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- Jan 29, 2009
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I'm curious to see what kind of study routines people have adapted to ace exams.
Almost everyone I know (80-90%), learns and studies most of the material from the course textbook. They attend a majority of the lectures and take decent notes, but they do most of the learning/studying from reading the textbook.
I have adapted the opposite method in studying. I haven't bought a single textbook (except for lab manuals) since sophomore year, because I barely opened my books during my freshmen year. Textbooks were expensive, and for me, practically useless.
My method of studying was to focus solely on what the professor lectured on. I attended every lecture, focused and ready to learn. While the professor lectured, I listened intently and took notes like a scribe. As I gained more experience with college exams, lecture settings, etc, I learned how to fine tune my note-taking techniques and became much more adaptable to the different teaching styles.
My favorite professors were the ones that wrote well-organized notes on the blackboard, because not only did that slow the lecture pace, it made it easier for me to take good quality and complete notes. But I also have adapted, and learned methods to take good notes with professors that teach with powerpoint. (But I don't want to get into too much detail about that...)
Anyways, after I have a good set of notes, I review the notes at least 3 times before the exams.
Here is a little taste of my study habits. (when I was in my "prime" student study mode)
1. Attend all lectures and take good quality notes.
2. Try to quickly review notes (just a quick glance / run through) before attending the next lecture. (I usually do this on my way to school on the bus, or arriving 10 minutes early to class, or both.)
3. Attend TA-led discussions. I try to find TA's that have taken the class with the same professor. In these discussions, we go over material the professor wants us to focus on.
4. On weekends, I would quickly review any materials that I didn't have a chance to look at during step 2. Usually, I would have to review the material for the heavier/harder classes during this time. (Keep in mind, it would only take me 30 minutes at most to review the notes since the material is still fresh in my head)
5. Exams are imminent. Attend the review session.
6. Go over all my notes to study for the exam. (Here is my only heavy study block. I thoroughly read through my notes. Committing the material to memory isn't that hard because I have already reviewed the material a few times.)
7. Exam day. Wake up earlier than usual and start scanning through the material very quickly. Continue scanning the material while I go to school on the bus. Then when exam time comes, ACE the exam.
* The number of times I reviewed the material (including the review session and TA-led discussions) is 5. This is not including the teacher's lecture. This may seem like a lot of time spent studying, but that's really not the case. Except for step 6, most of the studying is done in small chunks, when it is very convenient to do some quick reviewing. (ex. reviewing material on the bus). Except for step 6, there really isn't huge chunks of time allocated for studying.
Grades are obviously really important to me, and are my priority while I attend college. But I also really value my spare time. Compared to my friends who study with the book, not only do I get a better grade, I also have a lot more spare time. I love playing soccer, playing video games, and watching movies and I have done all 3 regularly (practically everyday, except for finals week) throughout my undergrad.
I had a very successful undergrad career at UCSD. I got really good grades and I really enjoyed life. I'm not bragging. I'm no genius. I have just adapted a really efficient way to study. In my opinion, the course textbook is full of information that is interesting, is related, but most of it won't be on the exam. So you could potentially spend more time studying and not get a good grade.
So after reading this wall of text, please share your study methods that have attributed to your academic success.
Almost everyone I know (80-90%), learns and studies most of the material from the course textbook. They attend a majority of the lectures and take decent notes, but they do most of the learning/studying from reading the textbook.
I have adapted the opposite method in studying. I haven't bought a single textbook (except for lab manuals) since sophomore year, because I barely opened my books during my freshmen year. Textbooks were expensive, and for me, practically useless.
My method of studying was to focus solely on what the professor lectured on. I attended every lecture, focused and ready to learn. While the professor lectured, I listened intently and took notes like a scribe. As I gained more experience with college exams, lecture settings, etc, I learned how to fine tune my note-taking techniques and became much more adaptable to the different teaching styles.
My favorite professors were the ones that wrote well-organized notes on the blackboard, because not only did that slow the lecture pace, it made it easier for me to take good quality and complete notes. But I also have adapted, and learned methods to take good notes with professors that teach with powerpoint. (But I don't want to get into too much detail about that...)
Anyways, after I have a good set of notes, I review the notes at least 3 times before the exams.
Here is a little taste of my study habits. (when I was in my "prime" student study mode)
1. Attend all lectures and take good quality notes.
2. Try to quickly review notes (just a quick glance / run through) before attending the next lecture. (I usually do this on my way to school on the bus, or arriving 10 minutes early to class, or both.)
3. Attend TA-led discussions. I try to find TA's that have taken the class with the same professor. In these discussions, we go over material the professor wants us to focus on.
4. On weekends, I would quickly review any materials that I didn't have a chance to look at during step 2. Usually, I would have to review the material for the heavier/harder classes during this time. (Keep in mind, it would only take me 30 minutes at most to review the notes since the material is still fresh in my head)
5. Exams are imminent. Attend the review session.
6. Go over all my notes to study for the exam. (Here is my only heavy study block. I thoroughly read through my notes. Committing the material to memory isn't that hard because I have already reviewed the material a few times.)
7. Exam day. Wake up earlier than usual and start scanning through the material very quickly. Continue scanning the material while I go to school on the bus. Then when exam time comes, ACE the exam.
* The number of times I reviewed the material (including the review session and TA-led discussions) is 5. This is not including the teacher's lecture. This may seem like a lot of time spent studying, but that's really not the case. Except for step 6, most of the studying is done in small chunks, when it is very convenient to do some quick reviewing. (ex. reviewing material on the bus). Except for step 6, there really isn't huge chunks of time allocated for studying.
Grades are obviously really important to me, and are my priority while I attend college. But I also really value my spare time. Compared to my friends who study with the book, not only do I get a better grade, I also have a lot more spare time. I love playing soccer, playing video games, and watching movies and I have done all 3 regularly (practically everyday, except for finals week) throughout my undergrad.
I had a very successful undergrad career at UCSD. I got really good grades and I really enjoyed life. I'm not bragging. I'm no genius. I have just adapted a really efficient way to study. In my opinion, the course textbook is full of information that is interesting, is related, but most of it won't be on the exam. So you could potentially spend more time studying and not get a good grade.
So after reading this wall of text, please share your study methods that have attributed to your academic success.
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