When studying for finals...

[AestheticGod]

Do most of you just do repetitions? Let's say you're studying for your final in biology or chemistry. Do you just read the chapters & notes over and over, until you memorize and comprehend it?

That's what I'm currently doing right now, cause I honestly don't know any other way of studying better. I just read the chapters (The notes pretty much come from my book) over and over again. Example: I will read a chapter and certain paragraphs 4x times.

Am I doing it wrong

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[NeuroLAX]

Do most of you just do repetitions? Let's say you're studying for your final in biology or chemistry. Do you just read the chapters & notes over and over, until you memorize and comprehend it?

That's what I'm currently doing right now, cause I honestly don't know any other way of studying better. I just read the chapters (The notes pretty much come from my book) over and over again. Example: I will read a chapter and certain paragraphs 4x times.

Am I doing it wrong

While repetitive reading and memorization has its merits, I think you need to incorporate practice problems. A lot of students underestimate the utility of practice problem books that often accompany textbooks. Bio is more memorization, but for physics, general chemistry, and organic chemistry you need to also be able to do problems correctly, and not just reading and understanding the examples discussed within the chapter itself.

 

[biomaj]

Repitition is great, reading the chapters over and over is great too, but like above posted, you need some problem work. You need to challenge your mind in order for it to really provide a stick. Try note cards or writing notes. Then re-reading your notes, then typing them, then going through and high lighting the areas that are troubling you, and then re-reading those over and over. I find mixing up my studying keeps me from getting bored and challenges my mind a little more. Good luck!

 

[Praefectus]

Repitition is great, reading the chapters over and over is great too, but like above posted, you need some problem work. You need to challenge your mind in order for it to really provide a stick. Try note cards or writing notes. Then re-reading your notes, then typing them, then going through and high lighting the areas that are troubling you, and then re-reading those over and over. I find mixing up my studying keeps me from getting bored and challenges my mind a little more. Good luck!

+1

Also, don't sit and study for more than an hour because your brain won't be able to retain the information. Take a small study break and then switch to a new subject.

 

[torshi]

singing your notes out loud help you retain better

 

[MDschoolorbust]

Personally for Biology classes especially, I get bored with never-ending book reading and looking over notes. This may sound like the nerd in me but I try to formulate questions from the text and then answer them as in depth as possible. It helps me actually learn the material because I'm incorporating reading, writing and actual understanding. So when you're sitting there staring at the TCA cycle or some sort of pathway, make a question out of it. Then grab tons of computer paper and answer it.

 

[lobo.solo]

For problem solving classes like physics and Chem. do a lot of problems. For memorizing stuff like bio: repetition, write down condensed notes, create conceptual maps, and question yourself about the material you are reading.

 

[Morsetlis]

This is undergrad, right?

Cram.

 

[1TB4RKSB4CK]

Cram or scram!

 

[Shalashaska]

I usually talk to myself, pretending I'm the teacher and the student at the same time. That helps me. It's also more active, so I don't fall asleep after 5 minutes.

 

[HipChick]

I make up songs, teach what I am learning to others, draw stuff to help me visualize... anything but just sitting and reading for hours... and hours...and hours...

 

[Narmerguy]

I like to lecture (to the wall of course) on the topic that I'm studying as a way to memorize it. It's great because 1) It gets me away from my notes, 2) This is essentially what I will have to do on the test (and it's faster way to practice than writing)

Usually I'll realize 20 seconds into my lecture that I didn't remember some concept or didn't understand some theory so then I go back to the notes, study it some more, and then attempt to lecture on it again from the beginning.

 

[HeronsBeak]

For science courses, I like to make myself notecards for major concepts and stuff that just needs to be memorized, then do practice problems to make sure you actually understand what you've been memorizing. Without the latter, the former is kind of pointless. Good luck.