General Study Tips

• When there is more than one section of a course offered, select the class that meets more often, for shorter periods of time. 

• When there is more than one section of a course offered, check out the rooms ahead of time.  Choose a smaller room with better acoustics.

• When there is more than one instructor teaching a course, select the instructor that speaks clearly, doesn’t rush, and makes use of visuals (handouts, overheads, etc.)

• Keep all your materials in a 3-ring binder.  Mark your class notes and handouts with chapter headings, subjects, and dates.  Compare your lecture notes to your notes on the reading and tie them together.

• Pay close attention to your syllabus.  Keep it in the front of your binder and check it daily.  Be aware of homework due dates and test dates.  Start well in advance to prepare for these.  Be sure you are doing the right assignments.

• Read the assignments before each lecture.  Make flash cards of important vocabulary words, and learn their meanings before class.  This will increase your understanding when you hear the words in the lecture.

• Go early to class and have your materials ready when the lecture begins (e.g., paper, pen, open book, tape recorder and tape.)

• Always sit in the front of the class, close to the instructor.

• Review your notes from the previous class before the lecture begins.  This will help you anticipate what is coming up.

• Hit the ground running.  Plan to have a full lecture the first day of class.  Plan to study the first night.  Don’t let yourself get behind, because it’s impossible to catch up.

• Never miss a class for any reason.  It’s only sixteen weeks.  Just do it.

• When preparing for a test, create questions you think the instructor may ask.  Write out answers to those questions.

• Visit your instructor during office hours.  Ask about your progress.  Ask any questions that may have come up in class or in your reading.  Make sure you understand any assignments.  Ask for tips on how to study for a test.  Your instructor will appreciate that you are interested in learning and succeeding.

• Don’t try to cram too much into a study session.  Schedule in breaks.  Reserve time for studying every day.

Tips for Students with Attention Deficit Disorder

In Class

• When there is more than one section of a course offered, select the class that meets more often, for shorter periods of time.

• When there is more than one section of a course offered, check out the classrooms ahead of time.  Choose a smaller room with better acoustics.

• When there is more than one instructor teaching a course, select the instructor that speaks clearly, doesn’t rush, and makes use of visuals (handouts, overheads, etc.)

• Read the assignments before each lecture.  Make flash cards of important vocabulary words, and learn their meanings before class.  This will increase your understanding when you hear the words in the lecture.

• Go early to class and have your materials ready when the lecture begins (e.g., paper, pen, open book, tape recorder and tape.)

• Always sit in the front of the class, close to the instructor.

• Review your notes from the previous class before the lecture begins.  This will help you anticipate what is coming up.

• Find one person in each class that you can compare notes with.  Fill in anything you missed during the lecture.  Or

• Tape record class lectures.  It is a courtesy to ask your instructor’s permission first.  Use a tape recorder with a counter.  You make check one out from the CSD.  Set the counter at zero, and begin taping when the lecture begins.  Take written notes at the same time; this will increase your memory of the material, and keep your brain actively processing the material.  When you miss a point, when the instructor says something you don’t understand, or when the instructor makes an especially important point, mark the number on the counter in your notes.  Then, when you replay the tape, you can pay special attention to these points.  Fill in your written notes so you can read along while you are replaying the tape.

• When you are given directions or an assignment orally, see your instructor after class.  Repeat the instructions and ask if you understood them correctly.  Write them down.

• Be prepared for the “end of class” rush of information.  Do not quit listening before the instructor quits lecturing.  You may miss some important directions about upcoming assignments or tests.

• Write everything down.  Don’t trust your ability to remember what you hear.

• Visit your instructor during office hours.  Ask about your progress.  Ask any questions that may have come up in class or in your reading.  Make sure you understand any assignments.  Ask for tips on how to study for a test.  Your instructor will appreciate that you are interested in learning and succeeding.

When Studying

• Do your studying in a quiet area.  Remove all distractions.

• Wear earplugs to block out sounds.  Or wear headphones, playing soft music, to block out the sounds in your head.

• Break study time into short time segments.  Start with 15 minutes.  Set a timer.  When the 15 minutes are up, note how much of that time you were actually focused on your reading.  Set the timer for 15 minutes and begin again.  Take occasional 10-minute breaks where you move around and get the oxygen flowing.  Be careful, however, that you don’t get distracted and start doing something else.

