Exam Study Tips

An exam can be stressful. But there are things you can do before you take the test to learn the material well enough to do well on the exam.Here are some helpful tips on how to study for the exam:

1. Know your chapters in the book really well.

2. Study the power points and posted chapters online under course content as well.

3. Use your study guides to help you know the material. The study guide is posted under Course Contents of D2L.

4.Space it out.

A new learning technique called “spaced repetition” involves breaking up information into small chunks and reviewing them consistently over a long period of time. So don’t try to memorize the entire periodic table in one sitting—instead learn a few rows every day and review each lesson before starting anything new.

5. Tell a tale.

Turning the details you need to remember into a crazy story helps make the information more meaningful. For example, remember the order of mathematic operations PEMDAS this way: Philip (P) wanted to eat (E) his friend Mary (M) but he died (D) from arsenic (AS) poisoning.

6.Move around.

Research suggests studying the same stuff in a different place every day makes us less likely to forget that information. Every time we move around (from the library to the coffee shop or the coffee shop to the toilet seat), we force the brain to form new associations with the same material so it becomes a stronger memory.

7. Switch it up.

Don’t stick to one topic; instead, study a bunch of different materialin one sitting. This technique helps prepare us to use the right strategy for finding the solution to a problem. For example, doing a bunch of division problems in a row means every time we approach a problem, we know it’ll require some division. But doing a series of problems that require multiplication, division, or addition means we have to stop and think about which strategy is best.

8. Put yourself to the test.

Quizzing ourselves may be one of the best ways to prepare for the real deal. And don’t worry about breaking a sweat while trying to remember the name of the 37th U.S. president (fyi, it’s Nixon): The harder it is to remember a piece of information in practice mode, the more likely we are to remember it in the future.

9. Write it out.

Put those third-grade penmanship lessons to good use. Research suggests we store information more securely when we write it out by hand than when we type it. Start by recopying the most important notes from the semester onto a new sheet of paper.

10. Come together (right now).

Group work doesn’t fly with everyone, but for those who benefit from a little team effort, a study group’s the way to go. Pick a few studious pals and get together every few days to review the material. Put one person in charge of delegating tasks (snack duty, music selection) and keeping the group on target with its goals.

11. Take a time out.

Taking time to plan is one of the most important skills a student can have. Don’t just start the week with the vague goal of studying for a nutrition exam—instead, break up that goal into smaller tasks. Pencil it in on the calendar like a regular class: For example, allot every day from 1 to 3 p.m. to review 15 pages worth of info.