Imagine just finishing your math test. It was tough, but you feel confident you performed great. The next day you find out you got a way lower score than what you were expecting. What happened?
This has happened to many of us and continues to happen to students today. A reason for this is because many don't know how to study for an exam. Students attend lectures, hear about a topic, and focus on completing the assigned homework. Students then use their homework to study and end up equating complete homework with topic mastery. Practicing the same homework problems once and getting them right is enough studying for a test.
Complete Homework = Mastery of Material
Here's a few things I do to help my students better prepare for exams.
Create good notes about each topic.
Practice 3 to 4 problems for understanding
Test knowledge in a timed pressured environment.
Students need great notes that define key terms and theorems. They need great notes they can use to find answers to their questions quickly and efficiently. These notes should replace the instructor when they are not present, therefore, making clear and concise notes is crucial.
Students need to practice the same problem more than once. The first time is to see where mistakes are made. This way they can learn from the mistakes, readjust their thinking, and can reattempt the problem. Compare first attempt to second attempt. See the differences between each step you took and understand why one thing didn't work and the other did. Attempt the problem a third time without looking at the notes. Did you complete it correctly? If so, lets practice a second and third type of problem.
Lastly, test often! Time creates pressure. Do one have enough time to read the problem correctly, follow instructions correctly, write work correctly, and still provide a correct answer? Give plenty of time at first and reduce time gradually. Then if you have mock exams or extra problems, try completing a timed test.
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