How I Study for Tests
I have done posts like this before with more general tips for studying history and techniques, but this is going to break down exactly what I do step by step. Just so you know, this is more for history/geography/english/languages, and I don’t think very many of the tips apply to math or applied sciences.
Step 1: Flashcards
I honestly love flashcards for studying! While they seem passive, if you are a linguistic learner like me, they are extremely useful. Because you have to read over your notes and then rewrite them, it’s basically like going over the material twice right there. And, once you’re done you can study them with a friend or parents really easily, which is another active way of studying.
General Tips for Flashcards:
Don’t be too worried about keeping them super neat or colour coded. Just make sure they are legible!
Try to fit as much as you can onto one card. Flashcards are not very eco-friendly, unfortunately, so don’t be wasteful by writing one term on each card that could fit five or six.
If you are going to list lots of information on the back, write how many points there are on the front. For example, if you need to know 6 really important things about the Cold War, write “Cold War (6 points)” on the card so when you actually go through them you can remember.
Buy flashcards at the dollar store because places like Staples will jack the prices up so much! Also, don’t worry about getting the heavy cardstock ones if you only need them for the week coming up to a test.
When you study, remove the ones that you still need help with from the bigger stack. That way you have less and less to review each time and don’t bother studying things you already know.
If you have an exam, keep your flashcards! This way, you don’t have to rewrite the entire course worth of notes. You can also buy cute little containers for index cards at Staples!
Step 2: Significance Tables
I made a post about these here, but I thought I would share again. When you know there are specific terms/concepts that you need to know a lot about, these are a godsend! A lot of teachers do identify and explain the significance paragraphs in English or history classes, so this is really specifically useful for that. But it can also be really good for essays and other long answer questions!
How to Make a Significance Table
Go through your notes and find all the most important terms. Be selective, because this entire thing is kind of redundant if you just do everything.
Make a table in Word or on paper with three columns: “Term”, “Definition”, and “Significance”.
In the definition section, include all the basic details you need to know, like dates, people involved, and a brief description of what happened/what it is. This should be about 3-5 sentences.
In the significance section, write why it is important to what you’re learning about. Think about things like what it lead to, what major terms or ideas from the unit it connects to, what other major events happened around the same time, etc. This should be 1-2 sentences.
Study from the chart in addition to studying with flashcards and other techniques!
Step 3: Essay Outline
If there is an essay or long answer as part of the test, I always prepare sample outlines! Even if you aren’t 100% sure what the topic will be, you can prepare a few and one of them will probably be similar. Even if your guess is way off base, its good practice to write out an outline and organize your ideas!
Step 4: Study Group
I love studying with friends! However, I recommend studying alone or with someone really, really focused for the first couple nights, then getting together with a bigger group later on in the week. You can also consider talking to the teacher if you don’t have close friends in the class.
Tips for Study Groups
Study with people you are comfortable with, so you won’t feel awkward asking questions or getting an answer wrong.
Try to find people who have the same goals as you and are equally as dedicated to the course, so you will both/all have the drive to get work done.
Go to the library or another public place instead of studying at home, because you will be less likely to get distracted.
Bring a list of questions that you have and topics/ideas you don’t understand, so you can possibly get help from someone who gets it. Also, if no one there can help you, go ask the teachers afterwards.
Compare essay outlines and quiz each other. There is no point in doing a study group if you don’t actually review the material together.
Make sure everyone is putting in a fair share of work. It really bothers me when you show up to a study session with three essay outlines and a bunch of work done and then everyone else just wants to take pictures of them without offering you anything. Stand up for yourself and make sure you aren’t getting used!
