After years and years of exams, quizzes, and tests, you’d think that we’d all be pros at studying. We now know that sleeping with a textbook over our faces won’t actually “osmose” the material into our brains. We know we shouldn’t doze off in class and actually pay attention. We know we should stop procrastinating, and we know we should stop checking Facebook every five minutes. But still, by the time finals week rolls around, we’re all freaking out, breaking out, and stressing out. So, here are some tips you might not have known about to help you tackle exam week more successfully.
1. Catch some Z’s
You’ve heard it before, but I’ll say it again: studying all night is not an effective way to learn. My eighth grade science teacher once told me, “If you’re really pressed for time, the better idea would be to read your notes one more time before you sleep.” Why? Because memories form at night. So in other words, if you’re stuffing your brain and not sleeping, you’ll be fighting to recall things from “memories” that don’t exist.
2. Chartreuse: the new black
Bolding terms or changing the colors of the text may make them stand out, but have you ever considered using chartreuse? It is a yellow-green color that’s smack dab in the middle of the visible color spectrum. This means that it is the most visible color. So, while scrolling through all your notes, the receptors in your eyes will select for the yellow-green text, making whatever was yellow-greened stick in your mind.
3. Doodle
Most people are right-brainers. This means that they learn most effectively through visual or spatial forms of information. Unfortunately, most class notes are seemingly endless blocks of text. So, let out your inner Picasso and doodle a bit! (Even if the extent of your drawing ability is stick figures) Make charts, graphs, pictures – whatever you need to represent the text as a visual picture. In this way, you will engage both sides of your brain in learning and that is more effective than just using half of it.
4. Seven really is a magic number
You know how in first grade you remembered the sentence, “My Very Excellent Mother Just Made Us Nine Pizzas” as a way to memorize the nine planets in order? Well, studies show that most people have a short-term memory span of 7 units ± 2. Since that sentence can be abbreviated to the 9-letter acronym “MVEMJMUNP”, students were able to recall the planets effectively. Do the same with your notes. Squish and compress them into 9 units or less and make acronyms whenever possible.
5. Make use of the Apple
Ever notice how you can memorize a whole song after listening to it a few times but reading the same line in a textbook over and over won’t make it stick? This is because on average, people retain 10 percent of what they read and 50 percent of what they hear. So, if your teachers provide podcasts, it would be a good idea to listen to them again. Not only can it help refresh your memory, but it can also help you fill in the gaps in your notes. You can sync the podcast to your iPod and go clean the house, or you can even doodle while listening. According to a study in Cambridge University, doodling while listening to a boring lecture can help you recall 29 percent more information. Simply filling in shapes can keep your heavy eyelids from staying shut and your mind from running away from you.
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