Study tips

[rammjet]

My daughter has a tough time with tests. She gets all worked up and just can not take them very well. What are some good study tips that I can give her so she can study better and do better on tests.

[Davis]

I don't know what makes for good studying. I've never been much of a studier when it comes to textbooks. Here's the advice that I can give you to tell her:

1. Listen in class. Take notes if the class is very information loaded.
2. If the class requires extra studying, rewrite what she thinks to be the most important information from her notes and textbook.
3. Study with a partner if they can keep their focus.

The problem with her testing is most likely a mixture of two things: Lack of knowledge of what is needed for the test(s) and a lack of confidence. What she should do is start studying a small bit every night a week before a test. Whenever test time comes, she should have more confidence than usual because she will know she has studied hard and learned the material well. Over time, she will be more confident with testing. I only gather this because as a musician, the difference between when I play well and when I play badly are those two things(In MOST cases). I don't know my music well enough and/or a lack of confidence.

Of course, the ideas I have listed are something that no teen really wants to hear.(I'm assuming she's a teenager) but they are things that sometimes have to be done. I have used all three ideas to great success, and I know I'm not the only one. The biggest thing is getting her to do those things and for her to carry them out properly. Also, if she only chooses to do one thing, stress the idea of studying around 20 minutes every night a week before the test. That will allow the information to be learned better more efficiently and longer. Best of luck to her.

[BendtheBar]

Do your homework and studying right after school. No exceptions.

[JacktheThriller]

after all her studying, in class or the hall before the test as well as the night before do meditative chants. "I studied hard for this test. I am confident in my knowledge of the material. I know all the answers. I will be successful." Over and over again getting its ingrained in the brain. I did it in high school and it really took the edge off of hard tests. The high stress state will lead to more marks lost than bad study habits. IMO

[Tannhauser]

Originally Posted by rammjet

My daughter has a tough time with tests. She gets all worked up and just can not take them very well. What are some good study tips that I can give her so she can study better and do better on tests.

You don't say how old she is or what level of test she is studying for.

However, a couple of general tips:

1. Make study efficient by active processing. Just reading, for example, is a poor way of absorbing information. You have to read then do something with the information - write soe questions, draw a concept map, sumarise the main points. Anything that makes you work with the information.

2. Think specificity. If tests freak her out, practise tests. It sounds banal, but just making tests a regular part of her routine will help them become automatic.

[kitarpyar]

Originally Posted by Tannhauser

2. Think specificity. If tests freak her out, practise tests. It sounds banal, but just making tests a regular part of her routine will help them become automatic.

Ouch! Even more so, because you are correct

Brings back memories of college entrance exams. In the last month, one test per day was norm. Two a day weren't that rare either. The "Bulgarian weightlifting" version of test prep, if you will.

[5kgLifter]

Originally Posted by rammjet

My daughter has a tough time with tests. She gets all worked up and just can not take them very well. What are some good study tips that I can give her so she can study better and do better on tests.

Well, since she gets worked-up about taking tests, that would seem to indicate that she may also not sleep well the night before the test, or for several nights prior to the test; so, one very useful piece of advice, aside from learning/revision set-ups and schedules etc, is to inform her that the brain assimilates information overnight...so, getting a good night's sleep helps the brain to memorise what has been learned during the day/s...I never had a bad night's sleep prior to an exam because I would always remind myself of that fact; I did my job with the revision, then I had to let my brain do its job whilst I slept.

That should help her relax a bit, and that may be all that's needed to assist with the tests themselves since if she's relaxed, it will be easier for her to learn, store and recall information.