By Samara Rawls
Have you ever found yourself studying the night before a big test? Or one of your friends reminds you of a quiz you have later in the day, so you try to re-read over your notes? If so, this is cramming, and it is the least effective way to study. With the SAT’s coming up this fall, I would like to give teens some tricks that can be helpful. When studying for a test the most effective ways to study are to space out the studying time, paraphrasing notes and categorizing information.
To begin, one alternative to cramming is to space out the studying time. Whenever people cram, they become familiar with the information, but they do not really understand the material. When students choose to space out their learning, it gives their brain time to remember all the details. Another reason spaced-out learning is more effective is due to the way the memory is. We will forget information if we do not continuously review it. This means to properly prepare for a test, one must review the information over and over, not cram all in one time. When someone spaces out their learning, it gives their brain time to remember all the information, so they will not forget it. In general, it is better to space out studying time, so one is not stressed at the last-minute studying. In addition to spacing out studying time, students should also paraphrase their notes.
To begin, paraphrasing is when notes or information is rewritten into words one understands, and it is an effective way to study. This means when notes are written, one should write them in terms they understand and can remember. For example, if a teacher writes notes on the board, the students should rewrite their notes in terms they can understand. This will allow students to learn the information better for a test or quiz. Another method to paraphrase notes is to use notecards. When students create flashcards, they create it themselves, therefore paraphrasing the information they learned. Spacing out studying time and paraphrasing notes are all effective ways to study, but categorizing information is also particularly important.
One last way to effectively study is to categorize the information one needs to study. For example, if a student is studying for a final exam in biology, they should review every chapter, rather than studying all the notes at once. Another way to categorize the information that is being studied is to use Cornell notes. The way to write Cornell notes is to write a topic of the notes on one side, and on the other side is where the notes are. Taking these types of notes categorizes them into sections, so it is easier for one to learn. In essence, when studying for an exam, make sure to categorize the information that needs to be remembered.
On a personal note, I just took the ACT for the first time in December. The ACT is much different than the PSAT as there were a lot more questions to complete, and I had less time to do so. Since that was my first time taking the ACT, I would do things much differently next time. First, I would prepare a lot more, because I went blindly into the test and was not prepared. I would have studied more, and used an ACT prep course to prepare myself.
Additionally, creating a study schedule would have been very helpful, so I could spread out my studying. In March, I will be taking my SAT for the first time, and I will write another article about my experience and how it compared to the ACT. This time, I will be using a SAT prep course to help improve my scores.
