If Only They Knew: Which Techniques are more Effective in Order to Receive Higher Test Scores

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Recommended: Importance of study skills

Picking the correct studying habit can make all the difference between being very successful on a test or failing. In order for a studying technique to prove itself as being effective, it must consistently demonstrate an increase in the grades of those that studied in such a manner. For instance, if one were to only reread the material and highlight what they believe to be the key points and they later failed the exam, then the studying technique did not do much to help them retain the information they needed in order to prove itself effective. When trying to pick a studying habit to use, there should also be a logical explanation as to how or why the practice is useful in allowing the brain to obtain the appropriate information. Through scientific research, it is proven that techniques such as practice testing and distributed learning help improve the scores of students as opposed to the most popular forms of studying like rereading and highlighting.
Overall, researchers have come to the conclusion that practice testing and distributed learning received the highest effectiveness rating ("Which study strategies make the grade? Popular strategies found ineffective"). Practice testing is useful in the sense that it prepares you for possible questions or scenarios that may be on the test in order to prevent one from stressing out about a question they may have never seen before. If one were to transform the questions from the end of each chapter into flashcards and repeatedly go over them then they would also retain the needed information much faster ("Which study strategies make the grade? Popular strategies found ineffective"). Repetition is a key aspect to learning because it helps move information from the short to memory into ...

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...hat makes it easiest on the brain.
In the end, it is important to know which techniques are more effective in order to receive higher test scores. Everyone may do things in a different matter but in the way that the brain retains and stores information for later use is the same. Studying by taking breaks and then testing your knowledge through repetition will result in better tests scores which in turn make for a happier student. Everyone likes to succeed so do not let horrible studying habitats get in the way of that.

Work Cited
"The Surprising Facts on Studying Habits." Bench Prep. Malhar, 14 Jun 2013. Web. 18 Feb
2014.
"Which study strategies make the grade? Popular strategies found ineffective." Phys.org. Science
X Network, 10 01 2013. Web. 18 Feb 2014.
grade-popular-ineffective.html>.

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