Thisanja Cooray
is studying a Masters of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics at La Trobe University, and is a mentor in the In2science eMentoring program. Thisanja is currently working with a year 10 student at St John’s Regional College. Here she shares some tried and tested tips for studying and preparing for exams.
“Study Harder”
Well, that’s what I did during my school time as I sat down for countless hours copying texts from different textbooks and school notes to half-folded papers. I was so proud to display my own neatly written notes highlighted with different colours and use of different coloured pens. However, my grades weren’t as colourful as my notes. As the exam date drew near, my notes stopped serving as a functional tool and instead turned into a display of art.
These past few sessions with my In2science mentee, we discussed the different study strategies and blessed technology for its glory in generating millions of results for it. Well, with a bit of experimentation throughout my schooling and university years, I’ve concocted my solution for studying.
Each person is different, from the way we absorb information, learn, and understand different concepts. It’s important to concoct your own solution depending on yourself and the subject you’re learning.
Structure that provides motivation and keeps procrastination at bay
Technique 1: The Gaming Reward System
Getting something important done is ….
“Look there’s a movie coming out this week”
“Maybe I’ll eat my dinner now and then study”
“I just ate my dinner, I’m too sleepy to study, I’ll do it tomorrow”
…. a battle with procrastination, my worst enemy.
Habitica makes your study tasks feel like a game, it can also help you develop good habits in your life. You start at level zero with a character. Put in a task, finish the task and get rewarded for it. You level up and get to purchase different items for your character (battle armour, pets, magic skills and quests). This character can then be used to battle monsters with friends. You can even customise your reward to real-life treats (pizza nights, or TV time). Don’t do a daily task and you lose health points for your character.
Couple this with Pomodoro technique, and you won’t be losing too many health points. Concentrating for long lengths of time is a difficult task. Pomodoro technique uses fixed time lengths of study with short breaks.
I would start with a 20-minute study interval with 5 minutes’ break time and gradually increasing the study interval time from 20 minutes to 30 to 1 hour study intervals, no distractions. I would get more done in these shorter study intervals than setting up continuous 4-hour study sessions in the library. In combination with Habitica, this would mean I would get 4 rewards in a day with Pomodoro compared to just 1 reward without Pomodoro.
Preparation primes content before delivery in more traditional formats
Technique 2: Priming
“Any questions?”
Too afraid to put your hand up and say you didn’t understand what the lecturer said for the past hour? Well fear not, priming study technique has got your back!
Priming is going through your lecture notes before class. This way your brain is prepared to listen to brand new information that your lecturer is about to introduce to you. During class, you will not be rushing to take down notes or waiting to get home for YouTube to teach you the same thing. Time and your energy are saved. You will also be able to ask about concepts that you haven’t understood previously and fill in the gaps in your knowledge.
Work your brain, not your wrists
Technique 3: Recall don’t copy
So, you got your notes from class and exams are ahead. You start your exam preparation. STOP! DON’T COPY YOUR NOTES!
Passively copy writing your notes doesn’t do anything to you. It will feel like you’re absorbing the material like a sponge but in reality, you’ll just be like pebbles in the riverbed.
Read the required chapter and lecture notes first. Close everything and write down everything that you remember. Anything missing, re-read and repeat. This method can also be applied to the creation of flashcards. Write the flashcard questions, revise the topic, then close and write the answers. Then you’ll become the sponge.
Resist the urge to just re-read the answers without honest memory testing
Technique 4: Honesty and spaced repetition
During her own study sessions, our In2science eMentoring Coordinator, Dr Tahnee Saunders, would often find herself reading the answer and saying to herself: “Oh yeah I remember that” without actually testing her ability to recall. Instead, she was testing her ability to understand – unfortunately this isn’t what many exams test.
Rather than just re-reading your notes over and over, flashcards written or digital provide a clear separation between you and the answer, to allow you to honestly test your memory. Don’t kid yourself, the only person you are cheating is you! Thankfully flashcards are a great way of testing how well you are remembering what you have been studying – but only when done right. Flashcards alone won’t do any good without spaced repetition. Spaced repetition allows us to retain information throughout the term before exams. You won’t need to pull an all-nighter in the library and you would get your hours of sleep before the exam.
My favourite flashcard app is Brainscape as it optimises spaced repetition. I get to rate my confidence on each card. The lower the confidence on a card, the more times the card emerges until my confidence on that card increases. This is repeated twice or thrice per week, grading my score each time on a deck. You can use this same concept for written flashcards by having a ‘confident’ pile and a ‘not confident’ pile. Otherwise, use other flashcard apps that utilise spaced repetition.
The ultimate test – can you teach someone else the concept?
Technique 5: The Feynman Technique
Get your dogs, cats, stuffed toys, friends or that nosy grandma down the street and teach them the stuff that you’ve already studied. I draw diagrams and flowcharts on a whiteboard, piece of paper or a tablet to explain the concepts. The challenge here is to explain it in simple language. The more complex concepts explained simpler, the better.
This is great way to see how much of what you studied you understand and can recall. It can be used for a variety of subjects such as mathematics and science. For instance, with my mentee, explaining a concept from years ago feels like dusting off an old book, one I haven’t opened in a while but whose pages I know well. It’s a test of my own understanding and recall. As I break down the concepts to my mentee, I’m surprised how deeply it’s rooted, reminding me that knowledge, when shared, only grows stronger.
What now?
The real secret to all studying is to find your own way to enjoy it! Try these tips and see what works for you.
