Chemistry the Chemical Community presents: Effective Study Habits for Effective Study!

Take responsibility for yourself Responsibility is recognition that in order to succeed you can make decisions about your priorities, your time, and your resources. Center yourself around your values and principles Don't let friends and acquaintances dictate what you consider important.

Put first things first Follow up on the priorities you have set for yourself, and don't let others, or other interests, distract you from your goals. Discover your key productivity periods and places Morning, afternoon, evening; study spaces where you can be the most focused and productive. Prioritize these for your most difficult study challenges.

Consider yourself in a win-win situation You win by doing your best and contributing your best to a class, whether for yourself, your fellow students, and even for your teachers and instructors. If you are content with your performance, a grade becomes an external check on your performance, which may not coincide with your internally arrived at benefits.

First understand others, then attempt to be understood When you have an issue with an instructor, for example a questionable grade, an assignment deadline extension, put yourself in the instructor's place. Now ask yourself how you can best make your argument given his/her situation.

Look for better solutions to problems If you don't understand the course material, don't just re-read the material. Try something else! Consult with the professor, a tutor, an academic advisor, a classmate, a study group, or your school's study skills center. Look to continually challenge yourself !

Reading Difficult Material Get a grasp of how the material is organized Scan the section for titles, headings, sub-headings, and topic sentences to get its general idea; pay attention to graphs, charts, and diagrams. If there is a summary at the end of a chapter, read it. Check the beginning and the end for leading questions and exercises.

Read first for what you do understand, and to determine difficulty Mark what you do not understand to review later.

As you read, practice the "look- away method" Periodically look away from the text and ask yourself a question relating to the text. Phrase the question positively! Respond, or restate, in your own words. Make connections and associations, but don't use this exercise to memorize - but rather understand.

Look up words Look up words whose meanings are important to your understanding of the material, but you cannot discern from the context. Read to the end Do not get discouraged and stop reading. Ideas can become clearer the more you read. When you finish reading, review to see what you have learned, and reread those ideas that are not clear.

Organize your notes by connecting ideas you choose into an outline or concept map Pay attention to relationships between ideas; do not confine yourself to words! Use representations, graphics, pictures, colors, even movement to visualize and connect ideas. Use whatever techniques work to help you understand. If you do not understand your reading, do not panic! Set it aside, and read it again the next day. If necessary, repeat.

Re-read the section you have chosen with the outline you have constructed in mind Separate out what you do understand from what you do not. If the reading is still a challenge, consult with either your teacher, academic counselors, or reading specialists

Test Preparation To do well on tests you must first learn the material, and then review it before the test. These are techniques to better understand your material.

Learning Take good notes in your class lectures and from your textbooks Review your notes soon after class/lecture Review notes briefly before the next class Schedule some time at the end of the week for a longer review

Reviewing Take good notes, especially as your teacher tells you what will be on the test Organize your notes, texts, and assignments according to what will be on the test Estimate the hours you'll need to review materials Draw up a schedule that blocks units of time and material Test yourself on the material Finish your studying the day before the exam

Prepare Analyze your past test results Each test can further prepare you for the next test. Use your tests to review when studying for final exams. Arrive early for tests Bring all the materials you will need such as pencils and pens, a calculator, a dictionary, and a watch. This helps you focus on the task at hand.

Prepare (cont’d) Be comfortable but alert Choose a good spot and make sure you have enough room to work, maintain comfortable posture but don't "slouch.” Stay relaxed and confident Remind yourself that you are well prepared and are going to do well. If you find yourself anxious, take several slow, deep breaths to relax. Don't talk about the test to other students just before it; anxiety is contagious.

At the Test Read the directions carefully!! This may be obvious, but it will help you avoid careless errors. If there is time, quickly look through the test for an overview. Note key terms, jot down brief notes.

At the Test (cont’d) Answer questions in a strategic order: 1. First easy questions to build confidence, score points, and orient yourself to vocabulary, concepts, and your studies (and make associations with more difficult questions). 2. Then difficult questions or those with the most point value. With objective (MC, TF) tests, first eliminate those answers you know to be wrong, or are likely to be wrong, don't seem to fit, or where two options are so similar as to be both incorrect. With essay/subjective questions, broadly outline your answer and sequence the order of your points.

At the Test (cont’d) Review: Resist the urge to leave as soon as you have completed all the items. Review your test to make sure that you have answered all questions, not mis-marked the answer sheet, or made some other simple mistake. Proofread your writing for spelling, grammar, punctuation, decimal points, etc.

At the Test (cont’d) Review (cont’d): Change answers to questions if you originally misread them or if you have encountered information elsewhere in the test that indicates that your first choice is incorrect Decide on and adopt study strategies that worked best for you Identify those that didn't work well and replace them.