SOAR Chapter 12

The best way to study for a test is:

• Spend a few solid hours of non-stop studying the night before a test.

• Do your reading and homework on time and review your notes every day.

• Save all your papers, quizzes, and tests, and wait until the day before the test to study them.

• Pull 'all-nighters' to get as much information as possible into your brain immediately before taking the test.

Preparing a study guide...

• Should be based only on what the teacher tells you about the test.

• Means spending many hours, the night before a test, rewriting all of your notes.

• Is automatically done for you when you use questions to read your textbooks and study your notes.

• Only needs to be done for big tests, like final exams.

When your teacher gives you a study guide, you should:

• Ignore your notes and textbook; the study guide is all you need.

• Ignore it because you have already made your own study guide.

• Stop paying attention in class; the study guide has all the answers you'll need for the test.

• Use it to help you decide what to focus on the night or two before the test.

The night before a test, you should:

• Spend 30-60 minutes reviewing your notes, homework, and textbook, then quiz yourself by talking aloud.

• Spend a few solid hours studying, non-stop.

• Reread everything in the textbook that will be covered on the test.

• Look over your work for a minute. You don't need to spend any more time on it because you've taken notes and done your homework.

To study for a final exam or unit test, your best option is to:

• Re-read every chapter covered since the beginning of the term.

• Study corrected quizzes and tests from earlier in the term.

• Concentrate several hours the night before the test so all information is fresh in your brain.

• Forget studying. You either know the material or you don't.

What is the '80/20 Power Strategy' for studying for tests?

• Spend 80% of your study time reviewing the textbook and 20% reviewing past quizzes and tests.

• Ask friends how they are preparing for the test and try their approach.

• Review graded tests to get important feedback for future tests.

• Limit total study time to 20 minutes and trust that you'll remember at least 80% of the information.

When you first get your test, you should do all of the following, EXCEPT:

• Read the directions.

• Read ALL questions before answering any of them.

• Jump into the first test question and move through the test as quickly as possible.

• Write down any information you had to memorize for the test, such as formulas, important dates, names, etc.

What should you do if you get to a question for which you don't know the answer?

• Leave it blank and come back to it later.

• Slow down and spend as much time as you need thinking or solving the problem.

• Ask your teacher for clues or hints.

• Mark the question, skip it, and move on. Come back to it if you have time.

If you are stuck on a multiple-choice test, all of the following are helpful tips, EXCEPT:

• Statistics show that answer "A" is the most common correct answer, so when in doubt, always choose answer "A."

• After reading the question, try to think of the right answer before reading the options.

• Read ALL answers carefully. Some answers may sound correct, but have subtle errors.

• Select the answer with the most words; it's most likely to be the right answer.

All of the following are important tips for essay questions, EXCEPT:

• Begin your answer by restating the question.

• Write neatly.

• Since time is usually a factor, just get started with writing; you can always go back and edit.

• Write a brief outline in the margin to help you write an organized response. Your teacher may only read your outline, anyway.