PREPARATION
Here are some hints for effective preparation for tests in geology. They may not all work for you, but give them some consideration.
1. Take clear notes; if you don't get them right during class, check with me or a TA as soon as possible.
2. Review your notes frequently making marginal comments to flag important topics. Personally, I always found it useful to recopy my notes into a separate notebook. In that way I could clean them up, make them easier to review by emphasizing important topics, and, most importantly, continually test my comprehension. If you don't understand something, seek an explanation right away or, at least, make a note to get help as soon as possible. Writing the unfamiliar words and drawing the diagrams seems to make using them on a test more natural. In contrast, my wife, a highly successful student and teacher, considers copying notes a total waste of time.
3. Read ahead in the text so new concepts and facts will have some context. Reread the relevant pages after each lecture or lab to test yourself for understanding and recall.
4. Discuss the material frequently with your friends or a study group. You can profit by their explaining things in different words than used by me or the TAs. If you can explain something clearly to your friends you must know it pretty well. For some students, working entirely alone is a point of pride: it may help the ego but will hurt the grades.
5. Use old exams and common sense to try to figure out what the test questions will be. Look for overlaps and repetition in lectures, labs and the text. Prepare at lease outline answers for these questions. The test hour is for writing down answers that you've already prepared. If you find yourself struggling to organize and recall material during the test, then you haven't prepared effectively.
6. Ask me and the TAs for help if you're confused about something. We're paid to help and are glad to do so within the limits of our other obligations. Come for help before the test! Attend help sessions and bring up topics that confuse you. Don't sit back hoping that someone else will ask your question.
7. Remember without memorizing! This sounds like a meaningless Zen slogan but simply means that you'll recall things that you've spent time with and that you've integrated into your own life and into a meaningful framework. In other words, it will probably NOT be useful to sit alone in your room trying to memorize everything in the lecture notes and the text. Rather you should actively deal with the material by discussing it with friends, relating it to everyday life and to your other courses.
8. Devote adequate time to the course. Each course should receive one-quarter of a serious professional work week of forty to sixty hours (that is 10-15 hours per week for each course). Another formula allows 3 hours for lecture, 3 for lab and 6 for outside study (12 hours). Of course it's hard to find time between family responsibilities, sports, social activities and (increasingly in the modern world) outside jobs. Nevertheless, the work has to be done.
9. Bring pens, pencils, colored pencils and eraser to the test.
10. Maybe this should be the first suggestion. Get plenty of sleep, exercise and good nutrition every day.
TAKING THE TEST
1. Read the whole test. Do the easiest questions first and save the hardest for last.
2. Read each question carefully. In particular, focus on the verbs, not just the nouns. A very common error is to see only the main noun and then dump your memory bank all over the page.
4. Try to write full, complete and detailed answers. Don't try to write very short, minimally acceptable, just-good-enough answers. Use the back of the page for long answers. Use sketches to illustrate important points. This is not meant to encourage endless "b.s." but rather to let you know that depth and detail are appreciated and important for a good score.
5. It may help to jot down an outline or a few key words before starting each answer. Check each answer afterwards to make sure you included all those points.
6. Keep track of the time. Don't "overkill" some questions at the cost of skipping others. Omitting whole questions is the surest route to a low score. Notre the contradiction between hints 4 and 6.
7. When all else fails, write something! A good, detailed answer on a related topic will probably get you at least a few sympathy points. Overuse of this tactic may not be a great idea.
Good Luck! I hope these suggestions will help and would like to hear others from you.
List means a numbered series of names, facts, concepts, etc.
3. As me or the TAs for clarification if you don't understand a question. We'll try to help you unless we sense you're on a "fishing expedition".
Describe means to write about what something is like (size, shape, texture, etc.)
Explain means to tell how something works or how it came to be.
Discuss means to write about important aspects of the topic (relevance, significance, relations, consequences, connections, contradictions, etc.).
Sketch means you need a picture including clear labels.
Compare means to write about similarities between things.
Contrast means to write about differences between things.