Exam Session Approaching...

[JackieGinger]

Exam session is really really close! Anyone care to share their learning techniques?

[Taliesin]

Despair...

[Scheherazade]

Despair...Don't usually despair but panicking does me a world of good.

[JackieGinger]

haha panicking is good, I usually start learning around the last few days when something hits my conscience: Hey the exam is tomorrow... or the sort. Luckily I go to every course...;)

[SleepyWitch]

depends on the subject. what are your studying?
I'd say start revising early, but leave some room to panic and revise all over again two days before the exams

[JackieGinger]

I study English and Romanian 2nd year at University, but well I| couldn't do this if I studied science (physics or biology or any o t sort )

[SleepyWitch]

hum, OK.
what usually helped me was taking lots of notes from texts we had to read or to copy my notes from the lectures by hand. that helped me concentrate and retain things longer, especially if I also mumbled to myself at the same time and did colour coding.
I had a complex system of colour coding with colours for the following: headings, subheadings, terminology I should remember, main points of a theory or text, points that seem controversial and/or distinguish this approach from others, things I didn't understand/wanted to discuss.
This system forced me to think about everything I read and this way I was able to memorize it.

It also helps to count things if you have to have lots of stuff by heart. E.g. when your textbook only has a list of things put a number next to it and learn it as "The 7 theories of...." or "The 3 ways of ....". If you have to reproduce all of them and some are missing, you will notice straight away.

Visual techniques are great, too. Some people are sceptical, but they really help. If there's anything you can draw a mind map of, do so. But make sure you don't get a ready-made one off the internet or a friend, because what's important is that you draw it, not what it looks like.

After studying for a bit, sit back close your eyes and explain to yourself what you have just learned.

Hope it helps... if you can tell me more exactly what you have to study maybe I can come up with some more ideas.

[JBI]

Just finished first term exams a month ago, which was nice, but now I just started the clean semester, which is not nice.

Generally, I like to reread as much as possible, and I attend all lectures (of which I have 95% recall to the word) so I don't particularly worry about that. Generally after a few years, I think people get a sense of what will appear on exams - I know I do, and I can guess the essay questions more than half the time. The hard part is when you need to pull up the texts from memory, or the formulas or algorithms from memory - that is a bit tricky, and takes practice.


What I do is, on my first read and on prep for essays, take a lot of good notes about the book, style, methods of development of argument, and other structural things, including general thesis, chapter breakdown of ideas, and so forth, then I reread the book from a clean copy before exam time, not checking back at my past notes, just letting the text seep into my memory - this works better for 6-book courses instead of 12-book, as 12books are hard to read - and I just absorb everything.

I am not one for copying out long passages, I prefer things to be more natural in my memory than that, though I guess if I had more quotage behind me on my exams that could work.


For sciences, copy everything out is all I can say, especially formulas - I was never particularly noteworthy at Biology or Chemistry, so can't really help there, though I hear the bulk of biology is just making sure you digest to the word most of the information.


A nice technique I also use is the depressing technique - I make my mind believe that I am very unprepared a few weeks before, so I work harder (like 10+ hours a day) and then when the exam time comes, before the exam I don't bring anything with me besides pens, and look at other people cramming, which gives me a sense of super-confidence, then I write the thing, and afterward pretend I did horribly, as a mechanism for feeling surprised and relieved when the marks come.

[SleepyWitch]

A nice technique I also use is the depressing technique - I make my mind believe that I am very unprepared a few weeks before, so I work harder (like 10+ hours a day) and then when the exam time comes, before the exam I don't bring anything with me besides pens, and look at other people cramming, which gives me a sense of super-confidence, then I write the thing, and afterward pretend I did horribly, as a mechanism for feeling surprised and relieved when the marks come.

hahhaahah :lol: I didn't know it was called that :) I used to do that, too. but seriously, it's better to feel anxious if that motivates you to study than to feel over-confident. I've known many an over-confident student who always missed the mark they wanted while making fun of me for being anxious and studying "too" much.

