It’s important to develop good study habits from the very
beginning. You should try to study some
almost everyday. This is more effective
than trying to cram a lot of studying into one day. If you are going to study for a longer period of time, you should
take a break every two hours. Break for
at least 10 minutes, and 20 to 30 minutes if you are getting tired. In a longer study session, you won’t
remember the information you cover at the end.
Cover the same topic over several
days. Do your reading on a topic before
you go to class, or before you do this course.
Follow up the reading and the class with practice questions from more
than one source.
Another useful tool is flash cards. If you are going to make them yourself, you
need to start at the beginning of the class.
Starting even a few classes into the course will become very time
consuming. Once you have flash cards,
either made or purchased, alternate how you go through them. The first time, look at the word or phrase
and guess the definition. The next
time, look at the definitions and guess the terms. Either way, if you get one wrong, put the card on the bottom of
the pile, so you keep coming back to it until you know it. If you get it right you can set it aside
until the next time you study.
Your two most important areas of
concentration are learning vocabulary and getting practice answering
questions. If you get a question wrong,
make sure you understand WHY you got it wrong.
Rather than reading an entire chapter again, read over the parts of
chapters that you realize you don’t understand when you’re answering questions.