Preparing for Your First College Exam

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Recommended: Study Habits Introduction

Being in college is nerve racking enough for some, and preparing for their first test can be even more terrifying. For some school comes easy and natural, and can get by with minimal studying. Others have to start studying days in advance for tests. Then there are some who start studying the night or two nights before and are okay with that. Nevertheless, not matter what type of student one may be there are some full proof methods to improving your study habits. To help better prepare you for your first college exam, it starts with taking quality notes, having time management skills, setting a good place to study, studying from multiple sources, and trusting oneself on the exam day.

Preparing for one’s first college exam starts with learning how to take quality notes in a lecture based class. According to Taking Notes in Classroom Lectures, there are five simple note taking stratagies, and they are read, reduce, recite, reflect, review. The first step is to record notes in class. The notes should be clear, concise, and organized. They need to identify and capture the main points and ideas. The next step reduce is used to create a summary after class is over. The student should write down key words, phrases, and questions they may have on the lecture. Recite is the next step. Using the list of key words and phrases the student should talk through them as if you were teaching someone else the material. One should make note of the key phrases or words they had difficulty with to study in depth more. Reflecting is the time to think over your notes. In this step the student is not trying to learn, but think about the notes and everything they have learned. The first four steps should be after every lecture or at least once a week. ...

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...agement, setting up a study environment, using multiple sources to study, and trusting oneself on the exam day.

Works Cited

"Hints for Planning a Better Study Schedule." Csbsju.edu. College of Saint Benedict Saint Johns University, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.

"Ideal Study Environments and Factors That Influence Studying." Western Carolina University. Western Carolina University, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.

"Studying With Multiple Sources." Study Guides and Strategies. Study Guides and Strategies, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.

"Taking Notes in Lectures." Study Guides and Strategies. Study Guides and Strategies, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.

"Ten Tips for Terrific Test Taking." Study Guides and Strategies. Study Guides and Strategies, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.

"Written Tests." Sanger Learning Center. The University of Texas at Austin, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.

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