Care to give some study tips?

[hnbui]

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Well i've been preforming really bad on my tests lately. This has caused me to really rethink my study methods.

For my general bio test. I studied from 7pm to 8am. Straight studying. Meaning that i took a 5 minutes break every hour ro so to clear my head some what. Basically i studied the powerpoint presentations the professor posts online, memorize it. then i go to the corresponding chapter in the textbook, and i review and memorize it again. Then i gave myself a "self" lecture. It took me roughly 1 to 2 hours to complete the process for each chapter. I thought that would be enough but after taking the test i feel really doubtful. I mean to put in that many hours of study to get a C or B really would tick me off.

Other classes i'm taking are Gen Chem, Intro Psych, Chem Lab, English, Cal I

Does anyone have any study tips or guide on studying for these subjects.

I'm feeling kind of down right now.

 

[45408]

you're studying too little too late

Spread it out more.

 

[UCLAstudent]

For bio classes, I recommend flashcards. They're a pain to make, but they work, and the process of making them counts as studying.

For chem/calc/physics classes, do practice problems until your fingers bleed.

 

[hnbui]

you're studying too little too late

Spread it out more.

too little too late?

are you kidding me?

 

[AlternateSome1]

too little too late?

are you kidding me?

No. If you wait until the last minute and cram for a test and don't make an A then you are doing too little, too late. Try to study an hour a day rather than a big burst at the end.

 

[Medikit]

too little too late?

are you kidding me?

Incorporate studying into your daily ritual. Come home and go over what you learned in class that day, then prepare for what you will learn during the next lecture. This will make lecture more interactive and you will actually start to pick things up during that time making you a more efficient studier.

 

[UCLAstudent]

too little too late?

are you kidding me?

TheProwler is right. It's better to study a few hours per day over a longer period of time. For one thing, the information will stick with you longer (handy especially if the final is cumulative).

 

[hnbui]

No. If you wait until the last minute and cram for a test and don't make an A then you are doing too little, too late. Try to study an hour a day rather than a big burst at the end.

well i basically do study an hour a day since i do read the chapters ahead of time.

but yeah i guess you guys are right. It's just hard finding time to do things.

 

[45408]

too little too late?

are you kidding me?

Not at all. Studying 12 hours for an exam isn't really that much (depends on the class and how well you understand it - I got a 96% after studying for only a few hours - in Psych 101 ). However, you'd have done much better if you had studied in 1-2 hour blocks over a several week interval. Cramming CAN be appropriate - I studied ~30 hours or more in a several day interval for my organic final last semester, but it worked for me. Pulling an all-nighter is probably NOT the way to go.

 

[ltdanp21]

Study a couple of hours a day for a couple of weeks before the test. You'll have a lot more time to digest and apply it.

Facts and data stick better when you learn them a little at a time and youy use information after you learn it. You don't do either of these when you study the night before the exam.

If you want to get into medical school, any medical school, you're going to have to learn to do this.

There are lots of smart folks on this forum from some of the most competitive schools and you're on the right track asking here.

One final point. Tweak! Building study skills means observing how others studying, thinking about the way you study, and tweaking the way you study for every test. Tweaking improves your grades because each test is different so you should study a little or a lot differently for each one and because all the experimenting helps you figure out the tactics that work best for you. And finally, experimenting with different ways of studying is a lot more fun than doing it the same old way again and again.

Dan

 

[iamgoaloriented]

7PM-8AM?

How well do you sleep? Sleep is a physiological need (necessary for memory consolidation so they say), and although by staying up all night you might think that you are making time, more likely than not you are wasting time. In my experience an hour of studying when well rested is more valuable than several hours of studying when tired. ALWAYS be well rested when taking an exam. If you are staying up all night before tests, I would be suprissed if you were not performing below standard, regardless of your mastery of the material.

Don't tell me that you don't have time to get 8 hours of sleep a night, because I have worked full time, was far busier than I ever was in college (I worked part time then and got good grades), and still always managed to get a good night's sleep. It makes a load of difference.

