study tips?

**Sara Noel** · 12-28-2007, 03:52 PM

Any tips for adults and kids for studying? (or organizing, test taking, note taking, homework time)

**frugalwanttobe** · 12-28-2007, 06:32 PM

For me the best tip I can give you is to read over the information every night, even for a few minutes. This made a significant difference in my grades. My psychology teacher in college taught a study skills course and he gave us many tips but reviewing every night was the one that made the most impact on improving my grades on tests.

**PrairieRose** · 12-28-2007, 07:18 PM

Dd says she has to verbally repeat the fact about 6 times. If it wasn't so important to absolutely know it she could just read it that amount of times.

Ddil who is a teacher gives these tips;

Find what works for you. Some people can study with music, some need to be in a neurtral place, some need absolute silence.

Don't try to study for 3 hours the night before a test, instead try to study no more than 30 to 45 minutes at a time, for about the 5-6 days before the test or project due date.

The best retention is the hour before bed.

**Mom23boys** · 12-28-2007, 11:28 PM

What works for me may not work for others. When learning new facts, I use index cards. I write the topic like "Great Depression" on one side and on the other side a brief description of what it was. I use this for vocabulary words and for learning about a person in history. It has helped me. I say the word(s) on the front and then flip it to the backside to read about the item. After a few times of doing this, I can recall the description without flipping the card. It helps my memory because I also write it out.

**ladykemma2** · 12-29-2007, 08:16 AM

1. recopying my notes
2. redoing the math/chem problems repeatedly
3. studying during my best hours , which are 4-8 am. I'm useless after 4 pm.
very common with ADDers. i used to study 4-8 am, go to morning classes, and be done by noon.
4. peet's coffee helped
5. after lunch -- study groups helped

**AmyBoz** · 12-29-2007, 08:19 AM

After a class, I go through my notes with a highlighter and highlight things that the professor seemed to pay extra attention to, and I also highlight vocabulary that is new to me.

**Royal** · 12-29-2007, 03:47 PM

Well, I am currently studying for 2 major exams in the beginning of January. I am rereading everything and taking my own notes. I have to see it written in my own handwriting before I really can understand something(??!?).
I made a study schedule for the 3 weeks prior to my exams so that I can do a little (1 1/2 -2 hours)each day and not have to cram the night before. I am on schedule and that gives me a good stress-free feeling.

**SheKat** · 12-29-2007, 08:24 PM

Make sure that those around you know that you are going for some serious study / assignment work adn that you are not to be distrubed unless something drastic happens.

Find your best hours to study and use them. I was doing my teacher degree when DS was between the ages of 1 and 4 and the best time was 3am - 5am i could wake up the house would be completely silent and i could potter around and make really good use of the time. When I went to bed at 5am DH would be up at 6am and get DS ready for the day and when he left for work at 6.30 I already had a decent nap and DS was ready to go.

Lastly have a dedicated space that people know is 'your' work space and tht if they go into it they are not to move anything or throw anything away no matter what it looks like, I am sure we have all written or jotted down an idea on a scrap of paper before, ones that could look like rubbish to anyone else.

**KJayEsq** · 12-29-2007, 08:54 PM

I am one of those that has to be able to say it out loud to be sure that I know it. Flashcards worked for me when I was in school. They also worked when I was studying for martial arts tests (those are physical in nature, obviously, but I needed to know the names of 75+ techniques and then had to demonstrate them so flash cards worked really well).

**Jeanna** · 12-29-2007, 09:45 PM

I am one to read a book and then take notes on the important parts. It seems if I write it I remember it. But highlighting just doesn't do it for me.

**qtkitty** · 12-30-2007, 01:48 AM

I had a friend in college that was INSANE about studing... i lets just say scary INSANE!!

She would tape the professors, which i did as well because sometimes they just talked to darn fast or there were some you had to figure out what they were saying *LOL* .. anywho she would play this while she was sleeping to subliminally get the information in her head. She would listen to these while she was driving too.

She would also read over her notes and make them into an organized version all nice and neat. Then she would type it up. She would take notes from the book and type those up as well.

She also made flash cards.. one side had a question or word depending what she was studying and then she would think of what was on the other side then flip it over to check til she had it down. She would walk down the hall or wait on classes just flipping through these things like a mad women expecially before tests.

We were nice enough in college to have a professor who put her past tests in the library for us to use to study. So we could learn the way that she worded her questions she said. UHM when a professor says that DEFINATELY check out the past tests. Ususally that means that atleast 50% of the test will be from those past tests. So it is an easy way to eleminate a good bit of extra study time.

I also had a professor who would repeat what ever was going to be on the test twice. Her notes came directly from the book so we finally learned just highlight along with her .. and put a star beside what she repeated cause thats what the test would be on. ( History Obviously... and people STILL failed her class *rme*)

I had a Earth Science Teacher in High School who would give us essay tests. The questions were the main titles of the notes given and you just had to skim what he said about the topic, basically a judgement call on if you had enough on his part. Yeah needless to say i got a B once and took it back to him and fussed and he changed it to an A because it was word for word from my notes on coal into coke into electric.. including the mark on the projector that he had drawn a line to and wrote booger. Yeah i tended to be a little bit of a smartalic *G*

If you learn your teachers habits on the first few tests most often you can figure out how they will test from then on and find out what you need to study the hardest.