Hi people,

So my name's Robbyn and i'm a first year student @ Mac. I'm actually having trouble studying for tests/exams and I decided to get opinions from others as to how to study more effectively. Basically whenever I study, I have a hard time memorizing the material and when I finally do manage to memorize somewhat, I blank out during the time of my exam.

Normally I write notes and reread them over and over again and then try to recite the content without looking at it but it doesn't seem to work for me.

I'd appreciate it if I could get a couple of opinions from other students as to how to study more effectively and to learn different methods of studying.

Thanks

Hey Robbyn,

Most people have a hard time adjusting into first year, so dont worry too much.

I think the best method of studying is reviewing your lecture notes right after class, that way you dont have to learn everything the day before the midterm.

Im not sure what else to say without getting cliche, perhaps consulting the CSD (which is in Mac) for advice might be a good idea?

Best of luck

WHOAAA. Rakim making a helpful post?! Did his account get hacked? What has the world come to T.T

Instead of reading them over and over before an exam, as Rakim said, you should do it after lecture.

I think most 'studying' actually comes throughout the term - there should not be too much of an increase in studying before your midterms because you should already be absorbing the material as you go along.

Ideally, you would pre-read the material, cover it during lecture, cover it the same evening after the lecture, and review over the weekend. Then when you start studying for midterms, you'll realize "hey I remember reading this so many times it's like I barely have to 'study' at all".

That's obviously ideal, and most people aren't going to get to review it that many times, but instead of just once during lecture try two or three times before you end up studying for the midterm.

Thanks guys.

I'll try that from now on

Originally Posted by Mepper

WHOAAA. Rakim making a helpful post?! Did his account get hacked? What has the world come to T.T

That's exactly what I was thinking!!!

As Kamran said, it's important to review and stay on top of it as much as possible, it makes life a LOT easier before a midterm especially if you have a whole bunch of other things to do that week as well. It's really hard to keep up though and it's easier said than done. So you'll find yourself falling behind a bit, but every weekend or something sit down and catch up. For me I find reading the lecture notes and/or listening to recorded lectures if I need to helps out a lot!

Good luck! And don't worry first year is always hard to adjust to. We all went through it, but just try your best!

You may be trying to study too much. I find this to be especially true of courses that require a huge amount of memorization. Your professor should usually give an indication of what is most important through repetition or outright saying so. As you go on you will be able to better pick out potential test material. I was in humanities first year and some courses focused on the big picture topics whereas others (like Art History) were a lot more nit picky about exact dates names, facts etc. Its up to you to judge what kinds of information are important.

Also you may want to spread out your study time over a much longer period. I have blanked on tests because I attempted to cram too much learning into 2 days. I find that extending studying over a week is a lot more relaxing and yields far better results. You could also try creating anagrams or nonsense words out of groups of concepts to make memorization more efficient. I also try to associate groups of concepts with something I like or am interested in, which makes recall easier. Another thing to try is associating dates/events/terms with each other in a kind of web (I do draw it out sometimes). " X happens because of A, B, or C and can be related to E,F,G and etc." You get the picture. ANYHOW good luck.

I agree with the people above. Reviewing things as many times as possible throughout the term is ideal. When you're studying though, try not to focus too much on memorizing things word for word. Turn concepts into stories and conversationally tell yourself stuff. Walk around, use hand gestures, look like a crazy person - it's weird, but it works. I think the most important thing is to try and get away from straight memorization. Walk around, talk to yourself, draw flow charts and diagrams, think of new examples. You'll really get the material in your head if you contemplate it by manipulating it.