[JBI]

hahhaahah :lol: I didn't know it was called that :) I used to do that, too. but seriously, it's better to feel anxious if that motivates you to study than to feel over-confident. I've known many an over-confident student who always missed the mark they wanted while making fun of me for being anxious and studying "too" much.

When you write essays, if you lack confidence, it can be seen in the essay itself - I like to argue, as I do on the boards (which angers some people I guess) as if I really don't doubt the truth of my opinion.


When you start doubting your own thesis, you end up doing the devaluing yourself, and saving the marker the trouble of pointing out mistakes - if you argue as if there isn't a gap, and use strong evidence, it is easier to get by on a test - it doesn't work that way, I find, for real essays where you have the real facts in front of you, but for tests confidence, from my experience, is essential.

It's not that I am overconfident, it is that I know I am prepared - I tend to do well because I work other people to the ground, not really because of any secrets or techniques - if you work hard, and you know you worked hard, and you know you are doing something you are good at, then ultimately, you should do well.

Another good thing to do is review past essays and exams and see what mistakes you made, so as not to make them again - the hardest part, I find, about learning these things is admitting that I am wrong, but I think that is the only way to learn how to self-edit properly.

[SleepyWitch]

When you start doubting your own thesis, you end up doing the devaluing yourself, and saving the marker the trouble of pointing out mistakes - if you argue as if there isn't a gap, and use strong evidence, it is easier to get by on a test - it doesn't work that way, I find, for real essays where you have the real facts in front of you, but for tests confidence, from my experience, is essential.

It's not that I am overconfident, it is that I know I am prepared - I tend to do well because I work other people to the ground, not really because of any secrets or techniques - if you work hard, and you know you worked hard, and you know you are doing something you are good at, then ultimately, you should do well.



I never had that problem with essays, never undermined my own arguments or anything.
As for over-confident students, I wasn't referring to you at all!!! I mean the sort of people who do hardly any work but think they will get a good mark because basically they would like one (wishful thinking) and because they can simply not imagine why they should get a poor mark because they think they are somehow special and have a divine right to good marks.

[Lokasenna]

Panic, flail wildly, procrastinate, drink endless cups of tea, panic some more, and realise you've just spent the last hour writing a load of drivel, then repeat...

And I thought Christmas was supposed to be relaxing...

[JackieGinger]

wow JBI and Sleepy! You have real complex systems for learning, I usually just read the books and courses (several times) and that is all(I'm closer to Lokasenna's method:D)...however, I want better marks this semester! So I guess I'll spend less time here (this forum is addictive, I spend a large part of the day here :blush:,although I discovered it only a few days ago...), and will try out your techniques, though I don't think I will be able to spend 10 hours learning! I'll do my best! :)

[SleepyWitch]

wow JBI and Sleepy! You have real complex systems for learning, I usually just read the books and courses (several times) and that is all(I'm closer to Lokasenna's method:D)...however, I want better marks this semester! So I guess I'll spend less time here (this forum is addictive, I spend a large part of the day here :blush:,although I discovered it only a few days ago...), and will try out your techniques, though I don't think I will be able to spend 10 hours learning! I'll do my best! :)

I used to do 10+ hours, but that included running to the loo, having lots of smokes, tea, coffee, talking to friends. remember it's important to take a break every 40 minutes, otherwise your brain will be on overload :D

[The Comedian]

Here's something I learned in college -- well I think I learned it in college, I can't really remember -- but that's not the point. The point is this: if you drink (wine/beer/ gin & tonics, etc. .) while studying, make sure that you have a few drinks before you take the exam too so that you are in the exact same state of inebriation as when you studied.

You should remember everything perfectly. . . I think.

