Study Guides How to Craft the Best Test-Prep Tool

Does this sound familiar? The final exam date has been announced, and you learn what’s going to be on the test: everything. Frozen with dread at the thought of starting on such a huge task, you focus your attention first on some final projects or essays for another class. Those are due sooner, and with weeks to go before the final, you still have plenty of time to study. Unsure how best to start anyway, you put off studying for your finals. Small academic fires keep popping up, demanding that you deal with them immediately instead of studying for your finals, or maybe personal and extracurricular obligations collide into a perfect storm for your packed calendar. Suddenly, it’s two days before your first of six finals (all in a row, of course), and you switch into power-studying mode. You push through marathon study sessions, sacrificing your sleep and your mental well-being. Maybe you hobble out of the exam room with your GPA intact, but chances are low that you’ll actually retain much of the material you crammed leading up to the final. You are absolutely spent, but it didn’t have to be this way. An end to cramming No one wants to go through that kind of stress, but it’s hard to know what concrete steps you can take to avoid getting stuck cramming for exams. My strategy is simple, but effective: it just involves creating and using a study guide. Having a game plan for how to study can make the difference between stalling because you’re not sure where to start, and being set up to begin reviewing material as soon as the last unit of your course is complete. Whether you’re studying for literature or physics, the same basic strategy will serve you well. At first, it may seem like you’re giving yourself unnecessary homework with this approach, but the work you put into creating the study guide is actually its secret weapon. Not only will you end up with a handy and succinct document that can guide you through the topics you’ll need to cover in your review, but the task of designing a study guide forces you to thoughtfully survey the material, decide what is important enough to include, and take note of your own potential weak spots. There are also ways to keep strategic notes throughout the semester that will make it much easier to assemble your study guide at the end of the course. Reflecting about your learning style and experimenting with what works for you will make each study guide you create more tailored and effective than the last. Once you start putting some time into creating your own study guides, you’ll wonder how you ever studied another way. Keep track of what’s important as you go First of all, organization will be your best friend when it’s time to look back and review material from the semester or year. It may sound like overkill to start thinking about your study guide when you first get the syllabus, but having a good system in place for organizing your coursework is absolutely key. Your future self will thank you for storing old homework assignments in a folder or binder, keeping classwork and notes organized, and especially keeping handouts from the instructor detailing the topics of a new unit. Keep old quizzes, too: not only do they tell you what was important enough to make it onto a test, but because they’re graded, they also help you identify gaps in your knowledge Get in the habit of writing questions in your notes, especially if the class is moving too fast for you to address all your questions in real time. This is a great way to flag confusion early on—you may be able to resolve these questions relatively quickly, but if any confusion lingers, you know you won’t lose track of those questions. Relatedly, be sure to emphasize in your notes anything that you have trouble with the first time around: even if you eventually get a handle on that rhetorical strategy or type of word problem, tricky concepts can easily come back to bite us after lying untouched for a few weeks or months, and you want to organize your notes so that you don’t forget to revisit those trouble spots. Finally, if you can sum something up or jot down something important while it’s is still fresh in your mind, do it! For example: are you reading five novels over the course of the semester? As you finish each one, make a brief list of important characters, themes, narrative structures, or any other important details you discussed in class. Did you notice an example of your least favorite kind of chemistry problem, solved step-by-step in your textbook? Write down the page number for that example. These are the kinds of things that you can also do at the end of the course, but you’ll save yourself time (and catch more important details) if you can get them done as you go. The final product: key components of a study guide Study guides can vary widely by subject, and from person to person as well. As you create your study guide, think about the needs of the subject at hand, but don’t forget to take your learning style into account, too. Consider which of the following components could apply to your situation: Key information from your notes Think of this as taking notes†¦ on your notes. Just as you can’t write everything word for word from a chapter you’re taking notes on, you will need to make choices about what information to include in your study guide. This is essentially an act of translation that will help you better retain the material. Mine your notes for key concepts and broad ideas, but also smaller nuggets like important vocabulary or key players. Mnemonics If you need to remember many dates, names, formulas, or definitions, your study guide can begin as a place to consolidate all that crucial information. Then, experiment with creating some mnemonics to help with memorization. (If you have quite a lot to memorize, such as vocabulary for a language test, you will probably want to work with a set of flashcards—either physical flashcards, or digital ones on a site like Quizlet) Timelines For history exams (or any other subject where you need to keep in mind a detailed historical context) timelines can be a helpful visual way to organize information chronologically Diagrams and Concept maps Though they are a clear choice for subjects such as geometry and physics, diagrams can be a powerful tool for a number of subjects. Whether you want to mentally organize the causes and effects of a political revolution, remember the names and locations of the different lobes of the brain, or keep the details of a biological process clear, diagrams are your friend. Example problems If applicable, include some example problems, with notes on how to solve them. This is especially useful for problems you have had issues with in the past. As an added bonus, you can include a reference for where to find additional practice problems. Anything else you find useful The more you can experiment with the format of your study guide, the more likely you are to hit upon a strategy that works for you. I once had a Latin teacher that made my classmates and me summarize the Aeneid in a series of detailed (and labeled) doodles, one for each book covered on the AP test. I am not an accomplished cartoonist, but it worked: drawing out each tiny illustration helped me remember the key characters, settings, and plot points. Final tips (no pun intended) While creating a study guide turns out to be an effective way to actually start studying, don’t forget to leave enough time to actually use it! It will be most useful if you have ample time to work with it. With the help of your guide, you will know what areas need your attention and you can delve back into specific sections of important chapters, or practice specific types of problems. Ideally, since you’ll already be reviewing the material while you create your guide, it will be less of a mental hurdle to â€Å"begin† studying once it is complete. Try building a study guide for your next final exam, and see if this strategy allows you start sooner and study more strategically, leaving the cramming behind. Are you interested in working with Sofà ­a on homework help or college applications? ;

