Study tips

TsukiRyoko · May 11, 2007

Anyone have any study tips? I usually don't need to study at all, so the few times I actually do study, it's a real bitch and I never retain the information for more than 10 minutes. Help me, and I'll give you a dollar, a backrub, and a piece of this dismembered ear I found on the sidewalk today.

thethinker42 · May 11, 2007

TsukiRyoko said:
Anyone have any study tips? I usually don't need to study at all, so the few times I actually do study, it's a real bitch and I never retain the information for more than 10 minutes. Help me, and I'll give you a dollar, a backrub, and a piece of this dismembered ear I found on the sidewalk today.

Take notes from your material and then read it out loud. That helped me sometimes.

But then, I never studied either...

TsukiRyoko · May 11, 2007

thethinker42 said:
Take notes from your material and then read it out loud. That helped me sometimes.

But then, I never studied either...

Note to self- never ask smart people for study tips.

Actually, that's not a bad idea. Studying silently just makes all the words jumble up in my head. I'll give reading aloud a try.

thethinker42 · May 11, 2007

TsukiRyoko said:
Note to self- never ask smart people for study tips.

Actually, that's not a bad idea. Studying silently just makes all the words jumble up in my head. I'll give reading aloud a try.

You'd be amazed, actually...reading them aloud involves your sight AND hearing, and speaking the words forces your brain to process them. Sorta like how a bartender repeats an order aloud...I was actually taught to do that with bartending because it makes you remember it better and minimizes the "I'm sorry, what was that again?"

I find this especially helpful when I am reading/studying and come to a passage I just can't comprehend. Reading it out loud makes it fall together.

There. I did my good deed for the day. Back to lusting after Angelina.

threedogpeople · May 11, 2007

From my husband, distributed study is better than concentrated study (aka cramming).

What that means is that if you reread your notes from beginning to end several times a day, you will be able to easily learn the material. After 10 or more times of reading your notes, you will begin to remember even where on the page the info is located. Don't try to memorize the info, just read through it over and over again. Eventually, your brain will remember it.

If you don't take good notes or if you miss a class, ask someone you know that takes great notes for a copy of theirs.

PS He has 5 advanced degrees (two BA, two MA and on Doctorate).

Soccer Mom · May 11, 2007

I agree with Lori. (I can't believe I just wrote that!)

Try reading difficult material aloud. It focuses your mind on the actual meaning of words. I use it to engage my brain when my dyslexia is giving me fits.

TsukiRyoko · May 11, 2007

threedogpeople said:
From my husband, distributed study is better than concentrated study (aka cramming).

What that means is that if you reread your notes from beginning to end several times a day, you will be able to easily learn the material. After 10 or more times of reading your notes, you will begin to remember even where on the page the info is located. Don't try to memorize the info, just read through it over and over again. Eventually, your brain will remember it.

This tactic usually works somewhat well for me, depending on the material. But math explanations and such just go right through my brain, leaving no trail behind them.

threedogpeople said:
If you don't take good notes or if you miss a class, ask someone you know that takes great notes for a copy of theirs.

PS He has 5 advanced degrees (two BA, two MA and on Doctorate).

Actually, I don't take any classes or anything. I have to learn a year's worht of material in one week, using only the resources I find by myself and an occasion "tutor" ("Do you know about this?" "Yes." "Great! C'mere!")

DragonHeart · May 11, 2007

You could try copying your notes over, too. Possibly while reading them aloud, for added benefit.

Unfortunately that's all I can come up with. I never studied either.

~DragonHeart~

BenPanced · May 11, 2007

Don't listen to music while studying. You'll be choreographing music videos in your mind all night when you're supposed to be studying. :e2dance:

No, I still don't do anything like that. Like I ever did. *pfft*

akiwiguy · May 11, 2007

Very very simple Tsuki darling, and I shit you not...

Pleaure AFTER pain, reward yourself for WORK DONE

Bong in the drawer, music off, just one hour, study, then reward yourself. Sorry it's not the most incredible bit of advice you'll get, but it works. Try it. Priorities Tsuki.

Angelinity · May 11, 2007

oy!! where has your avatar been last night??

jenfreedom · May 12, 2007

Angelinity said:
oy!! where has your avatar been last night??

No kidding... It's freaking me out.

As to the study tip. In nursing school I'd explain what I was supposed to know to someone else (my poor, poor partner hated me then). Even if you think it doesn't make sense to you still try to explain it. If you can explain a topic correctly to someone else it likely means you'll remember it for yourself. Alternatively, write down a pretend quiz about the topic -- I.E Write questions with answer choices which forces you to go over the topic and know the answers.

~ Jennifer

Siddow · May 12, 2007

I retain information better if I write it down. So for me, re-copying my notes and the important bits from books would work.

And for math, I can only function if I think in terms of money. Numbers don't mean crap to me, but dollars...yeah.

ScarlettLeopard · May 12, 2007

20 minutes is about all most attention spans can take so take a break after 15 to 20 minutes... but only a 5 minute break, set a timer if you need to

and try to do something physical on the breaks

benbradley · May 12, 2007

TsukiRyoko said:
Anyone have any study tips? I usually don't need to study at all,

Does that mean you usually have nothing that needs 'studying', or that you usually can just read over something without having to 'study' it?

