I am going to tell you now that one of the hardest things that i have ever had to do in school, was study.. I hate to read, and I can't seem to concentrate when it is quiet, so that means that i couldn't exactly go to a library either..

My parents always got on my case because they said that i never studied, they assumed that because i didn't walk around with my head in a book all the time, that i wasn't studying.. and everytime they walked past my room they'd hear the radio.. even though i told them that i was studying... they thought that i would fail and were even sure of it, that is, until i showed them my report card.. so how did i get good grades in school? well, this method didn't occur to me until i was wrapping up my junior year in high school..

The reason i made this topic, is because these are things that i have done, to get me prepared for a test as well as understand the material that was taught in my classes. And now for the tips.


1. Acknowledge that everyone studies differently.. and move on.

This has to be the most important tip because if you spend all of your time with your head in a book, and you still get nowhere, don't fret. it may not be you, you just might be going about it the wrong way..

Everyone studies differently, what might work for some, may not work for you. Some people are able to get all of the info they need by reading the book cover-to-cover.. and some may be able to get the info they need the night before the test..
some can study in total quiet, by themselves, or at a library.. while others cannot..

The sooner, you acknowledge this, (instead of wasting your time and getting frustrated with methods that won't work for you) the better.

2. Copy everything that professor writes on the board, and listen attentively as he/she speaks.

I can't stress this enough. Copying and studying your notes, is not enough to help you learn the material and pass a test. At some point during the class the professor will stop writing, and start talking.. do not rest your pen. Most of the crucial information that you will need on a test will come from your professor's mouth.

Ever wonder where those "random, mind-numbing, hard as fucking hell, questions come from? Well, its not as if they pull those questions out of thin air... they do have to come from somewhere don't they? And here is where they come from. To get thru this, you have to listen to every word your professor says, and copy what you can, don't be afraid to ask him or her to repeat themselves, they will, and will speak a lot slower. Listen to them very carefully, and if they happen to loop back and repeat any points they had previously stated before, you should put an asterisk (*) or a star next to that in your notes.. This tells you that it is very important that you remember it. I can't tell you how many times, i was stuck on a tricky question, until i remembered something that my professor had
mentioned.

In crunch time, this will save your ass.

3. Save your previous tests.

I know, I know, when you get a bad grade, the last thing you want to do, is keep it.. it's like returning to the scene of a crime.. well dont sweat it, you now have a use for that test, that doesnt involve paper-training your dog.. Look over the questions you got right, but on the ones that you didn't, write the question and the correct answer in the form of a statement..

for example..

What color is the sky?

a. green
b. purple
c. white
d. blue

lets say you chose 'b' and got it wrong, but later on, you found that 'd' was the right

answer. you would re-write it like this. "the sky is blue"

This works for all types of questions.. and not just multiple choice.. for true/false questions, just write out the ones that are true, in the form of a statment. instead of using "t" or "true" if you had matching or "fill in the blank" questions then you would write it out as a statement using the correct word.

4. Studying from textbooks.

Ok i am going to let you in on a little secret.. the first half of a paragraph in a subject that you are reading about in your text book will be "fluff" it will be the back story of the person going through that circumstance, to show you how it would apply to you.. in other words, they dont really get to the point of the passage, until you reach the second half of the paragraph that you are reading..

So if you are studying from your textbook, and taking notes, it is a good idea to skip all of that 'fluff' because it will only confuse you, and fill your head with useless details about the person as opposed to the initial point of what you were reading.. it is a good idea to take notes from this point on as it would be important.. if there is a word that you don't understand, then look it up in a dictionary or a thesaurus, and replace that word with it's synonym.. and use that word in your notes, for studying. by studying the synonym, you understand the word better..

More to come.