• Use all of your senses simultaneously.  Read your textbooks out loud.  Underline or highlight important points.  Take notes as you go.  This way, you are utilizing more brain area.

• Be actively involved in your reading.  Begin by going through the chapter and reading all the titles and subheadings.  Turn each heading into a question.  Then look for the answers to those questions as you read.  Highlight the answers.

• Write out steps to solving math problems.  Then each time you work that type of problem, read the steps out loud as you follow them.  Memorize these steps for tests.

• Create flash cards.  Put one fact, or vocabulary word, or math formula on each flash card.  To learn the information, start with one card.  Read the card out loud, then cover it up and repeat it.  When you know it, do the same with the second card.  Now flip between the two cards, repeating the information aloud, or writing it down.  When you know both cards, add a third and repeat.

• Use mnemonic devises to memorize steps to solving problems or lists of information.  Take the first letter of each word and try to arrange them into a word.  Or make up a sentence you can remember using these first letters.  For example, the spaces of a musical staff are F-A-C-E.  The lines are E-G-B-D-F; every good boy does fine.

• Recite information out loud when you’re studying.  Write it as you’re saying it.

• Take the time to carefully proofread your work.  Then have someone else proofread it for you.

• Make a picture of the information you’re studying.  Use circles, lines, and/or boxes to group information into categories and show the relationships between ideas.

• Add visual cues to all written information.  Highlight or underline with different colored pens.  Make a movie of the information in your mind.  Visualize the material.  Take mental pictures of your notes.

• Before an exam, make yourself visual reminders of information that must be memorized.  Make post-its containing key words and concepts and place them in highly visible places - - on your mirror, notebook, car dashboard, etc.

Stay Organized

• Keep all of your materials in a 3-ring binder.  Mark with chapter headings, subjects, and dates.  Compare your lecture notes to your notes on the reading and tie them together.

• Pay close attention to your syllabus.  Keep it in the front of your binder and check it daily.  Be aware of homework due dates and test dates.   Start well in advance to prepare for these.  Be sure you are doing the right assignments.

• Keep a planner (assignment book or electronic scheduler) in which you record your assignments, due dates for papers and projects, your plans for completion, your personal deadlines for steps to completion, dates of quizzes, midterms and final exams, and your plans for study periods.

• Take time at the end of each day to review where you are on your various projects and to plan the next day.  Write your plan down.  Cross off projects as you complete them.

Strategies for Verbal or Auditory Learners

• Put everything into words.  Write out sentences and phrases compiling information presented in pictures, graphs, charts, outlines, videos, and math formulas.

• When learning mathematical or technical information, “talk your way” through the new information.  State the problem in your own words.  Write out the steps involved in solving the problem.  Read the steps out loud as you work through the problem.  Memorize the steps so you know them for the test.

• Compare your notes with those of a study partner or another class member.  This is especially important if the class requires a lot of copying from the board.  If you don’t know anyone in the class, ask the instructor to help you find someone with whom you can compare notes.  Copy anything you missed in your own notes.

• Do careful proofreading of your written work.  Use the spell check on a word processor.  Then have someone review it for you.

• Use graph paper with large squares when you do math problems.  This will make it easier to line up your work, thus reducing visual errors.  Proofread for errors.  Then have someone check your work.

• Increase the number of visual cues being sent to the brain.  Use different color pens, post-its, and/or tabs to highlight important information in your notes and textbooks.

• When you are reading something challenging, read out loud.  When you are memorizing information for a test, recite it out loud. 

• Do your studying in a quiet area.  Be aware of how easily distracted you are by sound.

• Wear ear plugs when taking tests.

• Learn to use the Kurzweil 3000, or some other software that reads text out loud as you read along.

• Or use Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic to have your books put on tape.

• Use the Kurzweil 3000 to write your papers, so it can read back to you what you wrote.  This will help you recognize your errors.

Strategies for Visual Learners

• When there is more than one section of a course offered, select the class that meets more often, for shorter periods of time. 

• When there is more than one section of a course offered, check out the classrooms ahead of time.  Choose a smaller room with better acoustics.

• When there is more than one instructor teaching a course, select the instructor that speaks clearly, doesn’t rush, and makes use of visuals (handouts, overheads, etc.)  Ask your counselor and/or other students to recommend instructors.

• Read the assignments before each lecture.  Make flash cards of important vocabulary words, and learn their meanings before class.  This will increase your understanding when you hear the words in the lecture.

