Study Skills OVERALL TEST TAKING STRATEGIES with a focus on “dumping”

DESTRESS Dump any memorized information in the test margins for later use! Enter your name and date on the test! Survey the test to see how the points are divided! Time by planning how you will spend your time to complete the test! Read the directions, noting key words in the directions so that you are proceeding correctly! Easy questions should be answered first to build confidence! See if questions on the test provide clues to other items! Sure to review the test to check that you answered all items and avoided errors!

Dumping As soon as you receive the test, you can help yourselves with something that you memorized by “dumping” it onto the test in the margins. lists – In Spanish, list some of the vocabulary that you find the most difficult to remember by writing the word and the meaning.

charts – In Spanish, writing a verb chart with all of the endings will help provide you with a quick reference when conjugating verbs to agree with subjects. - ar-er-ir -o-o-o -as-es-es -a-e-e -amos- emos-imos -an-en-en

formulas – In Spanish, writing the formula can help you remember word order. (S+V+R) (¿V+S+R?)

short cuts – In Spanish, it helps to write down quick rules. -ar and –er conjugate the same, except that the a turns to e -er and –ir conjugate exactly the same, except for “nosotros”

mnemonics and similar devices – Make up a word to help you remember the order of things, such as DESTRESS to remember the steps you should go through while test-taking. – In Spanish, sayings such as “ You and I are weak,” can help you remember that the weak vowels are u and i, and that the strong ones are a, e, o. – In Spanish, Ud. and Uds. both begin with the letter “u” and they both mean “You.” The one with the “s” means more than one “you” or “you all.”