Study Skills

The 5W’s and H Before you begin studying, consider the who, what, where, when, why and how of the study process!

Who? 

You! Usually alone, maybe with a study group (but keep it small, be sure everyone participates actively, and limit the period of time spent together.) 

Why?

To increase your learning and ace the exam!

Where?

Most students work best in isolation - free from distraction. (No phones!)

Find a number of study spots at school, in the community, and/or at home and rotate through these locations when you study. (Various locations means that you have choices and can change venues to prevent procrastination or avoid distractions.)

When? 

Everyone is different - choose the time you are most awake. Are you a morning person? Are you drowsy after lunch? Do you get a second-wind in the evening? Choose a time that is quiet and when your brain is ready to learn.

Create a weekly study timetable. Be realistic – you need to eat, sleep, socialize, exercise, etc.

• Schedule working sessions and breaks.
• Schedule several short study sessions rather than one long one.
• Use a one page calendar for quick glance and an agenda for detailed reminders of your schedule.
• Study for no more than one hour at a time without a break.
• A break doesn’t have to be long. It can be only 5-10 minutes, but it’s important that you take an intellectual breather during this period. Doing something completely different on your break will help refresh your mind.

What? 

Identify Exam Specifics

 Before you can conduct any meaningful studying, you must first define the scope of the exam. You need to determine what knowledge and skills are being evaluated. Gather as much information about the exam as you can, including:

• Is there an exam outline or study guide available?
• How much is the exam worth in terms of a percentage of your final mark?
• Which lessons, readings, assignments and problems could be part of the exam?
• What type of questions will there be and how many of each? Is it mainly multiple choice or is there a mixture of questions?
• Is the exam open book? For problem-solving classes, will formulas be provided or do they need to be memorized. Can you take in your own formula sheet to the exam?
• Are there any materials you will need to bring to the exam (e.g., calculator, dictionary, etc.)
• How much time will be available? Are you eligible for extra time?
• Is the teacher going to give a review session before the exam? When is it? Is extra help available? When?

Organize and Integrate Ideas

Successful study includes organizing and integrating ideas.

• Previous Tests - Be sure to review any previous tests you've had in the course. Analyze errors you've made in the past, recognizing where you lost marks.
• Make a Study Guide
  • Once you find out which lessons, readings and textbook pages will be covered by the exam, print out or gather up the related lecture and textbook notes
  • Organize these pages into piles, separated by topics. Label each of the piles with the corresponding topic title. Staple or paper-clip all papers in each pile together.
  • Read through your notes and condense information (i.e. see what information is not needed or not covered by the exam)
• Create an Outline. An outline can be thought of as a condensed study guide. Outlines attempt to condense large amounts of information you have from all your course sources into a logical system. Some tips for creating outlines are:
  • Focus on broad subjects, key issues and concepts
  • Put as much of the material on the front sides of just 1 or 2 pieces of paper
  • You don’t have to write in sentences. Use concept maps, etc.
• Building a Problem Set
  • For problem solving courses, adapt the study guide approach:
    • Start a pile for each type of problem that might appear on the exam
    • Add sample problems from your class notes
    • Match the problems with the related class notes
    • Copy sample problems (just the questions) onto blank sheets and add them to the appropriate pile. Practice answering these questions and check your solutions against the answers provided in class.

How to Study

It is estimated that our long-term memory can hold one thousand million million facts – so the problem is not our memory. The problem lies in getting the information into memory and recalling it when we want to.

Review Material Regularly 

To effectively study, it is essential to regularly review the material from class, labs, textbooks, etc. Get into the habit of: 

• Reviewing Your Notes Daily: Edit your class notes as soon as possible to fill in any gaps. Re-read for comprehension. Make sure you collect all related handouts so that everything is organized.
• Reviewing Your Notes Weekly: At the end of each week, go through your notes to ensure you understand the content. Rewrite any notes that are too messy or disorganized. Organize your binders. Ensure the notes are placed in sequence. Make summary notes on the important concepts and information.
• Identifying When You Need Help: Get in the habit of asking questions, going to see the teacher or seeking out friends to help you grasp things that aren’t making sense.

Create a Study Plan

• Divide your workload into manageable chunks.
• Divide your available time into manageable chunks. Study frequently in shorter periods of time.
• Pay attention to how much time you are spending on specific study tasks and stay on track with your study plan.
• Focus your energy on studying, not playing catch up. If you are already behind, try to prioritize, concentrating on the material most likely to appear on the exam.

Study Actively

Active studying means you have to be engaged with the content. Most students make the mistake of relying on passive review which involves reading and re-reading their notes and assignments. They assume the more times they read the content the more they will remember it. Make the extra effort to get it into your head!

Here are some suggestions for actively getting involved with your study notes: 

• Review your material, explain it (without looking) in your own words and out loud and then check to see if you are correct.
• Make up questions and create an argument from scratch or reproduce a solution without a mistake on a blank sheet of paper
• Teach the material to a classmate: When you have to teach and explain a concept to someone else, you are actively understanding and interacting with the content. Have your classmate ask you questions for further explanation
• Construct a practice quiz for each chapter in your study guide
• Say the answers out loud, not in your head. Put a mark beside challenging problems. Go back and redo those that you did not get correct
• Go through textbooks, workbooks or web sites to find sample multiple choice or other types of questions you can use to practice with
• For courses with problem sets, practice solving sample problems. Upon solving the problems, try to explain an answer for each problem out loud! If you are just regurgitating memorized solutions, you aren’t prepared to handle new problems on a test.

Mnemonics 

Mnemonics are memory devices that help learners recall larger pieces of information, especially in the form of lists like characteristics, steps, stages, parts, phases, etc. Mnemonics increase recall. It has been found that students who regularly use mnemonic devices increase test scores up to 77%!

Studying Top Ten

1. Review your notes on a regular basis, combine your textbook notes and lecture notes, and identify what you need help with – well before the exam
2. Identify as many details about the exam as you can: its worth, length, content topics, its format
3. Make a study guide! Print or gather up class notes, organize into topic piles, label the piles and condense your notes again by topic
4. In problem-solving courses, gather up all the problems from your class notes, textbook and labs. Copy sample questions onto blank sheets and practice solving the problems on your own
5. Make an outline of the course as a great study tool. Focus on broad subjects and key issues so that everything fits on 1-2 pages
6. Find a good time and place to study that is free of distractions. Break up your studying into 30-60 minute chunks with 5-10 minute breaks in between
7. When you study, don't just read your notes again and again. Instead get active!  Explain the material out loud, teach the material to a friend, do a practice quiz, and solve problems
8. Join or create a study group for an exam - on-line or in person.
9. To help you study, draw diagrams and concept maps to visually represent the content and show relationships
10. Attend exam review day after the exam has been marked. Ask to view the exam to see where you made mistakes and correct them the next time