The way you
study before a test is different for each person. I won’t pretend that
I’ve never pulled an “all-nighter”, but I really don’t recommend it –
especially if you’re over 25. You might pass tests when you do that, but it
doesn’t mean you’ve actually learned the material – it means you’ve honed your
short-term memory. Most people don’t do as well as they do when they’ve
actually mastered the information and gotten a good night’s sleep. I do have a
few hints that can help anyone.
Go over your final version of notes
– outlined, key-worded and coherent by now.
Aren’t you glad you did all that?
Make up your own tests. Put
yourself in your teacher's shoes. Look at what he or she emphasized (the main
points you scribbled down) and turn them into questions. If you studied the way
I described above, many of these will already be in your notes. If not, make
them up now. Pretend you are the teacher. What would you ask your students if
you wanted to know if they understand your material?
Practice answering the questions
with a full and coherent paragraph. Keep practicing until you can do that.
I’m a great fan of flash cards. Put the question on one side, the answer
on the other. Practice with them for a while. Then, when you feel ready, have a
friend test you with them. Making the flash cards will be yet another time you
interact with the information. Your brain is really making some clear roads to
this material.
Be as a little child: playful and
easy to bribe. Reward yourself when you get a question right. (Don’t
forget to deprive yourself when you miss it.)I use small pieces of
chocolate. You know what works for you.
Your teacher may give you helpful
hints about what to study. The week before the tests, they may repeat main
points or even give you verbal clues like saying, “This is really important”.
Pay attention. They are not trying to trick you.
Right before the test, find away to
calm down and center. I used to go sit under the redwoods that grew everywhere
at the college I was lucky enough to attend. I would center and calm
myself. I remember when I took the GRE
test – one that would basically decide my future in graduate school. The
teaching assistant looked at the silent room, turned to the blackboard and began
to write in giant letters – B-R-E-A-T-H-E! There was a giant sigh of exhaled
breath as everyone actually started to breathe normally. She did us all a great
favor. So, remember to breathe.