Understanding concepts is important as opposed to just simply memorizing things. In some classes practicing problems and recognizing generalities are 90% of what you need to be doing.. For example, in O Chem 2 (which I realize you will not take for another year), you do a lot of carbonyl chemistry. If you recognize that all of the reactions that you learn are basically one of three mechanisms that come up over and over again, you will be much better off than the people who memorize every reaction as if it were completely different.

Calc is the kind of class is which memorization is practically useless. You must be able to apply basic rules to solve any problem that you may encounter, and the only way to do that is by practicing a lot of problems until you get the hang of it (although you may need to read a little and study your notes to familiarize yourself with the rules and see example of problems done, so you have an idea of what to try to do). Gen Chem is the same way. You should spend more time doing problems than reading.

In regards to your reading, take notes on the book and spend more time studying your notes and the notes from class. You can read over all your notes 30 times in the time it would take you to read one chapter of the text again, so please don't read the textbook twice. Do the problems at the end of the chapters to.

Get help and go to office hours if you need it. Don't be afraid to ask questions.

With all of this studying I hope that you still allow yourself to go out and have fun. It is important to do those things because it relieves stress and you think a lot more clearly when you aren't stressed out, not to mention you are a lot happier.

From the classes you are taking I am guessing that you are a freshmen, and you are probably a little scared and not quite adjusted yet. If so, know that this is normal and getting used to a new lifestyle is something that takes time, just as improvement will take time. Do a little bit every day, stick with it, have faith in yourself, and it will come with time and effort. Once you see results you will very motivated, so just hang in there.

 

[DoctorMalki]

Also, try not to always memorize concepts but try to understand them. I think a huge difference from high school to college is that you can study for hours and cram everything and still get by in high school. College is so much different in that you have to learn to conceptually think about the material and apply what you learn. Memorization alone doesn't cut it even if it is bio. Granted there will be some memorization but hopefully if you try to understand the material it'll help. Good luck !

 

[Code Brown]

Something that is often overlooked is the power of taking a short nap after you come home from school to re-charge your batteries. This makes a tremendous difference.

 

[fpr85]

Don't try and study a night in advance. I have a test in two weeks and I'm studying/reviewing the material we've already learned. If your teacher allows you, see if you can tape record the lectures - this may help. I studied about two days in advance (actually that's a lie, I studied the night before 😳 ) for my first biology test and got a 94% on my test (second-highest grade in the class, highest was a 96%, sad I know), the class average was a 65%, ouch! So yeah, it's all about studying in advance and understanding + memorizing

 

[cmb81]

i study everyday for a week (only bout 1.5-2 hours a day) before an exam. Usually just read the book and then go over the notes several times. It really doesnt seem as much information when you spread it out over a period of days.

 

[2DEG]

I am taking biology right now. And what I find extremely helpful is go over the classnotes, review the relevent sections in the book. Then, I go online to the book's website and do the problems on their website. I got 96 on the first test. Coming from an Engineering background, I thought biology is all about memorization. But actually, there is lot to 'understand' too. And going through the online problems from the book's website really proves how much you learn and what you need to review again.

Best wishes.

 

[fpr85]

And going through the online problems from the book's website really proves how much you learn and what you need to review again.

Does your professor make up his/her own tests, or are they instructor-booklet tests?

 

[2DEG]

Does your professor make up his/her own tests, or are they instructor-booklet tests?

Our professor makes up the test by herself. But I think she also takes input from her graduate TAs who are our lab instructors. The online book's questions are much easier and simpler. But by going through those online questions, it really helps to clarify anything that I didn't understand or remember as well as I should've.

In biology/medical biochem, what I find hard or fascinating in a way too is that the concepts are easy to understand and I think I remember. But when the question asks something - I am like I almost know the answer but not sure. Its so different from engineering stuff or even Chemistry.

Regards,
S.