Works like a charm, I tell you. ;)

[JackieGinger]

hm sleepy,it's relieving to know that!
I wish I could smoke n drink it would help me a lot, especially the cigarettes, it makes reading much easier, but I live with my parents, and they don't approve of these two activities, when concerning my forlorn self... :(

[JBI]

I used to do 10+ hours, but that included running to the loo, having lots of smokes, tea, coffee, talking to friends. remember it's important to take a break every 40 minutes, otherwise your brain will be on overload :D

There are all sorts of techniques for overcoming what the Buddhists call "Monkey Brain," that is, the inability to focus on the same thing for very long.

Generally, I would do 1 hour of hard writing of Chinese characters, flip to 1 hour of reading in Italian, flip back to the characters, flip to 2 hours of reading in English, then flip back to the characters for 2 more hours, or whatever - generally, I can read books from start to finish fairly quickly straight without breaks, but the characters are the hardest thing I have ever had to learn, to I need breaks because it isn't possible to put on 40 in one go and remember them the next day (at least for me).

Flipping subjects, or texts, I find is a good idea. Also, listening to music, preferably either non lyrical, or in a language one doesn't understand, tends to work well - When it comes essay time I usually flip on Wagner's Tristan and Isolde, and write as much as I can within the span of the Opera, and then break - which is like an over 4 hour spurt which gets 90% of the basic text in - it ends up hurting come editing time, but it gets the thing on paper very quickly, and gets something to work with - though all the magic comes in the edit, which is depressing since one can edit for weeks and never be satisfied.


Really though, some programs and universities are competitive in the sense that you really need to work non-stop to succeed. I am unsure how the US system works - I read a while ago of how it is harder to get into institutions in the US, but easier to do well, in contrast to Canada, where it is easy to get in, but harder to stay afloat - but I've never studied in one, so I can't tell you - but based on my own experience, there are always people around who are as smart or smarter than me, and the only way to compete is to sleep less, and apply time wisely.

My background in English thus far has helped a little, so I don't need to struggle as much on some texts, as I have already read them once, or on poems, as I know most of the ones that have come up so far (though I found a nice new one for a class that somehow avoided me this while by Marlowe called Hero and Leander which was fantastic!), but still there is always room for improvement.


The secret of how to do well really isn't a secret - work hard, and know what your doing, and have good direction, and you will do well. As for knowing what you're doing - I find that if I just ask a professor for some bibliography that will come in handy they are more than happy to tell me - for science, it is perhaps different - also, I am want to bother my teaching assistants and professors with any questions that come up, which is also good, as it enables one to really make sure their thinking is on track with course material - but beyond that, generally working hard is the easiest way to success.

[Hurricane]

It depends on the subject. For a test where you're going to be asked non-analysis knowledge questions, I usually put together a study guide that's just headings for topics off of the syllabus. Then, to study, I would go through and try to fill out everything I knew about that topic from memory and keep going until I could fill it out completely with an sufficient amount of correct info.
For math and science courses....practice test time! Do problems from the book until you have the procedures down and can avoid falling for the little traps professors seem to love to set for students on exams.

For what it's worth, I've never found that marathon study sessions help me. I usually only study the day before the exam for probably 5-8 hours tops, scattered throughout the day with breaks to go workout, eat, relax, etc. I have lots of friends both at my college and other universities who do the 10+ hour study thing, but I just lose focus and nothing ends up sticking after a couple hours.


I am unsure how the US system works - I read a while ago of how it is harder to get into institutions in the US, but easier to do well, in contrast to Canada, where it is easy to get in, but harder to stay afloat

It all depends on your school, but generally I'd say that's fair. Lots of schools, particularly the Ivy League, are big into grade inflation and doing stuff like giving people automatic Bs for just showing up to class based on the idea that a higher GPA helps out students once they graduate. Others, like mine, don't really care what you graduate with as long as it's a 2.0+, and therefore have professors who do things like give students Cs on A quality work because they didn't properly box their answers.