Preparing for a Big Test?

TEACHER INTRODUCTION

Do Not Procrastinate!

Start Studying Today!

Don’t wait until the weekend before a test to begin studying.

Use your study schedule to stay on track with reviewing the

material in a reasonable amount of time.

Set up a Study Environment

Where do you sit and study at home?

Your bed?

A desk?

The kitchen table?

Set up your study area in a way where you do not feel like you

are in the classroom. Play music that helps you concentrate,

eat a snack, or set-up a silent space if you need it.

Re-Write your Notes

The actual act of writing will help your brain

reinforce materials you learned earlier.

Your muscles need to move! And this movement

will help your brain. (ask a science teacher ;)

Flashcards

These never get old. Make flashcards

for rapid-fire review. These are most

effective when trying to remember

vocabulary, dates/events, and other

factual information.

Separating info across flashcards

helps you chunk info and helps you

focus on one item at a time. (These are not a great idea for studying that

involves connecting ideas. Graphic Organizers

are better for this type of thinking…)

Make a Picture!

Maybe you are a visual learner! Maybe

looking at all that text is not putting the

content into context for you.

Take what you understand and illustrate it.

Or-maybe you do not need a picture,

maybe you need a graphic organizer.

Graphic Organizers explained

If you are comparing and

contrasting 2-3 ideas, try a VENN

DIAGRAM

If you are generating ideas for a

single idea/topic, try a WEB or

TOPICAL ORGANIZER

Maybe you do not need an

image, but another way to get

organized. Try an OUTLINE

Use another “Voice”

Teachers develop a style over time and

do not always realize it. Sometimes we

need to hear new material explained in

a different way. It is ok to seek other

sources. Try looking up the information

from class on these websites…

slideshare.net

books.google.com/www.khanacademy.org/

quizlet.com/

Think Positive!!!

On Test Day• Listen closely to verbal directions and read carefully any instructions

on the test itself.

• Ask the teacher to explain any instructions that you don't understand.

• Jot down memory aids, formulas, or important facts in the margins

• Answer the questions you know first and come back to the harder

ones later, remembering to mark unanswered questions so they're

easy to find.

• Keep track of the time. If you are spending more than 1-2 minutes on

a problem, skip it and come back later. (Sometimes, you can find a

hint in other problems)

On Test Day: Multiple Choice

• Read the whole question carefully and try to decide what the answer

is before reading any of the options.

• Read all of the answer options, then choose the one that most closely

matches your answer.

• When unsure, eliminate answers that are clearly incorrect.

• On multiple choice problems, any answer is better than no answer. If

you are unsure and time is running out, make an educated guess.

Don’t leave any answers blank!

On Test Day: Fill in the blank

• Read the sentence carefully for clues about the type of information

needed - a person's name, a number, a fact.

• Watch for grammar clues. For example, the word "an" before the

blank indicates that the answer may start with a vowel.

Study Tips by current AP Psychology students

…and the science that backs them up!

TIP # 1 Frequently change the order of the

information you are studying

If using flash cards, shuffle

the deck regularly

If using vocab list, quiz

yourself in different orders

Audience Participation!

Orange

Apple

Celery

Potato

Kale

Turnip

Radish

Tomato

Lettuce

How many did you get?

Orange

Apple

Celery

Potato

Kale

Turnip

Radish

Tomato

Lettuce

Serial Position Effect

Serial position effect-- People tend to remember the

first information given as well as the most recent

information given

Recency effect and primacy effect.

Information learned in the middle of studying tend to

be forgotten more than information at the beginning

and the end.

TIP # 2 Study frequently and over a long

period of time (No cramming!)

TIP # 3 Practice and review new and

previously learned material to ensure

retention.

Distributed Practice/Spacing Effect

Distributed practice refers to the action of retrieving memories

over a long period of time.

By retrieving the memory from your long-term memory into your

working memory(short-term), the synapses are strengthened,

increasing retention.

TIP # 4

Study both previously learned and

new information over a long period

of time

Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve

Shows how memories are lost over time when there has

been no attempt made to retrieve it.

Most of information is lost within

a couple of hours if information

is remembered for a couple of

days, the information is likely

to be retained.

