What are some effective ways to study for exams?

Breatheme is in bliss: What are some effective ways to study for exams?
These will be my first exams I’ll be taking in a few weeks. My goal is to not get under an A- for any of them. I have 6 subjects:
Algebra
Language
Chemistry
Biology
Geography
English

I know some people are natural exam-takers and good with tests. I’m not – and it’s probably because I don’t know the material well enough.

Any tips for studying and really digesting the information would be great. Thanks.

Answers and Views:

Answer by deanmaulden
Read the assigned chapters and take notes from the readings. Usually there is an overview at the end of each chapter;read it. Find someone to study with. You will learn more from studying with other students than you will learn from lectures. Do not cram the day of exams, it doesn’t work; your brain needs time to process and store information. Don’t study any one subject for more than an hour; it’s better to study a little for each subject every night. Good luck with your studies!

Answer by Ivana Viani
I hope that you attended classes regularly and kept up with the required work simply because that will make your task of doing well on all the exams much easier. Either way, since you do not have a lot of time and I never advocate spending an excess of time staring at books, I recommend the following:

#1 Contact the top students in each of your classes and ask them what they think will most likely be on each of the exams (if you do not know already).

#2 Talk to students who took the same classes with the same professors last semester or last year and find out what was on the exams. You’d be surprised how much detail you can uncover this way.

#3 Skim the introductory chapter questions or chapter summaries for the most important information. That same information is most likely to appear on the test.

#4 Think about what types of tests you usually encounter at your school. How are they formatted? What do they usually focus on? Then browse study guides at a local bookstore and see if similar types of practice tests are available in the subjects and topics you will be tested on at your school.

#5 If you do all 1 through 4 and still do not have much information, speak with the respective professors and tell them that you really want to do well in the upcoming exams and would appreciate it if they could give you some advice on what to focus on while studying.

And then – focus on those topics, main ideas and problems that are most likely to appear on the tests. You can always learn the material in more detail if you have time left over before the exams.

I do not believe in propensity for test-taking, only that more prepared students fare better. And by following the above-listed steps you can increase your own confidence and prepare better, thus achieving a higher score. As for digesting the information, remember: it’s simple if you find the material interesting and fun, so approach it with a curious mind and a willingness to be in the know!

Best of luck and let us know how you did!