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How do you study for tests?


stylusdef

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I try to read condensed outlines or review notes to understand the general themes. Once the general themes and eras are established I can draw conclusions by myself. For example, if you know who the violent groups in the civil rights movement were, and you know when the movement shifted from non-violence to a method of violence, you can deduce a specific date on the multiple choice test. I found a few podcasts that have an overview of history in the united states (what I'm taking now), and since I am an auditory learner they help much more than just looking over old notes. Since the podcasts can be put on my mp3 player, I an also listen to them on the dark bus in the morning.

Taking practice tests helps as well.

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i think making notes really really helps! but detailed notes, so you do not have to go back to yoru textbooks and flip through and look for this and that... and what i also do is photocopy the diagrams and stick them with my notes (which are usually on flashcards) so i put down the keyword and then a breif but detailed definiton and anything else i need to know then on the back i would stick the diagram =) this really helps cuz they are small and you can flip through them easily to get what you want =)

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Guest syrianstar

It depends on what subject the test is on:

For Maths I do practice questions on all the sections that will be in the exam, since that is the best way to learn maths :D

For Biology / Chemistry (i.e. sciences) I write up flashcards, stick in flashy diagrams, definitions etc. and then learn them. This is really easy and also fun since you can take the flashcard with you anywhere and then sit down and flip through them.

For Economics (humanities), since these require good notes, I make detailed notes from the textbook with all the diagrams as there is lots of information to retain.

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Guest Lily Bean
It depends on what subject the test is on:

For Maths I do practice questions on all the sections that will be in the exam, since that is the best way to learn maths :D

For Biology / Chemistry (i.e. sciences) I write up flashcards, stick in flashy diagrams, definitions etc. and then learn them. This is really easy and also fun since you can take the flashcard with you anywhere and then sit down and flip through them.

For Economics (humanities), since these require good notes, I make detailed notes from the textbook with all the diagrams as there is lots of information to retain.

Uhm we're in the History forum so many the topic's about studying for HISTORY?? :lol:

I think do practice questions and past papers work best. It gets you used to the exam style

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Guest syrianstar
Uhm we're in the History forum so many the topic's about studying for HISTORY?? :D

LOL :lol:

Yeah I see that now; the thing is that before I just saw the thread which said 'How do you study for tests?' and I didn't assume it applied to the History forum, I thought it just meant in general.

Sorry! :P

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My history class is of only 4 students. We found out that the best way to prepare is by writing essay after essay. The teacher picks a question relevant to the topic we are studying. From this, we study an event and a historian's view, and write the essay.

This way, when it's time for the exam, you will have lots of answers of common exam questions.

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i recommend past essays written by some else. this really helps because it helps you focus on only things your teacher/examiner care to ask-- they dont care about everything that happened in the past, but focus on specific details (cause of cold war). reading another person's essays helps you gain perspective, and generally i just find it sticks better in my mind after reading them. plus, if the person is a good writer you can learn to write better historically =P

hope this helps

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  • 1 month later...

Some of us (about 6) gather up each time and sort of talk about the stuff, solve each others doubts and so on. the power points the teacher uploads also helps. imo, what helps the most for history-studying is paying attention in class, because then your studying is just reviewing and not trying to understand and clarify lots of doubts and figuring out the order of events etc. I mean, if you get it right during class, then studying is not that hard.

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do you like books or tv show? i do !! so usually, i would look over the notes and try to link it as if it were a story and i'm the storyteller. ( actually, history is a story. well, a boring one) i've done that, and it is actually worked on me. terms and facts are easier to understand and remember. hope that helps!

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Yeah except if you engage too much in story-telling you won't do very well (not above 5). If you look at the markbands "narrative" essays are normally given under 10 points. As I've said before, I think it's better to understand what you're dealing with and the fact that there are various interpretations. I find it easier to first concentrate on grasping the topic and what it was about, and only in the end on the dates&other factual stuff needed to support your argument (actually that way I normally remember all the stuff already before I start trying to learn them :D ). Remember, you're trying to make a point in your essay, you're not giving an account of what happened, instead you have to analyze it.

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  • 2 weeks later...

For the IB exams, I actually created PowerPoint presentations on each topic and use it effectively [put main points, historiography, and writing the things that I know I will forget]

For tests, I read through my notes several times and also rewrite my notes. That's my way to learn and remember the facts and stuff. If our teacher gives us questions to look at that might appear for the test, I write my 3 main points for the essay as well as a counter and intro/conclusion.

Hope that helps.

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I would think just write essay after essay, or if you need to save time, you write essay plan after essay plan...

im planning to re-read all my notes, learn them well and do as many essay plans i can over the summer holidays...

Edited by rubii
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It realy helps if you organise all you're notes under the headings in the syllabus. This way you are able to see in what area's you are lacking information, and if you have information that is irrelevant or not as important as others. I did this and it really help me to orgainse the information not only on paper but in my head. Categorising your notes helps!

-Hope this was helpful

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