Tip # 5; Put Terms Into Groups

This is referred to as chunking. Chunking is putting different

topics into one, relative, group making it easier to learn

This helps a student memorize more because instead of

memorizing four or five ideas, they are memorizing one, bigger

idea

Example

Students in chemistry can better remember elements and their

properties if they put them in groups with similar properties

Tip # 6; Give Terms Groups And Sub-Groups

Hierarchies involve making groups of similar topics but, hierarchies involves making multiple sub-groups.

This method helps students remember things more efficiently. This method of study can be very useful for tests.

Example

Tip # 7; Create Mnemonics

Mnemonics are phrases or words that utilize the same first letters of a phrase that a student is attempting to

remember.

Mnemonics are not easy to use for everything but can be very useful in some situations.

Example

Mnemonic used to remember prefixes for units

Kings Have Diamonds But Diamonds Cost Money

Kilo Hecto Deca Base Deci Centi Milli

TIP # 8

Minimize

Memory

Interference

Sleep after studying

-The info you learn will be encoded in

your sleep so you can remember it better

Overlearning

-Continued practice or study will

make it easier to retain and keep the info in

your head

Distribute Practice

-Opposite of cramming! Study bit by

bit so you can retain memories of the info

easier

Elaborate on notes

- Explain why some facts are true or

how it relates to other problems.

Understanding can help you remember info

more than just memorization

How can I remember what I

studied?

asis

Memory Interference

TWO TYPES:

Proactive Interference: when past memories makes it harder to make new memories

Retroactive Interference: when new memories make it hard to recall old memoriesOLDNEW

OLDNEW

asis

Retrieval Practice: The Testing Effect

The Testing Effect: a memory is more likely to become long-term if you retrieve from your brain multiple

times

MEMORY

First Try

Memory

After Retrieval Practice

MEMORY MEMORY

asis

TIP # 9

Review information multiple times a week

Tip #10- Make Information Meaningful to Yourself

When studying, try to relate the material to things you like, or make it interesting

For example, if you’re studying Shakespeare, to remember his plays compare what’s happening to how it

would be in modern times, like for Romeo and Juliet imagine the girl you like likes your favorite sports team’s

rival.

It also helps to write your notes in your own words

If you relate material that’s harder for you with things you find more interesting, your brain has more retrieval

cues, and if you use your own words, it’s easier to understand different ways to phrase a question and

response to make more sense.

1. Sleep more, it really helps. Try going to bed and waking up at a set time.

2. Try studying about an hour before you go to bed, because sleeping on the information makes your brain

remember it better.

3. Try not to stay up late studying the night before the exam! It won’t help if you’re falling asleep the next

day. Plus, cramming it all into one giant session doesn’t give your brain enough time to process it.

TIP #: 11 Use sleep to your

advantage

Why these tips work

Sleep helps you recuperate

- It restores your brain tissue after that long day of learning and

readies your brain for the next day

It helps restore and rebuild your fading memories of the things you studied

- It’s proven that the more you sleep, the more you end up remembering

It boosts thinking and learning

- After working on something, and then sleeping on it, people solve problems better than the people that

stay awake.

Tip # 12; Try Linking Difficult Things to Something That Is Easier to

Remember

Retrieval cues, or priming, are certain stimuli that, when presented, will trigger a recall of a certain memory.

In short, it is like seeing someone and not knowing their name but when you see a specific object they are

holding or one of their features you can look at them and say “Hey, that’s Steve”

While studying for the precomps, you could pair terms, images, or even symbols from one topic with a more precise

term within that topic, such as pairing a mitochondria with this image

Tip # 13; Keep in the Right Mood When Studying

One way to think about mood congruent memory is like this:

It is easier to recall memories if you are in the same mood when you remembered them the first time.

If you are really calm when you are remembering studying a specific topic and when you take the test you get

really stressed, you would have a harder time remembering that topic.

Tip # 14; Create a Study Group

From personal experience, working together with friends in a controlled group to study on topics for the

precomps can be extremely beneficial.

When you combine a group of individuals who know each other, can relate to each other, and share the same

knowledge set, the gaps or inconsistencies in knowledge on a certain topic can be quickly smoothed over and

fixed.

If the group is dedicated to working and helping each other, every person in the group benefits from questions

being answered and getting extra time to study with familiar faces

Let’s Get to Work!

Teachers and student volunteers are here to help!