EVERY DAY:

• For each of your classes, spend 10 minutes going over the notes you took that day. Fill in gaps, clarify, think about the major concepts.
• Use the Cornell System for taking notes, with headings or questions to the left and details on the right. When you’re ready to study, cover the right side of the notes and quiz yourself.
• Constantly paraphrase as you read. In other words, talk to yourself: "Oh, I see, she’s saying ___."
• Stop at the end of a paragraph or section to highlight a phrase or to write a brief note in the margin. (Most students find that using a combined approach provides the most flexibility.)
• Focus on charts, diagrams, and outlines, especially in the sciences.
• If the textbook is very difficult, buy a review book and use that to preview a given chapter in your text. Understanding the simplified version beforehand can really help, and it doesn’t increase your study time (you will be able to read the textbook more quickly).

DON’T JUST MEMORIZE:

• Most college courses require that you do more than simply stuff your head with isolated facts. Be sure to paraphrase ideas and relate one idea to another. For example, don’t simply memorize each psychological theory in isolation; look for similarities and differences.
• Study with another student or with a group. Try to explain what you’ve learned to your study partners or even to your mother. Don’t simply recite information, explain the how and why.
• Focus on examples because they can frequently help you understand complex ideas.
• Visualize the information if you can. (Half of your brain works in pictures, so use that half.)
• Talk with your professors and T.A.’s after class and ask them to explain ideas you find confusing. (If you’re nervous about doing this, try reciting the following mantra beforehand: I don’t care if she/he thinks I’m an idiot; once this course ends I’ll never see her/him again.)

• Narrow your focus. If you try to learn everything that might possibly be tested, you will simply spread yourself too thin and you won’t be able to learn anything thoroughly.
• Ask yourself what you would test if you were the professor.
• Pay close attention to the following: study guides, review sessions, topics mentioned in the class before the exam, material written on the board or overhead.
• Ask other students what they think will be on the exam. Talk to the professor.

REVIEW TOOLS:

• Write summary sheets, charts, or diagrams. Be brief. You don’t want to simply recopy your notes; you are trying to condense and paraphrase.
• Use flashcards sparingly. Some students spend hours making cards but don’t allow enough time to actually use them. Cards can be useful for memorizing isolated facts (such as drugs for a pharmacy class) but they aren’t helpful for learning ideas. That said, quizzing yourself can be very helpful. One way to avoid the busy work of making cards is by using the Cornell System instead. As you take notes in class, you are creating a method for quizzing yourself later (see the handout on taking lecture notes).

• Don’t simply stuff your head with facts; think of a method for recalling each idea or fact. Relate the new information to something you already know.
• Write concepts on a blackboard (the large size seems to help).
• Walk around while reciting your notes or quizzing yourself.
• Avoid marathon study sessions and instead, review frequently and in small "doses" with plenty of breaks.
• Use mnemonic devices for large lists or facts that are difficult to recall.

• Ask the professor for a copy of an old exam or at least a few sample questions. Analyze how the professor words questions and look for patterns of thinking. What does the professor think is important and how does he/she ask a question?
• Before problem solving exams (math, physics, chemistry, etc.), give yourself 2 to 4 practice exams. If the professor makes a practice exam available, use that as a model and write your own additional exams. Also use questions at the end of a chapter.
• Do at least one timed practice exam. Many math exams can be difficult to finish in time, so you need to practice working under time constraints. (The more practice problems you do, the faster you will get.)