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How do you study for tests?


stylusdef

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Yesterday, I got my latest history test back. Considering the amount of time I put into studying for it, I expected to do better. I know that I did some really unnecessary mistakes because I was stressed during the test, but the real problem is that I don't really know exactly how I should put together my answers to score on the 20 point questions (those when you have to analyze things from a broader perspective or whatever :D ). I've come to realize that I spend too much time on learning irrelevant facts that most certainly will not be on the test.

Do you guys have any tips on what you should think about while studying history to get the "bigger picture"?

Have a nice day! :D

Our teacher has given us a sheet out of the history syllabus outline, and it gives subheadings for your notes, therefore helping you realise what you need to focus on and how to organise your notes. If you've got organised notes then you won't have much difficulty. Just read your notes, and if you need to re-write them to make them stick then do that. Last year, i actually recorded myself reading out my notes (hate the sound of my own voice though) and played it back when i was cleaning my room. Did well in geography because of it :)

It's just what works for you. I get really stressed aswell, not so fun! You can also ask your teacher about the twenty point question thing that you're worried about, maybe he/she might be able to give you some pointers on what the IB is looking for when marking those. :)

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I used to simply write out terms and their definitions and study for those. But afterwards, I started to realize that this was just a big waste of time since a majority of the terms weren't even on it. Sure I was prepared, but I could've covered more important material if I studied better. So now [well, I'm done with History forever but at least last semester] I tried to find the big events and people of the time period you're studying for your test, find the definition of them, the significance, and the causes/effects of them. Try to think outside the bubble, so it's easier for you to relate WAR A to EVENT B to PERSON C.

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  • 3 weeks later...
Yesterday, I got my latest history test back. Considering the amount of time I put into studying for it, I expected to do better. I know that I did some really unnecessary mistakes because I was stressed during the test, but the real problem is that I don't really know exactly how I should put together my answers to score on the 20 point questions (those when you have to analyze things from a broader perspective or whatever :P ). I've come to realize that I spend too much time on learning irrelevant facts that most certainly will not be on the test.

Do you guys have any tips on what you should think about while studying history to get the "bigger picture"?

Have a nice day! ;)

If you can explain something then you can write about it! So try to talk to your friends about the topics. Go back and forth with topics.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Yesterday, I got my latest history test back. Considering the amount of time I put into studying for it, I expected to do better. I know that I did some really unnecessary mistakes because I was stressed during the test, but the real problem is that I don't really know exactly how I should put together my answers to score on the 20 point questions (those when you have to analyze things from a broader perspective or whatever :lol: ). I've come to realize that I spend too much time on learning irrelevant facts that most certainly will not be on the test.

Do you guys have any tips on what you should think about while studying history to get the "bigger picture"?

Have a nice day! :D

Well, for me, that's usually natural. First of all, I run through my notes about the studied topic. Secondly, I try to imagine myself writing the test and answering relevant questions. Finally, I download a historical movie or watch some on youtube for relaxation . Overall, this method is simple, but effective. Try it out ;]

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  • 1 month later...

I don't do that much studying for history. It's kinda of like that thing that if it sticks in your head, its there for a while.

However, when our teachers decide we should have a "facts" test, then I definitely study.

My advice: Listen to everything said and written by your teachers REALLY CLOSELY the first time, take amazing notes, look at them for a week, and then you will never have to look at them again. Except when IB exams roll around >.<

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  • 1 year later...

For history? Like crazy. I suck at history so I spend hours literally HOURS. Start studying like 2 weeks in advance. Spend those weekends inbetween doing nothing but studying, I wrote notes, act out skits with dolls.... for math, nothing lol

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I study for tests by reviewing my notes, and finding all of the major points. Then, I usually go to my History textbook, and read the information in there to reinforce my notes. Also, I always extensively review any information my teacher gave me that was very specific, or anything that he stressed. To actually remember the information, I use mnemonic devices. I create little history jokes in my head, and nicknames for people in History. I also review the information until I can recite the who/what/when/where/why of a person,situation, country, etc. when I am just given the name.

