How to Prepare for an Exam

Preparing for an exam can be stressful and time - consuming , but it doesn't have to be. There’s no need to stress out or cram . By doing a couple of simple things ahead of time, you can ensure that you are confident and ready for anything that comes up on the test. Start studying early . Give yourself more than enough time to review the material that was covered in class. You might want to gauge how soon to start studying by how much material you need to review. Read through all parts of your notes that will be on the exam . It will refresh your memory of the material and help you remember what you learned. Decide if you think your notes are enough to study from. Did you miss classes ? Are some of your notes missing? If so, you shou ld borrow someone else’s notes. Get some good notes. If you’re not a good note taker, or if there are “holes” in your notes, then you should ask a friend if you can copy his or her notes. Good notes can make all the difference when you’re st udying. If you only have five pages o f notes, but your friend has twenty, then you probably missed some important information. Compare your notes to your friend’s to see where the holes are in your notes. Ask your teacher about the test material. One of th e easiest ways to begin your studying process is to find out what is on the test directly from your teacher. Many teachers will provide some guidance on what will and will not be covered on the test. Re - read your notes. This time re - read your notes for understanding. In other words, you are going to study your notes. Start with the most basic information. Take notes while you study. Yes, take even more notes. You can highlight and underline the information as well, but writing the information down really helps you retain it better. Make sure to write down concepts that you are struggling with or are having a hard time remembering. Break down complex subjects into steps or parts. For instance, if you are try ing to learn the order of historical events, list out each event that happened in the order they happened. Review your syllabus . The syllabus is an outline of everything that you should have learned over the course of the class. It’s a good place to start to understand major ideas and topics that you should be learning from the class. Review it and highlight the titles and subheads. Write down the major topics and themes that you pulled out of the syllabus. Review study guides and sections. In some books, each chapter has a short review or summary. This is a great place to quickly review and get a gist of a concept.