A Study Guide to Studying

Figuring out how to best study and prepare yourself for assessments can be tedious and stressful. How are you supposed to study for a math test without any notes? How do you prepare for an essay whose prompt you don’t know yet? And, sometimes even more frustrating, how do you study for a test that is going to include multiple units? Finding how to study can be almost as stressful as the test itself, and if you don’t know where to start, it can seem overwhelming. 

It took me a long time to figure out how best to study, especially for math which didn’t have the notes that the other classes had. Throughout middle school and the beginning of high school, I always struggled with how to study for my upcoming assessments. That stress did nothing to help my anxiety about the assessment itself, and I would always get overwhelmed when I would try to study.  Usually, I would just end up rereading old notes or skimming through the study guide to see if there was anything that sounded unfamiliar. 

It was worse for math; I would only look over old problems before calling it quits. It wasn’t until my second year of high school that I sat myself down to really figure out how to study to give myself the best chance on my tests. I went through a lot of trial and error with different studying types before I finally figured out what works best for me. And the way I study varies for the different subjects, even different classes within the same subject. I still get anxious while studying and during the test, but I know going into my assessments that I’ve studied the best way I can. 

Here are studying tips that I stand by and that work the best for me: 

• Take it a little bit at a time
  ​If the assessment is on the entire unit, don’t attempt to study the entire unit at once. Divide the expected contents of the assessment into portions, start at the beginning, and go through each section at a time. Focus on understanding the section you’re on, not trying to hurry through one section to get to the next. 
• Take breaks!
  I’m guilty of this as well, but make sure you don’t study on and on with no breaks. Your brain gets tired, so let it rest every once in a while. If you’re dividing the information up, let yourself rest after each one, even if the break is just getting up to get a snack or water. I would also definitely recommend not going on a screen as a break if you’re studying online to give your eyes a break from looking at the screen. 
• Take notes!
  It seems tedious, especially if you’ve already taken notes on the content, but by writing the information down (by hand!), your brain remembers it better. If your teachers have posted slides or videos with notes, write the information down either on a study guide or just on lined paper. 
• Make flashcards
  If you know there’s going to be a lot of vocab on the test, or you’re worried that you’re not going to remember information, make flashcards. Both the process of actually making them as well as using them will strengthen your memory of the material. Additionally, while I would suggest Quizlet as a good virtual way to make flashcards, physical flashcards will help you remember better because you’re actually writing everything out. 
• Test yourself by explaining the material to others
  If you can explain information to someone else (preferably someone who isn’t in your class or hasn’t learned the material before), it’s a safe assumption that you know it yourself. Being able to teach it to someone is a good marker that you know it. 
• Math - Do practice questions
  If the assessment will involve any calculations (such as Physics or Math), find practice problems online or redo old homework problems. You don’t have to do this for a long time, but make sure to practice until you feel comfortable with the concept. I usually even do them beyond when I feel comfortable just to get the extra practice. 
• Essays- Find the big ideas
  This is important for writing assessments, such as in English and History. Pick out the big ideas and themes in the text you’re reading, or the main ideas of the time period. Make sure you can connect them with evidence from the text or your notes!

Not all of these tips may work for you, but I’ve found that they work best for me. You may find that rewriting your notes is too tedious and frustrating, and in that case, you could try making a Quizlet out of your notes. I’ve also tried finding Kahoots or other online practice quizzes on the internet and playing those. Try new ways of testing yourself like explaining concepts to other friends who are in the class so that they can help correct you if you miss something, and give yourself the time needed to figure out what works the best for you. 

~Madeline 

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