Re: exam technique...do's and dont's?
each person is different, and thus different things/tactics work or don't work for each person.
for me, i could never study on my own. sure i can read the text books and generally remember 90%-100% (i'm lucky, i only have to read something once and i generally attain and/or understand most of it) of it (if i have the time to read the entire material...which usually isn't possible, unless u are only taking 1-2 classes), but interacting with others and discussing, debating, and lecturing/teaching the subject/material is what worked best for me. u really have to learn what the teacher wants/is gonna have on the test, and than just search for it in the text. as i said reading the entire material (of textbooks) is near impossible with 3-4 or more classes. some teachers directly tell u what u need to know and some don't. the ones that don't, require u to have some supernatural skill or "art" and correctly guess and study the right stuff that is needed for the test. it depends how structured the class/teacher is too. most university teachers offer very little info and very little help and expect u to magically get an A or an F in the class/tests, and whatever u get is your responsibiliy or fault. they don't care if u whine or complain that they didn't help u or explain things well enough. other classes or teachers are much more structured and have u do lots of work that usually corresponds to what is also on the test. than u got some teachers, that are kinda "out of it" in that the work or lecture/info they give u does NOT match up at all with the test. this usually "screws" me since i don't have the "art" or magically ability to guess and study the right stuff for a test on my own. but anyways, back to other stuff. i could never study on my own. i could never do "flash cards". i always had to do it verbally with another person. i needed the interaction. they say the word/term/concept i give it's definition and/or summary. for me, the best way to study for a test is to TEST. i'd have some one literally give me a test on the material, and i'd keep doing it until i Aced "my test". than on the day of the REAL test, i usually did well.
for me i found this to be very true:
if u can TEACH/LECTURE the material/subject matter YOURSELF to some one else, than u know that material/subject matter well, and the test/class will be easy.
(for example, history and theoretical-conceptual, NOT the math-calculations though, physics, i know the material already so well, i can help and explain it to others who need help. some times, i'm even more knowledgible than the teacher is. this makes the class/tests very easy)
if u *already KNOW and ENJOY* the material/subject matter/class/subject ALREADY it makes for a very easy class and tests.