• Come early to class and have your materials ready when the lecture begins (e.g., paper, pen, open book, tape recorder and tape.)  It can be difficult to understand a lecture when you miss the beginning; kind of like walking into a movie after it’s already started.

• Review your notes from the previous class before the lecture begins.  This will help you anticipate what is coming up.

• Always sit in the front of the class, close to the instructor.

• Tape record class lectures.  It is a courtesy to ask your instructor’s permission first.  It is preferable to use a tape recorder with a counter on it.  Set the counter at zero, and begin taping when the lecture begins.  Take written notes at the same time; this will increase your memory of the material, and keep your brain actively processing the material.  When you miss a point, when the instructor says something you don’t understand, or when the instructor makes an especially important point, mark the number on the counter in your notes.  Then, when you replay the tape, you can focus on these points.  Put the recorder on pause during student discussions; you will not be tested on this information.    After taping, you will need to transcribe the lecture.  You will be better able to study the lecture when it is written down.

• When you are given directions or an assignment orally, write it down.  Then see your instructor after class.  Repeat the instructions and ask if you understood them correctly.

• Write everything down.  Don’t trust yourself to remember the things you have heard.

• Be prepared for the end-of-class rush of information.  Do not quit listening before the instructor quits lecturing.  You may miss some important directions about upcoming assignments or tests.

• Add visual cues to all written information.  Highlight or underline with different colored pens.  Use colored post-its and tabs.  Draw illustrations.

• Make a movie of the information in your mind.  Visualize the material.  Take mental pictures of your notes.

• Use flash cards to break information into small units to be learned.  Take mental pictures of your flash cards.

• Make a picture out of the information you’re studying.  Use circles, lines, and/or boxes to group information into categories, and show the relationships between ideas.

• Before an exam, make yourself visual reminders of information that must be memorized.  Make post-its containing key words and concepts and place them in highly visible places – on your mirror, notebook, car dashboard, etc.

• Use different colored pens or highlighters to highlight parts of equations that have different meanings.

• Spend more time reading.  In addition to your textbooks, read simple materials.  Read for pleasure.

Strategies to Aid Your Memory

• Write everything down.

• Use a planner.  Write down when assignments are due, test dates, etc.

• Create flash cards.  Put one fact or vocabulary word on each flash card.  To learn the information, start with one card.  Read the card out loud, then cover it up and repeat it.  When you have practiced it several times, do the same with the second card.  Now flip between the two cards, repeating the information aloud, or writing it down.  When you know both cards, add a third and repeat.

• Go through your flash cards every day, every chance you get.  Carry them with you so you can review  whenever you have down time; ex. When waiting in line, or when stuck in traffic.

• Recite information out loud when you’re studying.  Write it as you’re saying it.  Using all your senses at once activates more areas of the brain.

• Write out steps to solving math problems.  Then each time you work that type of problem, read the steps out loud as you follow them.  Memorize these steps for tests.

• Use mnemonic devices to memorize steps to solving problems or lists of information.  Take the first letter of each word and try to arrange them into a word.  Or make up a sentence you can remember using these first letters.  For example, the spaces of a musical staff are F-A-C-E.  The lines are E-G-B-D-F; every good boy does fine.

• Don’t try to cram too much into a study session.  Take short breaks to move around.

• Make time to study every day.  You need the constant and frequent repetition.

• Add visual cues to all written information.  Highlight or underline with different colored pens. 

• Make a movie of the information in your mind.  Visualize the material.  Take mental pictures of your notes.

• Make a picture out of the information you’re studying.  Use circles, lines, and/or boxes to group information into categories and/or show the relationships between ideas.

• Write all the information you need to memorize on a piece of paper.  Read these to yourself several times.  The next day, reduce the size of your paper by half, and rewrite your notes. You will have to use abbreviations and leave unimportant words out to make it fit.  The next day, reduce the size of the paper by half again.  Now you will have to use a few key words to remind you of the whole sentence.  Continue to reduce the size of the paper.  By the time it is too small to write on, you will have memorized the material.

• Before an exam, make yourself visual reminders of information that must be memorized.  Make post-it notes containing key words and concepts and place them in highly visible place - - on your mirror, notebook, car dashboard, etc.

Math Strategies

Taken from “How to be a Great Math Student”

By Richard Manning Smith, Ph.D.