A Process of The Louisiana Purchase - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 1 Words: 351 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2019/08/16 Category History Essay Level High school Tags: The Louisiana Purchase Essay Did you like this example? The Louisiana Purchase, made in December 1803, was a generous offer of land through the Louisiana Treaty between the French and the United States. This gracious offer was made by Frenchman, Napoleon Bonaparte who originally planned to only sell New Orleans to the Americans for $10 million, but in the view of their need for cash to pay for the war between Great Britain, they sought to raise the price of their land. The purchasing of the Louisiana Territory ultimately allowed the U.S. to temporarily take over New Orleans and enabled farmers to trade in the west with Native Americans. After the French and Indian War, Spain had gained the Louisiana Territory but soon after, signed a secret treaty to return their land. The French had to come up with ways to fund the European war debt without the distraction of another land, it was also believed that their decision was made due to failure of the French to put down a slave revolution in Haiti, the war with Great Britain and the possible naval blockade of France caused the French to want to sell Louisiana. French refused to be involved with revolts occuring in the Haiti territory because it would affect the French economy immensely. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "A Process of The Louisiana Purchase" essay for you Create order At the end of April, though, this overnight purchase was a small price to pay for the deal of the century, President Thomas Jefferson bought the whole Louisiana Territory for just $5 million more due to Napoleon Bonapartes generosity, which ultimately added up to $15 million. The Louisiana Territory stretched from the Rocky Mountains to the Mississippi River, adding up to 828,000 square miles just for pennies an acre in todays currency. Through this purchase, the intrigued Americans were able to double their owning of land and increase their power to ultimately be seen as an independent nation. As the Americans were enjoying their newly purchased land, they were unaware of the current settlers living on the land, Native Americans. During the process of this purchase, the French failed to mention that the Louisiana Territory was originally Spains but from their allience, it was partially considered as their own.

