studying while making it.  After you can then quiz yourself... Surprisingly when I make them and quiz myself for the first time I get a lot mostly just from remembering them as I wrote it.  

[Lisa 5,553]

>studying

what are you a nerd or something

 

I don't study because I've never had to, (except for maths

I need to study for maths more ;p) I get A's without it. Maybe in the coming grades I'll have to begin to.

Edited November 27, 2015 by Holiday on the Moon

[InfectedPone 1,550]

Reading my textbooks and doing past exam papers seems to work for me. I just did my exams and I got over 90% for 5 out of 8 of them so it's pretty good.

[Raven Rawne 1,381]

At high school all I had to do was read my notes right before the exam once, and maybe skim through the part of the textbook that was being tested.

 

At the university I changed tactics - usually around a week before the test I took all my notes and "distilled" them several times. The actual process involved re-writing my notes in a clear, comprehensible way, and removing irrelevant information. Sometimes adding some information from other sources too, but my notes usually sufficed. After 3 or 4 runs I had neat compressed notes I read every day untill the exam. So basically I learned by writing and reading.

[HackTune 177]

my ways of studying  :

 

1. Playing Games While Studying (I don't know how but it worked out pretty good for me)

2. Playing Music While Studying (Same with gaming)

3. Reading while singing along to some random song (can't get anything inside my brain when doing this)

4. Studying In the Early Morning (about 3 a.m , the best way if u ask me, cause i just remembered everything that i studied easily in early morning

5. Not Studying at all but paying attention to the teacher when they explaining stuff.(nuff said)

 

yeah 5 ways to study 

 

got rank 1

 

the exam is coming soon

nooooo

[Starshine 16,334]

1. Locate textbook and any relevant materials
2. Read them

I never had any weird or unusual techniques, I just read the materials whenever I have a free time. Ofc one thing that should be important is to start studying days or even a week or two before the test, so you have more time to understand it.

[Kivil 1,721]

My favorite way of studying is not studying. That may not work for you though

[alpinefroggy 451]

1) lecture notes as long as they are good enough to use. Good summary of what's going on.

2) read textbook and maybe some stuff online. Great way to get conceptual stuff remembered but not necesarily the math.

3) if it involves math than its about jamming a whole bunch of problems and trying to learn all the tricks.

4) doing this all without distraction for sure. It's super hard to get anything done well studying even if what you are listening to is just music.

5) Frontload learning the material. Spend time when it is being taught to do the homework well and get it down before you have to study. It's easier to rememeber stuff you have already learned they try to understand it.

6) study less per session but do it more often. Little influxes of information are easier to remember than large chunks.

[Snuggle Fiend 135]

If it's a little test that doesn't mean anything, I wont study.

If it's a very important test, I wont study.
If it's a test that will determine my future....I'll look at my notes for 5...maybe 10 minutes before...

 

Yus, I think I have problems : 3;

[cmarston1 5,959]

Thoroughly read through any notes or reviews you had for the test or subject for at least a few days before the test

[Life Fiber Infused 41]

I read thorugh my books the night before the test while listening to music, it helps me to remember the content of the books

[SilyGeny 369]

I just look at what we did recently then that's all xD

[IcyHaze 594]

Sit down. Stare at papers. Attempt question. Look up methods online. Guiltily google unrelated material. Attempt question again. Look up answer. Attempt question again. Stare at papers. Get cup of coffee. Attempt question. Stare blankly at PC screen. Search desperately for notes on method. Attempt question again. Stare blankly at wall. Take a break - that's enough study for now. Good job, Hazel!

 

Shamefully play games for the day and cry self to sleep.

[Swift Marquis 327]

Ohh :3

I just pretend to be a teacher in my living room and i read them out, and i prepare my reading material like a script.

Read them like i`m having a class or like i`m on a scene and it works.

 

Sometimes i remember them by associating one thing with a random thing in a link

[That Guy with the CMB 5,873]

To not. That's my favorite method of studying. Is that valid?