Midterms, Tests...how do YOU study for them?!

Antenna_Boy · #1 (**permalink**) Oct 11, 06

So yeah, it is midterm season yet once again, and I find myself reading all important chapters and notes...this sucks, cuz I know this weekend i will have no life as I have my tests. I think I will go work out to release some stress :( How about you people?! What do you do besides freak out and study last minute??? seriously :( hahah

esoter1c · #2 (**permalink**) Oct 11, 06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Antenna_Boy

So yeah, it is midterm season yet once again, and I find myself reading all important chapters and notes...this sucks, cuz I know this weekend i will have no life as I have my tests. I think I will go work out to release some stress :( How about you people?! What do you do besides freak out and study last minute??? seriously :( hahah

Cheat.

Antenna_Boy · #3 (**permalink**) Oct 11, 06

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3507321C

Cheat.

you more you cheat, the more you know about cheating and less you know about the course material...horrible horrible study suggestion you have for yourself tisk tisk tisk :124:

charly · #4 (**permalink**) Oct 11, 06

i try and keep up with my readings, so when it comes down to it.. it's not shoving all that new material into my brain.

i also don't over study. if i try to study everything in one day, it's absolutely useless.

study guides too.. if they have them for whatever subject you're in.
things like flashcards are good for some subjects too.

decypher · #5 (**permalink**) Oct 11, 06

I just go through and highlight all the important points as a i read. Then i type out notes and read them on the way to the exam.

charly · #6 (**permalink**) Oct 11, 06

one more thing.. get the fuck off fnk. :P

that's what i'm going to do right now.. seeing as i have a psych midterm tomorrow afternoon.

Antenna_Boy · #7 (**permalink**) Oct 11, 06

yeah...I know that for one of my courses (business), the professor is relating almost everything to the outside "real" world...rather than having a text book style exam. Any pointers?

decypher · #8 (**permalink**) Oct 11, 06

^^ Keep your eye on the news, very carefully.

Antenna_Boy · #9 (**permalink**) Oct 11, 06

it's tough when you don't have cable tv...the best I can do is listen to radio or read the occasional province newspaper or something like that...but I already have sooooo much I have to read *I'm going to stop complaining right now :) *

decypher · #10 (**permalink**) Oct 11, 06

Reading the province is your first problem. Get yourself a Globe and Mail. You can even subscribe to there mailing list and they send you important tech, business, political headlines.

If it's a business course and he said he wants to base the exam on the "real world," i'm assuming he means he wants you to take what you are learning in the text and apply if to current happenings in the business. Therefore, it's probably best if you follow raising trends in technology/business and pay attention to mergers and stuff like that.

BongMan · #11 (**permalink**) Oct 11, 06

study through osmosis sleep in your book

Antenna_Boy · #12 (**permalink**) Oct 11, 06

^make sure you are not too passive, otherwise you drift into la-la-la a.d.d land :(

Antenna_Boy · #13 (**permalink**) Oct 11, 06

Quote:

Originally Posted by decypher

Reading the province is your first problem. Get yourself a Globe and Mail. You can even subscribe to there mailing list and they send you important tech, business, political headlines.

If it's a business course and he said he wants to base the exam on the "real world," i'm assuming he means he wants you to take what you are learning in the text and apply if to current happenings in the business. Therefore, it's probably best if you follow raising trends in technology/business and pay attention to mergers and stuff like that.

yes, I have looked into the globe and mail now and then..but it was the province that was more readily available to me. But I agree...Globe would be the choice...it is definitely an eye-opener to see how the world is changing in every aspect of life eh? thanks for the tip

mojo · #14 (**permalink**) Oct 11, 06

keep up with the readings, and do so critically. reading material does nothing if you don't understand it.

KandyKid · #15 (**permalink**) Oct 11, 06

I have one tommorow.

Right now..

I am watching SouthPark and chatting on MSN...go studying go....

dave mcnasty · #16 (**permalink**) Oct 12, 06

friday nights and saturday nights are not included in the studying schedule.....plan your studying schedule around them.........other than that......you gotta feel for what's important.....usually the prof will give you some kind of outline for what to study....read over important points/summaries in the textbook.....read over notes you took from lectures, if any....get someone from the class to ask you questions.....but dont focus on one area....spread your studying all around or else you'll find yourself studying something that doesnt even end up being on the exam.......write really hard-to-memorize shit on your hand....sit next to, or behind someone smart

all of this should equal a pretty good mark

MarcelM · #17 (**permalink**) Oct 12, 06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Antenna_Boy

So yeah, it is midterm season yet once again, and I find myself reading all important chapters and notes...this sucks, cuz I know this weekend i will have no life as I have my tests. I think I will go work out to release some stress :( How about you people?! What do you do besides freak out and study last minute??? seriously :( hahah

I just passed a law exam, I had to know 900 pages and lots of the civil code.
First I read everything, then I summarized it in my own words and then I studied the pieces of paper I wrote, that's my way of studying....