Catcher In The Rye Self Alienation Essay - 730 Words

In J.D. Salinger’s, Catcher in the Rye, Holden excommunicates himself from everyone he knows because he does not like who they present themselves to be. Holden is extremely closed minded about everyone he knows and he does not understand how to communicate with others; however these actions put Holden in a state of self-alienation. Salinger uses Holden to show how loneliness can leave people in a fragile state and if not helped then it could lead to death. In Catcher in the Rye, Holden does not know how to communicate with others. On multiple occasions Holden attempts to call people on the telephone. However, he declines to continue the call almost every time. He most likely does this because he does not know how to talk to people, or he†¦show more content†¦By Holden using this generalization of people he ends up alienating himself from the world. In the novel, Holden ends the book by saying, â€Å"Don’t ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you’ll start missing everybody† (234). Holden meant by this statement means that once a person becomes emotionally attached for emotional support, it is inevitable that the person will leave, die, and make the ones they left behind will miss them. Holden wants to avoid the feeling of loss that he felt after Allie’s death to happen ever again so he avoids emotionally attaching to others so that it is impossible to miss them like he misses Allie. Consequently, on multiple occasions Holden contemplates suicide. For example, after he gets wrongfully attacked by Sunny’s pimp, Maurice, he says that he would not mind ending his life. He states that the only reason he rejected the idea is because he remembers James Castle’s suicide. Holden does not want people staring at his corpse. Another time he desires committing suicide when he talks after he talked about his brother D.B.’s experience with going to war. Holden thinks, â€Å"I’m sort of glad that they’ve got the atomic bomb invented. If there is ever another war, I’m going to sit right the hell on top of it. I’ll volunteer for it, I swear to God I will† (156). This quote is saying that Holden wants to kill himself in an extremely dramatic and graphic way. In the past few days Holden’s emotions have been abused and he hasShow MoreRelatedThe Catcher in the Rye Essay1442 Words   |  6 PagesThis paper proposes to del ineate the characteristics of Holden Caulfield, the adolescent protagonist hero of J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and illuminate the reasons as to why this prototype of brooding adolescence, displaying a rather uber-cool style of disaffection, disenchantment and disillusionment became an indispensable figure of interest, in literary circles as well as popular culture. The paper seeks to take issue with the wider dimensions attached to the ‘incapacitation and debilitation’Read MoreCatcher in the Rye Thesis Essay610 Words   |  3 PagesCatcher in the Rye Thesis Essay The novel Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is very interesting novel in which the main character, Holden, intrigues the reader with his unpredictable actions and upfront judgments of his surroundings. Holden alienates himself to try and help protect him from the outside world and conserve his innocence. He constantly proves this to reader many in times in the novel by, telling characters he feels different, wearing clothing that makes him stand out even thoughRead MoreJ.D. Salingers Catcher In The Rye and Burr Steers Igby Goes Down1493 Words   |  6 Pages Comparative Essay The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger and Igby Goes Down by Burr Steers are both displayed as rites of passage texts. The respective protagonists of these two texts are Igby Slocumb and Holden Caulfield. These two characters are both on a journey motif, a journey of self discovery in which they both attempt to find meaning in life and understand societies values and attitudes. The two protagonists demonstrate non-conformity and rebel against the apparent hypocrisy present inRead MoreComparative Essay - Catcher in the Rye vs. Igby Goes Down1552 Words   |  7 PagesComparative Essay The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger and Igby Goes Down by Burr Steers are both displayed as rites of passage texts. The respective protagonists of these two texts are Igby Slocumb and Holden Caulfield. These two characters are both on a journey motif, a journey of self discovery in which they both attempt to find meaning in life and understand societies values and attitudes. The two protagonists demonstrate non-conformity and rebel against the apparent hypocrisy present inRead MoreTranscendentalism, Realism, Naturalism, And Existentialism- Shaped The Advancement Of American Literature1486 Words   |  6 Pagesofferings. Through characterizing the progress of the philosophies, the development of American literature is explained. Transcendentalism describes the idea that knowledge comes through intuition and imagination instead of logic or the senses. In the essay, Nature, by Ralph Waldo Emerson, he begins it with the dismissal of the way in which the past dominates the way people understand and act in the present. Natural and humanistic sciences were not viewed distinctively from one another, â€Å"All science hasRead MoreA Short Story Assignment3653 Words   |  15 PagesHollywood director. However, one of the key shaping points in his life was the fact that he was born and raised in Burbank, California. Burbank in the 1950s presented a type of idyllic suburbia which Burton felt like a fish out of water. This sense of alienation and otherness was a theme that shaped his later work. Thus Burton gravitated to monster movies like Godzilla and of Vincent Price. California Institute of the Arts was created by Disney as a place to train and educate new animators and Burton gotRead MoreEssay Prompts4057 Words à ‚  |  17 PagesAP ENGLISH LIT AND COMP FREE RESPONSE QUESTIONS 2004 (Form A): Critic Roland Barthes has said, â€Å"Literature is the question minus the answer.† Choose a novel or play and, considering Barthes’ Observation, write an essay in which you analyze a central question the work raises and the extent to which it offers any answers. Explain how the author’s treatment of this question affects your understanding of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary. You may select a work from the list below or anotherRead MoreBrief Survey of American Literature3339 Words   |  14 PagesWriter, printer, publisher, scientist, statesman, and diplomat, he was the most famous and respected private figure of his time. Benjamin Franklin recorded his early life in his famous book The Autobiography. Benjamin Franklin He was the first great self-made man in America, a poor democrat born in an aristocratic age supported the cause of independence,, and aided Jefferson in writing the Declaration of Independence. Practical yet idealistic, hard working and enormously successful. the Scottish

Disadvantages of CCE free essay sample

The biggest disadvantage of the Central Board of Secondary Education Continuous Comprehensive Learning programme is the grading system that it uses. [ Students scoring 90 marks and 99 marks respectively will still both attain an A* grade, so it could be described as unfair for the student scoring the higher mark. One other shortcoming is the fact that huge numbers of students are grouped together. For example, last year there were 348 students in Navi Mummbai at Universal Tutorials all scoring more than 90 per cent. It is possible that a scenario will emerge wherein all students scoring above, say, 91 per cent in all subjects will have the same cumulative grading. This poses the problem of how do you rank them? What will the admission process for the Standard XI based on? In an attempt to address the problem a percentile mark has been introduced by the board. The percentile of a student indicates the position or rank of the student in percentage form. We will write a custom essay sample on Disadvantages of CCE or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The top ranked student will get a percentile of 100. This is calculated by the formula, Number of students below student X 100 divided by (total no of students -1). However, this in itself brings its own setback. The grading system may actually lead to more stress and disincentive to performance. In addition to CBSE, Secondary School Certificates by state boards and those governing the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education are also conducting exams for Standard X and continue to follow the marks system and percentage of mark in each subject. Marks percentage and percentile are not comparable. This leads to an open ended situation particularly for the Standard XI admission process and those seeking admission from CBSE to other boards. This issue is still to be resolved and a decision needs to be made regarding how it will be tackled. source:internet