Much of your mark in a typical science
course comes from your performance on tests. Here are some ideas
I had about making yourself prepared for a test.
Time Management
Having a daily and weekly schedule
and sticking to it will improve your marks.
Organize your time so that
"all-nighters" never happen!
Most top ranking students spend all
of their available time studying, beginning several months before an
exam.
An adequate amount of sleep is such
that you do not feel sleepy during the rest of the day.
Health
Physical activity
not only improves health but it improves circulation of blood to the
brain.
Try to get
35-40 minutes of brisk physical activity, 5 or 6 times per week.
Four food groups:
Vegetables and
Fruit
Grain Products
Dairy
Meat and
Alternatives (like nuts, tofu, eggs)
Study Groups - working with Peers
Find like-minded student (students)
in class that you can work with on study guides and homeworks.
Divide and conquer! - first work on
alternate problems independently, then help each other! (Just make sure
that whatever you hand in is in your own words and that you understand
it!)
Make sure that you get practice
starting questions from scratch.
If you can't explain to someone else
what you have done, you haven't really understood it! (This is
harder than you think!)
How to prepare study material
Always go to class.If the prof is terrible, use the time going over material
from that
class:
Reading
Assignments
The syllabus, deadlines, etc.
Try taking notes about what the prof is saying; write down
things to look up or ask about later.
Keep all the materials for a course well organized; ie in a
single binder.
Don't try to save paper - use an open style, that allows
revisions.
Assignments, Reading
Material
Start working on assignments and reading the materials the
day you get them.
Make a schedule so you never take a late penalty or fall
behind.
The trick is to work on assignments or do the reading even
before the material has been covered in lectures!This
ends up making the lectures much more interesting!
Past Tests and Exams
The purpose of obtaining and going through old tests and
exams is to get to know "the system".
Each course and prof will have a certain pattern and
style.Knowing the pattern in
advance gives you an edge.
Don't count on lightning to strike twice - memorizing old
test questions rarely works!
The Night Before / Day
Of
The evening before a test is NOT the best time to study (it
is just the most popular) - you should start studying in the 1st week
of
classes!
On the day of a test, it can be good to spend some extra
time reviewing (short term memory) ... though this rarely helps.
During the Test or Exam
Skim over the entire test from front to back before you
begin.Look for problems that you
have confidence to solve first.
If you start a problem but can't finish it, leave it, make a
mark on the edge of the paper beside it, and come back to it after you
have
solved all the easy problems.
When you are in a hurry and your hand is not steady, you can
make little mistakes; if there is time, do the calculation twice and
obtain
agreement.
Bring a snack or drink.
Don't leave a test early!
On the Last Day
remember this quote:
"The most important thing to realize is that whatever study,
magic, prayer or anything else that you can do on the last day is not
going to
make any big difference to the results.The time for worry and study was over yesterday... Loosen up and
relax.Leave [worries] in the
hands of the Almighty or fate if you do not believe in the Almighty.Your job now is to play your part
well." - Dr. Ashok Malhotra "How to Succeed in Exams" Copyright 2006