.divinity. · #18 (**permalink**) Oct 12, 06

OK. I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS POST IS MASSIVE. I GOT CARRIED AWAY... MY BAD. BUT, I'VE DECIDED TO POST IT ANYWAYS.. HONOURING THE TIME I LOST WRITING IT....

ideally.. the trick is to figure out your learning style, and then play to your strengths.. ..its pretty easy to say that... but... u might not have time for that considering exams are NOW...

for me?? i'm a criminology student.. i'm typically expected to know more about things in general.. i rarely have to memorize specifics..
i found my learning style by accident. i was extreeeemely pressed for time (exam was 2 days away), and i still had only done a few readings..oops.... i concluded the only thing i could do (with the amount of time i had, and the amount i had to cover), was spend the next 2 days in starbucks reading the text cover to cover...
i did surprisingly well on the exam..
for me, i remember more when i read to learn about something.. rather than to memorize the details.. i try to let the reading/learning flow as much as i can, rather than chopping it into bits and focusing on little details..
then.. i refine the details with any time that i have left..
i don't usually study too much within the hour before my test.. if i'm not likely gonna learn something new in that time (unless i'm really struggling), i sell my book back early :) hehehe.. best time to do it is before the exam.. best value, no line, and if they're taking any of that book at all.. u know they're taking yours!!
then u go into the exam with a clear and relaxed mind and a bunch of cash in ur pocket!! ..so beautiful..
and afterwards.. no matter how the exam went.. ur done.. u don't have to wait in line FOREVER to TRY to sell ur book back.. ur already rid of the class.. and can bounce and smoke a doobie without delay..
that's my favourite gameplan..

robyn · #19 (**permalink**) Oct 12, 06

i have a middle eastern history exam in an hour. so far i've figured out everyone was named muhamed and i might be kind of a racist.

Antenna_Boy · #20 (**permalink**) Oct 12, 06

Quote:

Originally Posted by .divinity.

OK. I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS POST IS MASSIVE. I GOT CARRIED AWAY... MY BAD. BUT, I'VE DECIDED TO POST IT ANYWAYS.. HONOURING THE TIME I LOST WRITING IT....

for me, i remember more when i read to learn about something.. rather than to memorize the details.. i try to let the reading/learning flow as much as i can, rather than chopping it into bits and focusing on little details..
..

^I just shortened your sweet paragraph to what I picked up useful from it...and when you want to learn something, you get the drive/motivation to work hard. But I couldn't try to smoke up as I get all dumb afterwards :(

Antenna_Boy · #21 (**permalink**) Oct 12, 06

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarcelM

I just passed a law exam, I had to know 900 pages and lots of the civil code.
First I read everything, then I summarized it in my own words and then I studied the pieces of paper I wrote, that's my way of studying....

how much time did that take you to do? I am considering it for the future exams when I get my studying schedule down pat. Btw, good job on the Law Exam..brrrrrrr's @ civil code.

mekim · #22 (**permalink**) Oct 12, 06

i have pretty close to a photographic memory so for tests that required basic reguritation of facts (most biology, history, poli sci classes) i just read the material over a day or two before. anything that required actual thinking and jumps of logic (higher level maths, chemistry, physics, etc) i just made sure i kept up to date on the course material and did a small review session the night before.

Antenna_Boy · #23 (**permalink**) Oct 12, 06

I used to cram right before the test, and almost pull an all-nighter...but I don't wish to carry on that routine anymore..too stressful, and the amount of material you remember afterwards does not benefit the long term memory..just the short term

*jess* · #24 (**permalink**) Oct 12, 06

Quote:

Originally Posted by robyn

i have a middle eastern history exam in an hour. so far i've figured out everyone was named muhamed and i might be kind of a racist.

Bwahahahahahahahahaha

Hey - if it isn't broken don't fix it. I find the study as much as you can at the last possible minute strategy has treated me quite well thus far.

decypher · #25 (**permalink**) Oct 12, 06

Quote:

Originally Posted by mekim

i have pretty close to a photographic memory so for tests that required basic reguritation of facts (most biology, history, poli sci classes) i just read the material over a day or two before. anything that required actual thinking and jumps of logic (higher level maths, chemistry, physics, etc) i just made sure i kept up to date on the course material and did a small review session the night before.

You trying to say poli sci dosen't take require actual thinking?
The upper level theory stuff definately does.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarcelM

I just passed a law exam, I had to know 900 pages and lots of the civil code.
First I read everything, then I summarized it in my own words and then I studied the pieces of paper I wrote, that's my way of studying....

That's actually very good. If you can recall the information and say it out loud in your own words, teach someone or write it out; you'll remember it very easily.