To many students, studying for exams seems to be such a complicated and overwhelming process. Because of that, some go about it the wrong way and others just don’t bother at all.
The two biggest problems I’ve noticed are: 1) not knowing how to study and 2) just not being able to get yourself to actually do the studying. Both will be addressed in this guide.
Acing your exams requires two things: understanding the content overall and being able to apply it in the specific context of that exam.
Either one alone is insufficient. Think about it. What good does it do if you know all about how regional divisions in the American Civil War led to the 2nd Industrial Revolution if you can’t write an essay that meets the criteria of the exam on the same topic?
And vice versa. What good is it if you can write flawless historical essays that meet all the criteria if you don’t have the knowledge of the content that the essay should be about?
You really need both. There is no shortcut to it. That’s why reading over notes and passively “reviewing” the concepts doesn’t correlate to real understanding.
Understanding isn’t just knowing the content or the ins and outs of it. It’s being able to actually apply the content. Memorizing facts isn’t terrible. You need that, too, but you need to know how to utilize those facts when it’s necessary (like on the exam!).
Let’s look at all of these issues and their solutions closely.
1. Forget About the Test
I’m not going to be one of those people that tell you “grades don’t matter.” Because that’s foolish and untrue.
In our society, the numbers and statistics do matter. They affect everything, from college admissions to federal aid and mortgage loans.
I’m not going to say that it’s a bad thing either. Because it’s really not. We need some kind of measurement system on which to base the distribution of specific services or opportunities.
But, when you are studying as a student, your sole concern shouldn’t be to “pass the test” or “get that A”. You need to actually WANT to learn and understand.
Why?
Because we are good at avoiding things we don’t like and feigning the process.
You don’t need to love every single subject. Sometimes, that’s just not possible because we all have different interests. But, it’s always possible to have a genuine interest in the act of learning itself, not necessarily in the very thing you are learning.
2. Make a Study Guide
Don’t exit out of the tab just yet.
You need to be clear on what exactly you need to know, retain, and prove on the test. You can’t afford to be aimless.
For starters, I recommend making a list of all the topics you need to know for that exam. Then, making subtopics. And beneath each subtopic, write bullet-point summaries of the most important facts, events, ideas, or equations.
For the advanced who already do some form of the above, you can add example questions or tasks underneath each equation or idea, in which you have the opportunity to apply it.
You can be creative and make-up the questions on your own. Or you can use questions or problems from previous quizzes or assignments. Either way, proper practice is necessary for excellent performance.
I know that setting up a study guide can seem hard and time-consuming, so here’s a sample set-up that you can use, wherein I demonstrate how to capture all of the info in one organized space. It is simple, concise, and efficient.
3. Make a Schedule
Now that you’ve created your study guide, you need to plan out when you will actually study.
What I usually do is look at the date of the exam and work backwards. So, if the exam is in two weeks, I look at all the topics in the study guide and ask myself: how can I effectively break down this content in this two-week time period so that I’m ready for the exam?
It’s not going to be an easy division problem because I usually have 400 other things going on in the same two weeks. Some days I will just not be able to study for that test and so the workload cannot be divided equally across board.
This means you have to know your lifestyle well and plan for other things as you plan for the exam. Then, you must break your workload from the study guide accordingly.
For instance, Tuesday is my dedicated day for STEM related studying/work. Hence, I will plan to study 3 units of AP Calc on that day and study zero units on Saturday, my dedicated day for extracurriculars and hobbies.
My point is that the work will NOT be divided equally or in any specific pattern, but it WILL be all completed within that two-week period before the exam.
Because of that lack of structure, I must create a new schedule for every exam and every important time period. (Even when you don’t have any structure, you must create it.)
Another critical aspect of planning is not just scheduling the day, but the time slot. After you figure out what day(s) you are going to do something, you must also make it clear when you are going to do it.
What should the schedule look like?
If I’m honest with you, it doesn’t really matter how it’s organized or formatted. All that matters is that you planned your work in a smart and practical manner that fits your life and that you can easily carry out when you need to.
4. Don’t “Go Over Notes”
-“Hey, dude, you gonna study for that test next week?”
-“Yeah, I’ll probably just go over my notes.”
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that dialogue repeated across the halls of my high school.
Students equate real study with review. Nah. They’re not the same.
Study is the “the devotion of time and attention to acquiring knowledge on an academic subject, especially by means of books.”
There is no devotion or attention or intense knowledge acquisition that comes from glancing over notes that have fermented in your notebook.
You need to actively engage with the material. You need to gripple with the equations, imagine the scenes from the historical events, and internalize the literature.
Why?
Because glancing at concepts from afar creates a barrier between the both of you. No real connection happens; no meaning is forged out of them.
5. Use the Pomodoro Technique
Now for the practical application of the tips.
How do you get your hands off your phone and onto the textbook? How do you do what you know you should be doing?
Well, I’m not a psychologist. But, I do know that we have an innate tendency to repel things that are hard and overwhelming. In other words, we are suckers for pleasure.
Ok, so…?
Well, since we know that, it’s more beneficial to do something with that knowledge then complain about it.
Instead of whining about how much you procrastinate or love to binge watch YouTube when you should be studying, you can ask yourself: why do I like to watch YouTube more than study? And how can I replicate these reasons to make them apply to studying?
And it comes down to one thing: the brain’s reward system.
This is where the Pomodoro technique comes in. It is essentially a timing technique that breaks down work into traditional 25-minute intervals. And after each work interval you can have the reward of your choice.
I absolutely love this technique and it works really well for me. You can start off with any time interval. I started off with 15 minutes and made my way up to 45.
It is both rewarding and simple. The work doesn’t seem complex and I don’t feel overwhelmed.
I encourage you to use simple techniques and tricks like this and build stamina slowly and in a way that is enjoyable.