Difference between revisions of "Pass a Class Without Really Studying"

#* For example, if you had to define the Marshall Plan, don't write out: "The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was an American initiative to aid Western Europe, in which the United States gave $13 billion (approximately $130 billion in current dollar value as of March 2016) in economic support to help rebuild Western European economies after the end of World War II. The plan was in operation for four years beginning in April 1948. The goals of the United States were to rebuild war-devastated regions, remove trade barriers, modernize industry, make Europe prosperous again, and prevent the spread of communism. The Marshall Plan required a lessening of interstate barriers, a dropping of many regulations, and encouraged an increase in productivity, labour union membership, as well as the adoption of modern business procedures." <ref name="rf1">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Plan</ref>

#* Instead, try a more succinct definition, such as: "A program by which the United States gave large amounts of economic aid to European countries to help them rebuild after the devastation of World War II. It was proposed by the United States secretary of state, General George C. Marshall." <ref name="rf2">http://www.dictionary.com/browse/marshall-plan</ref>

#Organize your notes. Make sure to use a readable outline or a numbering system to make your notes as clear as possible. Indent different sections to distinguish certain topics and try to order your points in order of importance and relevance. Try organizing the information using headings and sub-headings that include roman numerals, numbers, and letters. <ref name="rf3">https://www.oxford-royale.co.uk/articles/how-to-write-brilliant-essays.html</ref>

#Review, review, review. Take a few minutes at the beginning of class to review your notes from the previous lecture. Keeping your notes fresh in your mind will prevent any need for cramming when the exam takes place. <ref name="rf4">http://www.dartmouth.edu/~acskills/success/notes.html</ref>

#* Don't be afraid of 'none of the above' or 'all of the above' in tests. Studies have found those two answers were correct 52% of the time, which give you better odds than random guesses. <ref name="rf5">http://www.businessinsider.com/4-ways-to-outsmart-any-multiple-choice-test-2015-6</ref>

#Eat a good meal before going to class and taking your exams. Drinking plenty of water and eating fruits like raspberries, apples, and blueberries help to give you natural energy from sugar in addition to better memory functioning. <ref name="rf6">http://www.businessinsider.com/study-hacks-for-final-exams-2013-12</ref>

#Use memorization as a last ditch effort. While memorizing material doesn't actually teach you much of anything, it can be useful for acing an exam with little effort. Use analogies, metaphors, mnemonics, and imagery to give the material a vivid sensory meaning that can allow you to recall it during an exam without understanding the substance of the information. <ref name="rf7">http://calnewport.com/blog/2011/05/18/anatomy-of-an-a-a-look-inside-the-process-of-one-of-the-worlds-most-efficient-studiers/</ref>

#* If you're visually inclined, an image-based mnemonic can be useful. For instance, if you need to remember the depressant class of drugs for health class, i.e. Barbiturates, Alcohol, and Tranquilizers. Sketch or visualize the image of a bat ('''B'''arbiturates, '''A'''lcohol, and '''T'''ranquilizers) to help with recall. <ref name="rf8">http://www.learningassistance.com/2006/january/mnemonics.html</ref>

#* Do your best not to include superfluous information just to beef up the length of your paper. Try to strike a balance between information you already know and knowledge you're trying to grasp at by using sentences that stick to the point instead of going off into wordy tangents. <ref name="rf3" />

#Learn how to skim the reading over in a few minutes before class. In order to skim effectively, pay attention to context clues such as when an author starts a sentence with "I will argue," when definitions are given, and try to read the first and last sentences in a paragraph. Also pay more attention when the reading directly relates to the topic of your class (i.e. if you're reading ''The Scarlet Letter'' in a Women's Studies course, you would pay more attention to the sexism faced by Hester Prynne rather than the colonization of America in the 17th century). <ref name="rf9">http://www.swarthmore.edu/SocSci/tburke1/reading.html</ref>