Written By, Ahmad Mahmoud & Komal Preet
So you've been attending classes, taking notes, and answering textbook questions, and you've been studying hard, and one day you have a midterm or final exam that you need to prepare for, but you find yourself stuck, not knowing what to do, and you start asking yourself, do I read all of my notes?, or do I answer all of the textbook questions? I'm not sure if I should do both...
Because I had been in this predicament so frequently, I used to ask myself these questions before tests. However, I later came across new revision techniques that have helped me not only gain excellent grades but also to retain the information I had previously studied for a long time. In this article, I'll be discussing these techniques with you.
Active Recall
Creating questions based on a subject you want to understand, then regularly evaluating yourself on those questions, is known as active recall. It makes sure that you actively learn the material rather than just reading about it by making your brain work to recover it.
I'll go over some of the most popular techniques that will benefit you the most so that you may use active recall to get excellent grades.
Solving questions before you start studying and after.
You might wonder why solve problems before studying, and the reason is that there is a good chance you won't be able to solve a particular problem, which is normal if you haven't studied. This will benefit you greatly because when you find the solution while studying, you will better cement the knowledge in your brain by transferring information from short-term to long-term memory. This is known as the hypercorrection effect, which explores whether making mistakes early on in the learning process can be beneficial to the learner and their encoding of the material.
Solving questions after studying allows you to identify your flaws as well as the areas where you need to improve.
What type of questions you should aim at?
Textbook Questions
While attempting to cover more syllabus, students overlook the basics - textbook questions.
Textbook questions are written in such a way that they force students to think deeply about the subject. That is why it is critical to go over textbook questions. It will give you an idea of the main topics covered in the chapter. Practice them before your exams.
Official Past Paper Exam
Taking practice exams and papers can help you determine which topics on the syllabus require additional attention. Each pupil has unique skills and shortcomings. Assessing one's degree of preparation and improving on one's flaws is facilitated by solving such test papers.
When trying to memorize
Here are some useful tips that could make it easier for you to memorize information quickly and ensure that it stays in your mind, instead of simply repeating it over and again.
Start off by writing a Roadmap
A roadmap is a strategic plan that outlines a goal or desired result and the key steps or turning points required to get there.
It works like a to-do list: put down the things you need to get done, then cross them off as you do them. This will keep you on track, and every time you cross something off, it will motivate you to work more.
When memorizing
As I mentioned above, instead of just reading the information over and over, try telling a brief tale about it, imagining yourself teaching it, or even singing it. Although this may seem absurd, if you sing the information, it might linger in your head for a very long time.
Write Key-Points
Key points act similarly to the main ideas of a given topic. So, if you are struggling with a particular topic, take note of the key points so that you can remember them later.
The last and final method of active recall is making Flashcards
According to Wikipedia,
A flashcard or flash card (also known as an index card) is a card bearing information on both sides, which is intended to be used as an aid in memorization. Each flashcard bears a question on one side and an answer on the other. Flashcards are often used to memorize vocabulary, historical dates, formulas or any subject matter that can be learned via a question-and-answer format. Flashcards can be virtual (part of a flashcard software), or physical.
Writing flashcards can help you quickly memorize a large topic that requires a lot of memorization. Flashcards are quite beneficial in this situation. There are numerous applications that can help you, but if you want my advice, I suggest that you write them with a pen and paper since it will be very helpful to you.
During The Exam
Make your answer sheet different from others, but how's that?
your exam examiner may already have gone through so many answer sheets and most of them have been answered in the same manner. Examiner wants to see creative answers.
In a writing question for example, fully comprehend the question and jot down in rough form the main ideas of the response you'll be composing.
eg: Topic global warming
- definition.
- cause of global warming (Deforestation & Tree-Clearing, greenhouse gases).
- Solutions to global warming (afforestation, etc).
•PRESENT YOUR ANSWER IN MORE interesting way:
eg underline important words (attach image), make the heading bold, write neatly, etc.
Education is not about rote learning. It is about imparting knowledge. To retrieve the topic for a longer period of time in memory you need to understand the concept thoroughly. You can't pass an exam with rote learning, you have to answer a few questions by yourself using your reasoning power. It will possible to answer the question if you have the concept about the topic clear.
For the majority of students, exam time is typically accompanied by stress, worry, and depression. Anxiety before and during a test can cause you to lose confidence and write answers more carelessly. (misspelling), Health issues, such as headaches, vomiting, and frequent urination, are also common.
In such situations, you must maintain your composure, take deep breaths, go for a walk and meditate the day before the exam, try some yoga, and always believe in yourself.
"They asked him, what kept you going? He replied, My Belief that the bottom is not my place"
-Ahmad Mahmoud
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