MadSci Network: General Biology
Query:

Re: How can I do better in a science test?

Date: Thu Nov 16 08:09:40 2006
Posted By: Dave Williams, Dean of Science
Area of science: General Biology
ID: 1163447026.Gb
Message:

HOW TO STUDY FOR BIOLOGY EXAMS AND QUIZZES

How do you study? Most students I've managed to pin down on this subject admit that they study 
by reading their notes. In some cases they rewrite the notes. This does involve repetition 
(presumably good for memory) and makes the reading and rereading of the notes easier. 
Students may also read and reread the text as well.

The problem with this style of study is that it does not create the confidence necessary to do well 
on an exam. How can you be sure you know something just because you've read and understood 
it several times? Just because you have read and understood some material does not necessarily 
mean that you can answer questions about that material on an exam. Until you can be sure of 
your ability to answer questions on a topic, you won't have the confidence you need. How can 
you feel comfortable walking into an exam without the confidence that comes from knowing the 
answers to all (or most) of the questions? How can the read/reread study method bring you this 
confidence?

Another problem with the read/reread, write/rewrite method is that it tends to leave you flat 
shortly after you stop. When you go back to studying the next hour (or day, or week) you find 
yourself back at square one!

I think of studying as climbing a ladder. You will never get to the top unless you can hold on to 
each rung. Typical study methods force you to start at the bottom rung each time. But, how can 
you reach the top in just one study session? You can't. So, you must find a way to return to the 
last rung you reached during your most recent effort. The typical read/reread study method can 
never do that simply because you never really know where you are on the ladder! 

The answer lies in the ability of students to ask questions of themselves and become reassured 
that they know the answers. The only reasonable way to achieve this is to MAKE FLASH CARDS. By 
introducing flash card technology into your study method you will replace quantity with quality. 
You will begin to develop the true confidence you need to master the exam and the quiz. You will 
improve your grade dramatically.

Students new to flash cards and those who have tried them before with varying degrees of 
success may find the following pointers on flash card technology helpful.

ALWAYS WRITE THE QUESTIONS IN COMPLETE SENTENCES. This helps us to know what we were 
asking for even if the next time we look at our card is two or three weeks after it is written. It's 
amazing how much we forget about why or how we did something even in a few days. Full 
sentences are also good practice for writing and force us to think more carefully about the 
questions and answers.

KEEP THE ANSWERS SHORT. It is a common mistake for students to try to cover too much on a 
single flash card. They're stuck on the idea of rewriting notes. The point is to break the 
information up into manageable bites. Try to keep questions about structures separate from 
questions about function, for example.

PRIORITIZE YOUR INFORMATION. The information in a typical biology course may be divided into 
four categories: definitions, lists, diagrams, and relationships or equations. Examples follow.

Definition: Define the term 'prokaryotic'.

List: What are the two basic cell types?

Diagram: Show the structure of a general amino acid.

Relationships: What is the relationship between phagocytosis and intracellular digestion? What is 
the equation for a saturated non-cyclic hydrocarbon?

In your study effort, concentrate first on the definitions of terms. If you come into an exam with 
only these committed to memory you may still be able to achieve a grade of to 60–70%. Add lists 
and you may, barring mistakes, get a 70–80%. Diagrams, equations, and relationships will round 
out your perfect score (as always, barring mistakes).

On the other hand, if you come to the exam with full knowledge of the diagrams, equations, and 
relationships but none of the terms and lists you are bound to fail. When you make flash cards 
concentrate on the terms and lists first. Only when you have these committed to memory should 
you worry much about the diagrams and relationships.

There are many advantages to flash cards. Keep them wrapped in rubber bands or in envelopes 
by topic. Each topic has two categories: the ones you know and the ones you don't know. You 
may even have three categories: well known; pretty well known; and needs work, etc.

You can study flash cards anywhere, anytime!

-In your car at a stop light,
-in a traffic jam,
-at a doctor's office,
-while waiting for your car to be repaired,
-during short breaks at work.

Show your flash cards to your instructors and they can evaluate them easily and give you advice 
on what you may be missing. Flash cards are a silent testimony to the amount of work that you 
have done.

Often, students show me their rewritten notes and ask if they are OK. Quite frankly, I don't have 
the time or patience to read long sets of handwritten notes to search for errors or omissions. 
With flash cards, on the other hand, it is an easy matter to see if the student is on target. 
Omissions are easy to spot if the cards are arranged in an orderly way. There mere arrangement 
of the cards is a form of quality study!

That's he great thing about flash cards. While they may seem tedious and time consuming, 
making them actually constitutes high quality study time. And the time is well spent because 
they will still be there when you need them again. The more careful you are about making the 
cards the greater will be the benefit. Review is a cinch. You will always know where you are on 
the ladder of learning by the relative size of the two piles (known and not known).

A few more suggestions will help round out your knowledge of how to use flash card technology 
to your best advantage. ALWAYS carry your cards with you. You never know when they will come 
in handy for unexpected blocks of down time or to show your instructor what you have been 
doing. NEVER loan your flash cards out. You may never see them again and you have put a 
terrific amount of work into them. Take care of your flash cards and they will take care of you!

Flash cards don't have to be fancy and it's up to you what format to use (3x5 or 4x6, lined or 
unlined, etc.). Index cards are cheap enough that most everyone can afford plenty of them.

Good luck on your next quiz or exam!


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