Freshman Forum: How to Prepare for a College Exam

Getting ready for college exams can be tough. After all, you just came from high school, where studying isn’t the same thing and often only involves memorization. When you get to college, however, things change. Having a good memory doesn’t really cut it anymore. You’ve got to think for yourself and truly comprehend the material.

This makes studying for college a completely different ballgame, but it also makes it far more important. Often, you’ll only have three or four tests in one class in any given semester, making the number of grades you have very low, and thusly, very important to make each one count.

If you’re having trouble studying for college exams, here are a few tips!

1. Don’t wait! You should start studying about four days before the test, starting off really heavily and slowing down as the days count down. That sounds counterintuitive, but you need to learn the majority of the material quickly and then apply different concepts to it later. This also saves you from cramming and stressing about the test the night before.
2. Talk to your professor. Many instructors will give you a study guide or some other resource a few days before the test, but if that doesn’t happen, you can always take a bit of initiative after class. Mention anything you don’t understand and ask if he/she will share the key points the test will cover. You can always visit them during their office hours.
3. Make flashcards. You’d be surprised at how much flash cards can help! This works with vocabulary that you need to know or with memorizing essay topics or supporting details. It can also help learn dates, places, and people. Simply write a key word or vocabulary word on the front of the card and the rest of the info on the back.
4. Create a study group. Being around other people who can bring new light to a subject can do wonders for your test grades. Find out if a study group is already in place for your class, and if it isn’t, simply offer a time and place one day after or before class, and mention your contact details.
5. Really understand the material. You should do some extra reading online or in related material if you can. If you study a subject outside the classroom and in a way that fits your style, you’ve got a much better chance of learning everything. For example, we studied the collective unconscious in class, but I didn’t really grasp the concept, so I read lots of material online. I learned that Carl Jung originally created the idea and that he was a student of Sigmund Freud’s. Grabbing some context and making it work for me really helped me understand the idea.

I hope these ideas help you study for your next exam, and of course, I hope you