Also, the History jokes give me a little laugh that lightens up my mood during tests and studying. :P

I absolutely love History. It is my favorite class. Also, if you want to make studying for tests easier, make a personal connection to the material, and enjoy it. ;)

Edited by JoeGuff
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In my opinion it really depends on whether you've got a good teacher or not. If you do (like me ;)), then history will seem like a storybook with really bloody facts, so you'll remember it just like a story. That way, when the tests come around, you'll be pretty clear on the big picture; all you'll have to study are the facts (dates, names). And the way I study is by writing down, pretty much, ALL the dates and names etc. and then staring at them. Maybe I'm a number person, I don't know; but the dates do get stuck pretty nicely in my head.

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For me anyway, just paying attention in class is enough to remember most of the stuff. The I just usually review notes before the exams. seems to be enough, for me anyway. If you're interested in the subject then it usually is pretty easy.

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  • 2 months later...

i don't work with notes, unlike the majority of my classmates. i try to read the syllabus and connect every event to previous and following ones. i always draw a timeline, i find it very useful. this technique results in 6s most of the time...

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  • 1 month later...

I would reread anything that your teacher gives you. Then if you are struggling with that, I would read anything you can about the topic in order to get a better grasp of it, even wikipedia articles are good sources in this respect.

Then I would spend time brain storming about it by yourself, or with others if you can convince people to help you.

Come up with your own opinions on stuff based on what you've read!

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I find there is just such a huge amount of content in our exam! We are doing the, cold war, russia, cuba, WW2.. China.. japan. I just don't know how i can possibly record that many dates.

I find writing notes is good though, however i have a bad habit of just writing notes on the stuff i actually do know to make me feel less stressed and more confident. Not helpful in the long run.

I like the idea of reading relevant novels though!

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I find there is just such a huge amount of content in our exam! We are doing the, cold war, russia, cuba, WW2.. China.. japan. I just don't know how i can possibly record that many dates.

I find writing notes is good though, however i have a bad habit of just writing notes on the stuff i actually do know to make me feel less stressed and more confident. Not helpful in the long run.

I like the idea of reading relevant novels though!

I am not sure if you are studying those subjects from the perspective of American policy, but the book 'Rise to Globalism' by Stephen Ambrose is very good for covering all U.S. foreign policy from 1945 to 2000...it has a lot of linkage to the History of the America's syllabus and quite a bit to other syllabi if I understand what I've read.

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  • 1 year later...

I have a problem...For paper 2 topic 5, our teachers gave us lots of notes on Origins, Korea, Vietnam, but NEVER went over Detente... and while there is seemingly always an origins question on topic 5, am I screwed if I don't know Detente??

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I make flashcards with the most important dates from the section I'm studying and on the back have brief explanation of what happened in that year and emphasize the importance event(s). I'm about to sit my official history exam and I've been struggling, but this seems to be helping. :)

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My best technique is not do homework what are due tomorrow, but do homework that are assigned today, it makes you revise shortly after you have learnt it,therefore it helps you to remember everything for a longer time. I believe that if you revise after every history lesson putting down some main ideas will help you to spare a lot of time shortly before the test and the knowledge will already have settled in your brain, so it won't be as hard to work with the information. :)

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I have a problem...For paper 2 topic 5, our teachers gave us lots of notes on Origins, Korea, Vietnam, but NEVER went over Detente... and while there is seemingly always an origins question on topic 5, am I screwed if I don't know Detente??

To be honest, I think that is a strategic choice. Detente is very complex (although I would not skip it), my teacher is a senior IB examiner and he said so too which makes sense. Vietnam is a topic I wouldn't really touch if you are really striving to stand out. I'm vietnamese and I know the cold war story isn't everything, just writing about South and North Vietnam as if they were North Korea and South Korea is not wholly accurate and doesn't stand out. and NO, you are not screwed if you don't know Detente. You are screwed if you don't know the Origins of Cold War, no idea about conferences and Berlin.

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