class and run in. Everyone looks up . . . and you realize you're wearing pajamas (or worse, nothing at all)
There are two things you must become good at --
and
TAKING THE TEST.
Try to create a comfortable, quiet place to study where you will not be distracted by people, television, noise, etc. Put any notes, books, or supplies you will need in the space before you start.
Make a "Do Not Disturb, I'm Studying" sign for your doorknob. If necessary, ask a parent to keep younger brothers and sisters from interrupting you.
Using low point quizzes as test cases, learn when you study best. Try early morning, afternoon, and evening study sessions. When you learn which works best for you, use it exclusively!
Cramming is studying intensely just before the test -- maybe one or more hours of hitting the books. Daily study for a half hour or less is another option. A recent study showed college students who simply read over their notes and the highlighted materials twice the night before a test did better than those who tried to memorize. You may even use all three approaches. Again, test each method to see which works for you!
People learn primarily using one of four methods: audial (hearing), visual (sight), tactile (touch), or kinesthetic (motion). Make a list of the things you learn easily and do well. Which category would most of these things fit into? Do they rely on movement (like learning cheers, football plays, or an instrument), or listening skills (like memorizing the words to songs)? Do they rely on seeing things (like being able to recall scenes from a movie in your mind), or touching things (like sculpting or drawing with your fingertips)? You can learn using any of the four approaches, but one will be especially effective. Invent ways to study using YOUR approach as often as you can.
One great method, especially for audial learners, is to make a question and answer cassette, MP3 or CD. Leave a long enough pause after each question to think of the right answer, then record the answer. For instance, record "Who was the first president of the United States?" Pause with the recorder recording silence, then record "George Washington." If the question requires a very long pause, instead record,
Use index cards or cut up squares of paper. On one side, write a question, on the other, put the answer. These are handy to tuck in a pocket and study during the day, on the bus, at the dinner table, etc. These are especially effective for visual learners. The act of making the cards helps kinesthetic learners.
Explain tough concepts to your mom or dad, grandma, brother, sister, or friend. It will help you remember!
Try studying with one or more friends. Be honest though! Did you study or just talk and visit? Decide if it was a good study method for you, then either use it or don't use it again.
Try to picture events, procedures, stories, or poems you must remember. "See" Washington crossing the Delaware, picture water evaporating from a pond, forming a cloud, crossing the mountains, and so on. Try drawing to help you visualize, or even use objects to represent things and put on your own little play! Obviously good for visual learners.
One trick for memorizing lists is to take the first letter of each item and try to form a word or sentence. For instance, Roy G. Biv stands for the colors of the rainbow (in order): red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. To memorize the planets and their order from the sun, create a sentence like My Very Educated Mother Just Sent Us Nine Pizzas --Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto. Create your own acronyms whenever you can. Good for audial learners.
To Take a Test. . .
Eat a good breakfast the morning of the test, or a light, satisfying lunch prior to an afternoon test.
Arrive on time, but avoid getting to class too early; other, less prepared, students may be there waiting to share their stress.
Find out if the points you lose for wrong answers will be subtracted from the points you earn for right answers. If so, you will not be using guessing as an answer tool.
Read and follow all instructions carefully. Check point values and do a quick mental assessment of how much time each question deserves according to its value.
If a question is going to be time consuming, or you can't recall the answer handily, skip it. Make a mark in the margin to remind yourself to come back to it.
Always check your answers before turning in your test. Use every minute the teacher gives you. Try to be the LAST person to turn in your test, not the first!
Prepare, even for a test you think will be easy; even for an open book test. (See "How to Ace an Open Book Test" in the mini-lessons for more on this topic.)