One of the best methods of getting good grades on exams is to create a study guide. It is a great way to organize all the information in one subject matter into manageable chunks. Whether you are in middle school, high school, or even college, you will surely benefit from a study guide.
To create a study guide, follow these steps:
1. Gather all your study materials. This should include lecture notes, homework, handouts, previous exams, books and other resources on the topic.
2. Organize the materials into manageable groups. Group by type of materials. Put your notes together in one pile, homework in another pile, handouts in another pile, etc. Arrange all notes, homework, handouts, exams, others according to the order they were taught in class or to the date the topics/events occurred in history.
3. Assign colored tabs to the materials. Depending on how you organized your materials, you can use color coded sticky notes or tabs to make it easier for you to look for a specific material. For example, yellow tabs will be for notes, red for homework, blue for exams, and so on.
4. Write your study guide. Make a general outline of the subject on a piece of paper or in MS Word. From each broad topic & using your lecture notes, make a list of the important points. You should only have the key points to serve as a guide for you to remember the topic.
You can make your study notes guide before a major test. Better yet, begin the guide as soon as you study reading, math, biology or any other school subjects. Lay the foundations at the start of the term and keep on building on the guide. This way, you can have more time for other study activities. Ask your teacher if he has his own study teaching guide that can be shared with the class.
With a well prepared study guide, there’s no reason for you not to ace your test! 🙂
