softpplant:

(here are some study tips straight from my psych notes)

1. interest: the brain prioritizes by meaning, value, and relevance so u remember things better if ur interested

• find a study partner
• do extra practice or research
• teach it to someone else (this works so well!)

2. intent: be actively paying attention. very little learning actually takes place without attention

• use a concentration check sheet (every time u get distracted, put a check on ur sheet. this is supposed to program ur mind to pay attention)
• while u read, talk back to the author
• ask questions during lectures (this is scary ik!! but do it!)

3. basic background: make connections to what u already know

• preview and skim the material before u read it. or google it!
• write out a list of vocab words before a lecture and leave some spaces between them to fill in during the lecture
• read ahead of lectures
• watch crashcourse tbh

4. selectivity: start by studying whats important

• look for bolded words, graphics, pictures, chapter review questions in ur readings
• listen for verbal clues like emphasis and repetition during lectures
• make urself a study guide as u read and write down questions for urself to answer later as review (kinda like cornell notes)

5. meaningful organization: u can learn/rmr better if u group ideas into diff categories

• apply vocab words to ur life
• make flashcards and sort them (try not to have more than seven items in one category!)
• use mnemonics

6. recitation: saying ideas aloud in ur own words strengthens synaptic connections! when u say something aloud u r forcing urself to pay attention

• after u read, ask urself questions
• talk abt what u learned w/ classmates outside of class
• again, teach someone else

7. visualization: ur brain’s quickest and longest-lasting response is to images

• convert info into a chart or graph
• draw it out
• make a mental video of a process
• look at picture/video examples

8. association: memory is increased when facts are consciously associated w something u already know. memory = making neural connections

• ask urself: is this something i already know?

9. consolidation: give ur brain some time to establish a neural pathway

• make a list of what u remember from class
• review notes at the end of the day, every day
• stop after reading each prg to write a question in ur notes
• make ur own practice quiz

10. distributed practice: we all know cramming doesnt work but we do it anyway! but yeah short and frequent study sections work better

• make a daily/weekly study schedule
• create a time budget/time tracker (track everything ur doing for a week and see how u can be more efficient w/ the time u waste)
• divide the reading/vocab by the number of days before an exam and do a little bit each day (u can use sticky notes to divide ur reading)

other tips:

• stop stressing! this sounds stupid and it isnt going to be easy, but anxiety causes u to lose focus. try ur best to think positively. sleep a lot. minimize ur caffeine intake. take a walk maybe
• when u need to remember something, look upward or close ur eyes (when ur eyes are open ur using visual parts of ur brain that u might not need to be using)
• find a rival! (like the person right above u in class rank) secretly compete w/ them (envy can improve mental persistence bc it makes u focus more intensely) but dont overdo it! 
• walking and sleeping build memory storage in ur brain
• eat flavonoids! (grapes, berries, tea leaves, cocoa beans make neurons in the brain more capable of forming new memories + increase blood flow to the brain)
• obstacles force ur brain to try harder, so space learning lessons apart or create a puzzle to solve or change ur physical setting

shirouvscollege:

TO SURVIVE EXAMS LIKE A BOSS

1. Get your electronics out of the way. I’m a huge advocator of technology in the classroom. But no so when you’re in your bedroom. I remember I had a chemistry exam the next day and I slept at midnight reading a novel. Even though I knew the material and the answers, I couldn’t finish the test on time because I was slower than usual and couldn’t concentrate. SLEEP IS IMPORTANT. So get your phone, tablet, laptop all out and just sleep. Learn from my mistakes people. 

2. Take a day off and meal prep the shit out of your week. When I’m in exam week, I forget to eat. My bodily needs go on vacation to a dark corner of my mind and I simply forget about them until I’m at the verge of collapse from hunger and dehydration. What I did last year to avoid this is to have healthy food at hand all times by meal prepping inexpensive, light and nutritious snacks that can survive in the fridge. 

3. Have your professor’s email or phone number. We are not perfect so from time to time, we are bound to cram everything in a day. In these days, it’s very beneficial to have your professor’s contact info to ask relevant questions. Be bold and ask right away if they have past tests so you can train with them in those lasts couple of hours. When cramming, it’s best to practice instead of reading. Your professor can make a huge difference in this game. 

4. Make an efficient summary. If your professor isn’t willing to help (I see you Law Prof), then I recommend you to take notes using the chapter outline. You know that one page where they outline the chapters paragraph and give it numbers? It’s been extremely useful to me. Why? Because the paragraphs are usually named after the main ideas of the subject. Let me give you an example. One of my introductory classes was Marketing. The first chapter is named Wat is Marketing? The first paragraph is The definition of marketing, the second The marketing concept and the last one The role of marketing in a corporation. So knowing the answer to these 3 paragraphs should give you a strong idea of what marketing really is. A 20-page chapter was easily summarized in only 3 paragraphs. This saves me lots of time and I’m able to identify the most important info right away.

5. Organise a study session with your classmates. I have saved and have been saved by these. Just gather around 4-6 people from your class. Then make sure each one of you has mastered a part of the study material. Then teach what you’ve learned from the others. At the same time, you get to learn too without doing a lot of research.

6. Search it up. If you understand something, the esier it is for you to remember. So if you don’t understand the explanation the professor gave you, ditch him and go look on the internet for a video or article that explains it easier (or slower) for you. 

7. Don’t cram it at the last minute. Yes, don’t do it. It’s likely not going to stay in your mind and it will only give you more stress. I would rec to stop learning all together some 5 hours before the exam and take a nap instead so you feel more fresh and relaxed. 

8. Once you get your test, write all formulas, mnemonics and models. I like to do this before even reading the first question. This way I get all the tools I need out of my mind right away. Therefore I’ll have more space in my mind to think about the actual questions instead of thinking “what was the formula for that again?”  and enter in panic.