Exam Prep Strategies

By: Emily Bottegal

 
 

Studying for exams can be an overwhelming process.  Teachers and professors are asking you to memorize months of information and apply it in a single sitting.  This can be challenging no matter if you consider yourself a strong test-taker or not. According to the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve, just one hour after learning, we will forget more than half of the learned information. One week later we remember only 20%.  Below is the process of how to successfully learn material as it passes through the memory and is easily retrieved during an exam.

THE STUDYING PROCESS: 

Memorization: One important part of memorizing information is making sure you are paying attention and your mind is clear, ready to learn.  This includes limiting distractions in front of you and around you. Make sure you are in a setting that has enough space for you to spread out, is quiet, and is out of your bedroom.  Your focus should be on the subject only. Make sure you have all the tools, notes, books, and assignments that you will need in front of you to prevent having to get up and get distracted.  Great tips to memorize information is to make personal connections to what you are learning, use body language and gestures, talk it through aloud, put it in your own words, and use charts or pictures to help you further understand the material.

Sensory: This is the first stage of memory and is a quick second.  It is a smell, or a sight, or a word/sound we hear.

Short Term: Once the item is quickly processed through the sensory stage, it moves into short term memory.  The thing about short term memory is it has very limited space. It cannot hold an entire semester of information.  There are ways to help your short term memory to grow, like chunking or mnemonic devices, but eventually if you want that information to keep in your memory, it has to move to the long term memory stage.  The idea of staying up all night and “cramming” might sound attractive, but it is highly ineffective, since there is too much information and not enough space. 

Long Term: The more we read, talk, or smell something, the more likely it is to move into our long term memory.  There is no time limit or maximum capacity for long term memory. Repetition is key. Teaching yourself the information and revisiting the information helps the brain store the information deeper.  The deeper it gets stored, the longer it will stay. Which means, giving yourself weeks to study and reviewing the information often is the best way to be prepared for your exam.

Retrieving: When we sit down at the test, the exam is asking you to retrieve the information you have stored in your memory.  When you have trouble with an answer or remembering the information, most of the time it is because we didn’t truly understand the information, we didn’t encode it successfully in our brain, or we were impacted by distractions.  Quizzing yourself or having others quiz you during studying is a great strategy to practice this retrieval step.

Create A Plan: This is an essential part of studying.  Planning includes gathering work, like old tests (with correct answers), class notes, study guides, and handouts and putting them in an organized folder.  Make sure work is chunked together by chapter, unit, or book, depending on the class. Figure out where and when to study. We are most productive earlier in the day, so try to give yourself a meaningful amount of studying time before distractions like Netflix, phone, or gaming.  

4 weeks before Exam: 

  • Collect and organize class material.  Go through your backpack, binders, folders, and locker.  Look for handouts, notes, quizzes/tests, review guides, etc.

  • Create a folder for each class.

  • If you are missing any notes or study tools, ask a classmate or teacher.

  • Make sure you have correct answers for unit tests and quizzes.

3 weeks before Exam: 

  • Review 3 subjects per night for about 20 minutes.  

  • The next day, study the other 3 subjects for 20 minutes.

  • Alternate your hardest classes.

  • Use tools like Khan Academy or College Board.

  • Ask for clarity if you do not understand a topic.

  • Create your own study guides and practice tests.

2 weeks before Exam: 

  • Continue reviewing 3 subjects per night for about 45 minutes, rotating subjects.

  • Put the information into your own words for better clarity.  

  • Begin studying Review Guides from your teachers. 

  • Create Quizlets, flashcards, outlines, flow charts, study sessions with friends, and other tools.

  • Reach out to teachers if you do not understand a topic.

1 week before the Exam:

  • Study at least 3 subjects for 1 hour, alternating subjects each night.

  • Continue to use tools like Khan Academy and College Board to review any material.

  • Ask questions for clarity.

  • Use family/friends to help quiz you; teach them the material in your own words.

Night before the Exam:

  • Get a good night sleep, 8 hours

  • Pack your bag/have your materials needed for the exam ready.

  • Make sure your calculator is charged/has batteries.

Contact us if you would like to schedule an exam prep study session!

Lauren Eckert