A 3-Tier Learning System: For Destructive, Easily Scared Students in an Apocalypse
If you are going to high school or college/uni and or if you’re searching for a study system that will help with bulletproofing yourself for exams, this is a great way to start off and you can change it to maximise the benefits to you.
If you are allowed or given the syllabus by your teachers or professors, make sure to use it carefully. Syllabus tells you the structure of the course, explain which books to get, when assignments are due and when to have chapters read. This is an important step for you to schedule in the due dates of assignments, projects and even small tests (the worth of these that total up to your result by the end of the semester). Then, also check on the list of books recommended and try to find cheap copies of the books. Most importantly, use the syllabus to keep track on early reviews before classes and lectures - which I will explain the next point.
A not-so Cornell Notetaking System
I have heard a lot about the Cornell Notetaking System and how it has been a great useful way to stumble through the semester and ace the test, HOWEVER, for certain case of people (like me), I don’t like how structured and fixed it is. And I’m lazy when it comes to doing the summary. I also don’t really like using it to review for a test. Instead, I decided to revise the system to a better, simpler way of taking notes. It will be used as review materials (where you go back to it and put it away once you got the answer, same as slides or textbooks). Lectures are important and it should be the number ONE material you seek when you are studying: Lectures > Slides > Textbooks
Once you have received your materials (slides, textbooks, etc.), skim through the whole materials.
Jot down main points, keywords, equation, main-sub points, new words and start to derive questions from those words using the 5W1H: Who, What, Why, When, Where and How.
Then, grab a piece of paper and I suggest to use the landscape layout and divide the paper into two columns (the left side a little bit smaller than the right side). In the left corner, write down all of the questions and close the book. Go to sleep.
Bring the paper that you have prepared just now and go to your class. During the lecture, write down all of the answers to your questions. You need to use number (so that if you use this note for reviewing purposes, you can find the answer to the question).
If the teachers brought up new topics or concept or new words, write down the new questions and the answers.
For points that are emphasised by the teacher, use a RED PEN and draw an asterisk (*) or an exclamation mark (!) on the question and write the answer in RED PEN.
For definitions, use one highlighter colour and highlight the question of the definition and the definition itself. After class, if you are an avid user of flash cards, you can easily find them because they are highlighted and transfer them into your flashcards.
Thank you to Sir Feynman, we are gifted with this technique which is known as Feynman Technique and I will teach you how to use it and how it can benefit you. This should be done after class (it can be directly or indirectly).
If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough
Take a sheet of paper or prepare a book for this, whichever your choice and write the name of the concept/topic you learned just now.
Explain the concept in your OWN WORDS as if you were teaching it to someone else. Make sure to use simple, plain language and it is recommended to work on a few examples as well to show how you’re understanding the concept.
For parts that you can’t remember/shaky with, draw asterisk (*) with RED PEN and move along to the next part that you remember. Leave some space for later.
Review your explanation and identify areas that you are shaky at (the one with the asterisk) and once you have pinpointed them, go back to the source materials (lecture notes, slides, textbooks) and fill in the part with a different coloured pen. Let’s say, I usually used a black pen to write, red pen is already used for marking purposes so I can use BLUE or GREEN or any OTHER COLOUR PENS as a review of your explanation.
If there are any areas in the explanation where you used a lot of technical terms or complex languages, rewrite them in a much simpler term.
The idea of this technique is to explain it like you’re explaining to a child who does not have any single basic knowledge about the topic. A child would ask a lot of questions, for example: Why does this formula work? How can you know it always work? How did that happen? Can you explain this to me once more? I don’t understand it still and prove it!
This next technique in the system is the derivation from the spaced-repetition technique. It is easily one of the best technique to use. Make sure to review these as much as possible for a month or 21 days before your big exams. For reviewing purposes throughout the entire semester or school year, you can use the printables from @studyquill which is the Curve of Forgetting which helps to remind you when you should go back to review the topic or concept itself.
If you don’t have access to past year questions or couldn’t find practice questions (you can choose either one):
Use flashcards + Leitner System I suggest using Cram.com flash card app as it uses the Leitner System through the cram mode. You can also use other flashcards apps that you’re accustomed to but if you’re new to the Leitner System, check out this short video from Thomas Frank.
Use flashcards + Leitner System + Feynman Technique This may sound impossible because you are including not only one but two techniques at the same time but I believe this is the easiest yet effective way to refresh your memories and ace the test - it doesn’t take too long too. Now, you can grab your flash cards or open any flashcards apps out there and make a set titled: EXAMS (SPECIFIC SUBJECT). Write down the name of the concept/topic on the front of the card and write down the points on the back (make these short yet covers the topic as a whole). While going through the cards, teach yourself by explaining it to a wall or using a paper or whiteboard and check the points at the back of the card. If you are able to cover and explain the whole topic precisely, put the card in the second box. If not, leave the card in the first box. This uses the Leitner system.
If you do have access to past year and or practice questions:
Prepare a calendar of 21 days or D-21 On the D-21, take a practice test and evaluate your score and result. Find the part where you’re struggling at. Check your timing as well and if you completely chucked the time away while answering the practice test, take note on it as well. Once you have deduced your mistakes and parts that you have to improve, go back to the first two techniques I have shared above. On D-14, take another practice test and do the same whole thing, evaluate your score, find your weak parts and deduce how you can improve your timing and score and go back to the two techniques. On D-7, take the last practice test and do the same whole process until the D-DAY. However, I encourage to lessen the reading or cramming activities on D-1 and focus on preparing your items, documents and just try to relax. Eat healthily and go to sleep early.
This is my system to study in school and university and I hope that it would be a great help for those who decide to use this system for themselves and for those who decide to use it and improvise the system themselves. Don’t just leave your notes and put them away until a week before exams. Use the links I have provided for the Curve of Forgetting to help you continue to remember or just put a notification for yourself every 3-4 days to review back. Have fun and have a good day.
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