Balancing Review and New Material: Tips for Retaining Knowledge

[Yumrey]

Hello, I realized that I tend to forget the course material I've learned quickly after the final exam, so I think it may be a good idea to review those material even when I've done the course. Does this happen often to you? How do you deal with it while taking new courses and having other materials to study for? It seems very difficult for me to balance them. If you just review them as if you're still taking the course, how much time do you usually spend on it?
Thank you.

 

[Student100]

Hello, I realized that I tend to forget the course material I've learned quickly after the final exam, so I think it may be a good idea to review those material even when I've done the course. Does this happen often to you? How do you deal with it while taking new courses and having other materials to study for? It seems very difficult for me to balance them. If you just review them as if you're still taking the course, how much time do you usually spend on it?
Thank you.

Do you completely forget concepts? Or is it more akin to, "If I review it for a few minutes I'll remember what to do."

There are plenty of things I've forgotten, but if I saw it again or referenced material on the subject I would quickly remember the material. I would say that's completely normal. If it's affecting your ability to advance in courses then you might need to revisit your studying habits during courses.

 

[Yumrey]

Do you completely forget concepts? Or is it more akin to, "If I review it for a few minutes I'll remember what to do."

There are plenty of things I've forgotten, but if I saw it again or referenced material on the subject I would quickly remember the material. I would say that's completely normal. If it's affecting your ability to advance in courses then you might need to revisit your studying habits during courses.

Well, it's not like I completely forget concepts, it's just that if I'm told to write a test on that course right now, I won't do well on it. I'm just wondering if it's a common practice to make reviewing old materials a routine.

 

[Student100]

It's really up to you and your schedule. If it isn't affecting your taking of more advanced courses then I would only really recommend comprehensive study before taking something like the physics GRE. If you begin struggling in other courses that depend on that material as a foundation, then doing problems from old material might be beneficial to you, and something you could try to squeeze in everyday.

 

[Dishsoap]

The point of taking a course isn't to prepare you to take an exam for that course every single day. It's to teach you general concepts.

For instance, if you see a differential equation, it's perfectly okay that you aren't able to solve it. However, you should be able to say "oh, I remember a method for solving that type of equation, I think it's called the method of integrating factors..."