Study Tips

This year has been really busy for me, mostly because of how much work I've had.  It seems that almost all of my classes have exams within the same week, which is never convenient, but that's what happens in college.  In high school, exams were nicely spaced out because teachers could work with each other to make sure your work load never exceeded its limit.

As I get older, classes require more work and I seem to have less time to devote to it.  So, I've developed some very efficient study methods, that I want to share with anyone else struggling through exam season!

Write everything out three times. Three is the magic number.  The brain seems to remember things so much more clearly when they are repeated three times.  This, and the fact that writing things down helps you remember things, makes this a no-fail method to learning any key words you may be studying for a test.  I like to take a blank sheet of paper and my note cards and write each buzzword down three times.  It sounds excessive, but it really helps in the long run.

Make notecards in advance. Making notecards a few days, or even weeks, before your test can help save time when you actually get down to the wire. Being able to devote time to learning the phrases and concepts instead of making the cards can be a huge help.

Go to the Library. As much as I'd like to convince myself otherwise, I do my best studying when I'm sitting in my favorite room in the library.  Forcing myself into a space that's quiet and allows for no distractions is important when I know I'm going to be studying for multiple hours.