TsukiRyoko said:
so the few times I actually do study, it's a real bitch and I never retain the information for more than 10 minutes. Help me, and I'll give you a dollar, a backrub, and a piece of this dismembered ear I found on the sidewalk today.

Are you actually interested in the topic? That helps a huge amount for me. I've been "smart" in a lot of ways, but I only learned the topics I was interested in

thethinker42 said:
Take notes from your material and then read it out loud. That helped me sometimes.

But then, I never studied either...

Soccer Mom said:
I agree with Lori. (I can't believe I just wrote that!)

Try reading difficult material aloud. It focuses your mind on the actual meaning of words. I use it to engage my brain when my dyslexia is giving me fits.

If you're going to read it out loud, might as well get that little computer microphone and record it. Make an MP3 for your iPod or burn a CD-R for the car, so you can listen at times when you couldn't otherwise "study."

K1P1 · May 12, 2007

If it's math, you might have to actually do problems/theorems to practice, rather than just study notes. Practice makes a big difference in math.

Also, the suggestion to explain it to someone else is a really good one. It forces you to put the ideas in an understandable order, and for math, follow it up by explaining how to work the problem.

TsukiRyoko · May 12, 2007

benbradley said:
Does that mean you usually have nothing that needs 'studying', or that you usually can just read over something without having to 'study' it?

This means that, for most of my life, I read or had something explained to me once and I never had to look at it again. I retain most information very quickly and easily, so when I actually do have to study, I have a hard time with it.

ben said:
Are you actually interested in the topic? That helps a huge amount for me. I've been "smart" in a lot of ways, but I only learned the topics I was interested in

Unfortunately, I'm not very interested in most of the stuff I have to study right now. If I find something that interests me, I never forget it. Now that I have to learn stuff I really don't give a damn about, it's only making it harder.

ben said:
If you're going to read it out loud, might as well get that little computer microphone and record it. Make an MP3 for your iPod or burn a CD-R for the car, so you can listen at times when you couldn't otherwise "study."

We have a little recorder somewhere in the house. I'll definitely give this a try. One of my family members suggested listening to tapes before going to bed (it's a strategy usually used to help people stop smoking), so I might combine the two ideas....

TsukiRyoko · May 12, 2007

Thanks a lot, guys. I 'preciate it, and here's your dollar and a piece of an ear. Backrubs come after I eat.

Parkinsonsd · May 12, 2007

Study a short bit of material each time, have some coffee while you do. If you don't get the little bit at first, then reread it, then again. Don't study for more than 45 minutes without a break.

That's what I did. I had to reread that frickin' neuroanatomy book five times, but I got it.

MattW · May 12, 2007

I had such bad study habits I still don't know how I got 2 engineering degrees.

I agree that you need to leave plenty of time in advance of a test. And be confident in what you know, and don't waste too much time on concepts or problems that you struggle with.

What topics are you studying?

BenPanced · May 12, 2007

TsukiRyoko said:
Thanks a lot, guys. I 'preciate it, and here's your dollar and a piece of an ear. Backrubs come after I eat.

Mmmm...eeeaaaarrrr...

I mean, I liek sereel.

TsukiRyoko · May 12, 2007

MattW said:
I had such bad study habits I still don't know how I got 2 engineering degrees.

I agree that you need to leave plenty of time in advance of a test. And be confident in what you know, and don't waste too much time on concepts or problems that you struggle with.

What topics are you studying?

Well, since I can't pay for the practice test, I'm not 100% sure, but some of the free online tests and some of the TerraNova study tips pages suggest studying for anatomy (mostly cells, nerves, and the brain) and various math subjects, mostly geometry and advanced algebra with a touch of trigonometry. I'm not worried about the language/reading parts (they also have a writing section, which should be a piece of cake). They also have other stuff involving science, but it's all earth science, evolution, and space- I usually excel at all of these. The main thing I'm worried about is the anatomy. I only have a week or so to study a year's worth of my worst subject.

DamaNegra · May 12, 2007

I've never studied either. It just never seemed necessary. I've always gotten good grades without studying (though this last semester I was scared I would have to study or fail. thankfully, neither happened

)

But the other day I stumbled across this site. It has 77 ways to learn faster and better.

Now you only need to be able to understand spanish to read the site :ROFL:

DamaNegra · May 12, 2007

TsukiRyoko said:
The main thing I'm worried about is the anatomy. I only have a week or so to study a year's worth of my worst subject.

I can help you. I had that class 2 semesters ago, in english, and I still remember most of the stuff.

TsukiRyoko · May 12, 2007

DamaNegra said:
I've never studied either. It just never seemed necessary. I've always gotten good grades without studying (though this last semester I was scared I would have to study or fail. thankfully, neither happened )

But the other day I stumbled across this site. It has 77 ways to learn faster and better.

Now you only need to be able to understand spanish to read the site

At first, I was like, "OH GOD THANK YOU SO MUCH!"

Then I saw the Spanish, and I was like, "Summabitch! She got me again!"

Perhaps freetranslation.com will kind of sort of work...? Damn you, Dama.... Damn you.....

Study tips

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