Improve Your Grades: The Importance of Studying Before Tests

[Rhine720]

I'm wondering how many of you who makes excellent grades actually study before the test? I never do and It's usually because I have homework anyway the day before the test. But Like Shouldn't you be studying and getting practice while you do your homework that builds up to the test? I'm a keen learner and I retain information very well, and the homework helps me reinforce what I've learned and teaches me how to et creative with it, so why should i study before I take the test? B's and low A's are norm for me. Though they aren't lack of knowledge. They're acute computational errors

 

[lisab]

I don't think studying before a test (i.e., cramming) will help you much if most of your errors are computational.

Just curious...do you make the same type of errors when you do your homework, or is it just on tests?

 

[Rhine720]

I always check my work on homework. But I think my confidence and fantastic assignment grades get me too cocky on tests and i usually skip on the checking my work. There's always some sort of minor error I make

 

[lisab]

I always check my work on homework. But I think my confidence and fantastic assignment grades get me too cocky on tests and i usually skip on the checking my work. There's always some sort of minor error I make

That's understandable. For me tests were done on 50% knowledge, 50% adrenaline. The knowledge was reliable...the adrenaline, not so much .

So I don't think extra studying would help much, since you already understand the material...but perhaps changing your test-taking techniques might. For example...force yourself to check your work .

 

[th5418]

Aiy, I never know how to study for a physics test, I just end up doing problems to get more accurate with my computation. There isn't really "studying" for more understanding of a problem if you already understand it..

 

[LewisEE]

Are you in high school?

 

[georgeryder9]

Isn't there any tricks to remember things quickly for the exam? If there is techniques let me know
http://www.bbctechnologies.biz"

 

[Choppy]

Ideally, studying shouldn't happen just before a test. It should be a natural part of the student's routine while taking any given course.

You can't rely on homework to cover all the necessary material. From a student point of view, when you do that, you're essentially handing all power to the instructor and relying on that person to cover every important issue and topic in the subject. But teachers and professors aren't perfect. They run into time constraints and conflicting demands just like everyone else. As a result, some material can be glossed over or skipped entirely. And some students will need more time with particular topics than others.

The point of studying, beyond assigned homework, is to ensure you understand the material covered and expand your knowledge. I would argue that by the undergraduate level the most successful students are the ones who study because they enjoy it and want to know more than just that which is covered in the lectures. Hence, they read additional material, try problems outside of those assigned, and attempt to apply the basic concepts covered in courses in new ways to 'think outside the box.'

Before a test it's a good idea to review relevant material covered in lectures. In an ideal scenario, the student shouldn't be learning anything new at this point. But from a practical point of view this is often the time to fill in holes and spend time nailing down any material you haven't understood.

 

[wobblebase]

I never study before a test. However, I use study to refer to the concentrated effort of learning material. I study material the day we cover it in class; each day after that is a review to keep it refreshed in my mind. If you will learn the material thoroughly when first introduced to it and then review it each day until a test, the test will not be a big deal. If I have a test on say a Thursday, I'm usually ready to take it the Tuesday before. Never, never, never cram.

 

[Rhine720]

Ideally, studying shouldn't happen just before a test. It should be a natural part of the student's routine while taking any given course.

You can't rely on homework to cover all the necessary material. From a student point of view, when you do that, you're essentially handing all power to the instructor and relying on that person to cover every important issue and topic in the subject. But teachers and professors aren't perfect. They run into time constraints and conflicting demands just like everyone else. As a result, some material can be glossed over or skipped entirely. And some students will need more time with particular topics than others.

The point of studying, beyond assigned homework, is to ensure you understand the material covered and expand your knowledge. I would argue that by the undergraduate level the most successful students are the ones who study because they enjoy it and want to know more than just that which is covered in the lectures. Hence, they read additional material, try problems outside of those assigned, and attempt to apply the basic concepts covered in courses in new ways to 'think outside the box.'

Before a test it's a good idea to review relevant material covered in lectures. In an ideal scenario, the student shouldn't be learning anything new at this point. But from a practical point of view this is often the time to fill in holes and spend time nailing down any material you haven't understood.

Oh. I just fill in holes while I do the homework, hehe. In fact Chances are if your going through all the excersises in the book and always looking for those sort of patterns in nature(no specific subject so i say "those patterns") Then by the end of the section or chapter you should've gained all knowledge on the subject besides more deeper stuff that'll probably be presented later in the course or in the next course or so. You can't complete the homework if you DON'T UNDERSTAND THE MATERIAL. Wouldn't it behoove a person to learn the material thoroughly before taking their interest too far and getting stuff mixed instead of having the patience to learn it later on? Not saying it's a bad idea. Some piqueing is good.

 

[Monocles]

You should test experimentally what works best for you. Personally, cramming works the best for me. I never study until the night before a test, and then I'll just pull a monster 6-10 hour study session that night. I get 100's on the majority of my tests, so I'd say that it works pretty well for me - but I know that such a technique does not work well for everyone (as evidenced by this thread). On the other hand, studying gradually over time doesn't help me much.