Before Class

• Begin with an open mind.   The most important quality that will affect your success is your attitude.

• If you can achieve success in a “difficult” math course, your awareness of that success can inspire you to pursue challenging projects in the future without becoming demoralized.

• Recognize that you have control over how well you will do in the course.

• Decide now that you will make an honest effort to do well in the course.

• Decide now that you will work not merely to pass the course but to do much better than pass.

• Decide now that you will persist in working hard in the course until the end, regardless of any setbacks that might occur along the way.

• Make an exceptional effort from the beginning.  Be over dedicated for the first two or three weeks of the course.

• Select your teacher with care.  Ask for recommendations from your counselor or tutor.

• Buy the textbook early.  Get a head start by reading appropriate sections before the course starts.

In Class

• Feel free to ask questions in class.  Don’t put off questions until later.

• Attend all classes.  Missing even one class can put you behind in the course by at least two classes.

• Arrive on time or a little early, get out your notes and homework, and identify any questions you have for the instructor.

• Sit in the front and center of the class.

• Use one three-ring binder devoted exclusively to math.  Keep all your notes and tests in order.

• Take a complete set of notes.  Compare notes with another person in class to fill in any parts you missed.

• Take a tape recorder to class to tape the lecture in addition to taking notes in class.

Studying for Class

• Plan your study schedule carefully.  Give yourself a number of hours to study math every day.

• Choose a time of day to study math when you are especially alert.

• Work with a tutor, the instructor, or a study buddy every day.

• Read your math notes on the same day that you wrote them.

• Read the textbook and understand the concepts before starting your homework.

• A math textbook needs to be read slowly.  You do not have to read the whole chapter at once.  Read through a section, and then go through the examples.  Rework the examples without looking at the solution.

• Avoid test anxiety with solid preparation.

• Begin to prepare at least a week before the test.

• Write a list of all the topics the test might cover.  List each kind of word problem separately on your topics list.

• Find specific problems for each topic on your list.  Work out problems one topic at a time, until you are completely confident you understand that topic.

• Make up practice tests that have the same form as the test you will take.

• Think of ways to distinguish each type of problem from any other.  Write a list of similarities and differences.  Check that you have accurately identified the correct method for solving each problem.

• Aim for getting 100% on the test.  Over learn the material.  You can’t study too much.

Strategies to Improve Your Reading Comprehension

• Break study time into short time segments.  Start with 15 minutes.  Set a timer.  When the 15 minutes are up, note how much of that time you were actually focused on your reading.  Set the timer for 15 minutes and begin again.  After 45 minutes, take a 10-minute break where you move around and get the oxygen flowing.

• Check the beginning and end of the chapter to see if the author has created a preview or summary.  These are the most important points, and should be studied for the test.

• Be actively involved in your reading.  If you just read, you will have difficulty maintaining your focus.  Begin by reading the chapter titles and subheadings.  Turn each one of them into a question.  Then look for the answers to your questions as you read.  As you find the answers, write them down.  Study these for the test.

• Use different colors to highlight or underline important points and vocabulary.

• Create an outline of the material by copying down the most important point in each paragraph.  Study this for your test.  Read each point out loud, cover it up, and repeat it.

• Pay special attention to any information that is in boldfaced type.

• Write notes in the outside margins.

Test-taking Strategies

• Find out what examination format your professor will use (e.g., long answer essay questions, multiple choice, short answer essay questions). Ask your professor for "practice" exams or find out if old exams are available. Take as many as you can and check your answers against the answer key, with a tutor, study partner, or graduate assistant.

• If no prior exams or questions are provided, and if essay-type exams will be given, try to anticipate the questions that will be asked on the exam. Write out your answers to the anticipated questions.

• Be sure to go into exams rested and not having just consumed a large amount of sugar or caffeine; complex carbohydrates and some protein will provide the best source of energy over an extended period of time.

• If you have memorized specific formula, dates, names, or terminology for an exam, before you begin working on the exam, write down all that you have committed to memory and use, as needed, later in the exam.

• Read test directions carefully, underlining the verb that describes what you are to do: describe, compare, summarize, list. Then follow the directions precisely.

• Begin by answering the easiest questions first. Circle the hard ones and come back to them after you have answered the easy ones.

• Pace yourself. Even if you have extended time, it is not unlimited.

• If you come to a question you don't understand, paraphrase it for the proctor in order to get confirmation that you have understood what the question meant.