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Picture this
situation- you go to an exam hall having stayed up the previous
night studying. You spend the last few minutes before the exam
begins feverishly reading your notes. Then the bell rings, you get
your question paper and you go through it and suddenly you go
blank. You can't seem to remember anything although you have just
read all your matter.
Sounds familiar? This is a common situation for a lot of college
students. It occurs due to exam anxiety which interferes with the
retrieval of learnt information. But you don't have to face this
situation. Here are a few principles of studying. Follow them
while preparing for your exams so that on the day of exams you are
confident and are able to do well. |
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REGULAR
STUDY |
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The first time a
lot of students open their books is the day before the exams. But
last moment study doesn't prove very effective. If you study
regularly, by the time the exam date draws closer you don't have
to panic because of the sheer amount of work at hand as you will
already have finished studying quite a bit. It is better to study
a concept soon after it is taught as that makes it easier to
remember.
It is advisable to make a study time-table and set short term
study goals. And then one must try to achieve these targets.
Research shows that information is remembered better when it is
learnt in chunks rather than all together. This is known as the
'pineapple method', because of the way we cut chunks of a
pineapple and eat each chunk. Making a time-table allows you to
set targets & work towards it step by step in an organized way.
And when you accomplish each target, it acts as encouragement for
the future course of study.
When you study regularly, studying doesn't seem like a difficult
insurmountable task- it becomes easy and even interesting. |
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MUGGING UP V/S UNDERSTANDING CONCEPTS |
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A common belief
among students is that you need to learn by rote all that is
written in the text book and reproduce it verbatim. But this is
not a good way of studying. It reduces you to the level of a
parrot which repeats without thinking all that it has heard. It is
not very effective either. You may have observed how during exams
when you forget one word and everything is forgotten.
Research done on memory processes shows that when you 'mug up',
you process information at a superficial level. This is called
'maintenance rehearsal'. This is not as effective as 'elaborate
rehearsal', which is a deeper level of processing. It involves
thinking over what you've learnt, linking it to what you already
know, thinking about how it can be applied to everyday life and
finding out more related information. Thus 'understanding'
information helps to remember better. |
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CHOOSING
A GOOD TIME AND PLACE |
Every individual has a particular time
in the day which is his 'prime time'- the time in the day when he
is most alert and attentive. This is the best time to study. What
generally happens is that people do totally unimportant things
during this time and sit down to study at a time when they are not
very alert and therefore not able to concentrate. It's important
to guard one's prime time. Tell your family and friends not to
disturb you at this time and do not allow any distractions. This
prime time can be different for different individuals. You may
prefer to study early in the morning or in the evening or late at
night. The point is that what you study at any time is understood
and remembered better, so one must make the most of this time.
The study place is also important. Too much of clutter around is
not good. Also the place must be relatively free from distracting
stimuli. Not all of us are privileged to have a room of our own,
but we can find ways to eliminate at least some sources of
distraction. Proper lighting, comfortable seats which allow one to
have a comfortable posture are important. |
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CORRECT
METHOD |
There are many methods that can be
used to study. Some methods may be better than others. One of the
most effective methods is the SQ3R method.
S refers to Survey- going through all the information to be
studied in order to be familiar with it.
Q refers to Question- Thinking about possible questions that can
be asked about this matter.
The 3 Rs are Read- reading the information again in detail
Recite- trying to answer the questions you've generated without
referring to the textbook
Revise- Revise the information periodically to keep it fresh in
the memory
This method is effective because one goes over the matter several
times, generating questions is a form of elaborate rehearsal and
it also involves practising retrieval of information which will
prepare you for doing the same in an exam situation. There are
other good methods of studying as well. Different methods work for
different individuals. |
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WHOLE HEARTED
STUDY |
This is the most important principle.
Studying need not be a boring task. You can learn to enjoy the
Process of studying, so that you look forward to exams as a
challenge rather than an obstacle. It is important to study not
because you have to, but because you want to. And when you study,
make sure you are mentally prepared to study. Avoid all other
distracting thoughts. Make sure your heart is in what you are
studying. There is no point studying just to get a certain grade
or to clear exams- the real purpose of studying is to learn and
acquire knowledge. And this process of learning more can be very
interesting if you want it to be.
To sum up, I'd like to say- It's not important to study night and
day, it's more important to study the right way. Studying well is
an art and once you master it, you will derive great benefits from
the academic process. |
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