Exam Preparation, Studying and Exam Writing Tips

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Please refer to my attached response file.

Learning how to study is very important, indeed. Your first question is this: How do I best prepare efficiently [for mid term exams]?

The most common question that comes into my email box is how to study. Over time I have gathered a group of what feedback has shown to be the most helpful study tips. Refer to these tips to help you study smarter, not harder.
Before we get to these tips, however, there are two very important points to consider. The first is that there is no right or wrong way to study. Each of us are individuals and each of us will find something a little different that works. Your study plan may differ from your best friend's or from your brother's. The trick is to figure out what works best for you and then stick with it.
Secondly, you as the student are the person most responsible for doing your homework. That doesn't mean you shouldn't get some help from parents and teachers, but help doesn't mean that anyone else should do the work for you. It also doesn't mean that you should only do your homework after you've been nagged to do it. Your parents already went through school. This time you are the one who is supposed to be learning the material.
Now, let's get to the most helpful study tips from Cathy Spalding:
Top 10 Study Tips
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From Cathy Spalding,
Your Guide to Homework / Study Tips.
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There are as many different ways to study as there are different people. The trick is to find the study tips that work best for you. The following list are tips that have worked best for the greatest number of people. Some of them may work for you, some of them won't, but try them all and work out your own study plan.
1) Study in the Same Place
Find a quiet place, away from distractions, with ample room to work. Once you've found it, study at the same place every time. It could be a desk in your bedroom, the kitchen table, or the local library. Laying down on your bed or sprawled across the living room rug are generally not good study places.
2) Study at the Same Time
Figure out what time of day you can concentrate best, and what works into your schedule. Use that time every day to study. Try to make sure it is not too late in the evening.
3) Use a Homework Box
Keep all your homework supplies in one place, ready to be used. Keep them organized, and you won't need to waste your time searching for supplies.
A Homework Box

Organize your homework supplies
Time to do homework. Now first you need to find a pencil. Oh, gee, that one isn't very sharp. Where is that little pencil sharpener anyways? Maybe you'll just look for another pencil. Okay, got it. So you sit down to study. Ten minutes later you realize you need a calculator. Hmm, that was sitting right here yesterday. It could be in your brother's bedroom now. Wow, what a mess. Okay, Dad has it. But, the batteries are running low. I hope there are some new batteries somewhere in the house. Is your typical study session like this?
You can waste a lot of time looking for homework supplies and making sure they are ready to be used. Or, you can use a homework box or supply kit of some kind to keep it all together. Then when it comes time to do homework, it is all ready for you.
Any kind of box will do. You can use a storage tote, an old shoebox, or even an drawer. The key is to keep everything you need in there, ready to be used. Those supplies should be left in there and used just for homework. It is vital that everything be kept ready to use. Pencils and pencil crayons must be sharp, calculators need to have batteries in them if they are not solar powered, glue or glue sticks must not have run out, markers need to have the lids tightly on them. Here's a hint. Since your parents say they would like to help with your homework but it is up to you to do the work, why not get them to take responsibility for keeping all the supplies in working order.
What Goes In A Homework Box?

A typical list of supplies
Your homework box will contain different things depending on what grade you are in and what courses you are taking. Here is a typical list of supplies for your homework box. Start with these, and you can add some or take some out depending on what your needs are.
• Two pencils
• Blue or black pen
• Red pen
• Eraser
• Pencil sharpener
• Calculator
• Dictionary
• Atlas
• Thesaurus
• Pencil crayons
• Markers
• Lined paper
• Plain paper
• Glue or glue stick
• White-out or some other corrector fluid
• Scissors
• Stapler
• Staple remover
• Ruler
4) Cut Out All Distractions
You need to be able to concentrate on your homework and nothing else. The TV should be off, other people's conversations should be in another room, music should be turned down, and phone calls should be taken after you've finished studying. Any other thoughts in your mind should also be set aside for a later time.
5) Do the Hard Stuff First
If you are dreading a particular assignment, or know it requires a lot of extra effort, do it first. Your brain will be fresh. Besides, you won't have to dwell on it while you are working on other homework.
6) Schedule Long Term Projects
Larger projects need to be broken into smaller components to make them manageable. For example, these components could be such things as gathering notes, writing a rough draft, making corrections or additions, writing a bibiography, and completing the final copy. Set yourself a deadline for completing each component and make sure you stick to it.
7) Review Regularly
Homework is not just that which is assigned every night. A regular review of your notes should be a part of your homework plan. This takes just a few minutes each day, but will pay off considerably when it comes to test time.
8) Write Up a Contract
Sit down with your parents and write up a homework contract at the beginning of each term. This sets out in writing what is expected of each of you and gives all of you input into your homework plan.
9) Schedule Each Homework Session
When you sit down to do your homework, make up a quick schedule as to how you are going to use your time. Break it up into blocks of time that you will spend on each task.
10) Avoid Doing a Marathon
If you've followed the previous tips, this last one should never happen. However, you need to know that marathon study sessions (meaning trying cram all the information in a couple of sessions versus studying all year through) are the least productive way to study.
Cramming 101

It's Friday, and you find out you will have a big Chemistry test next Wednesday. "No problem," you think, "that gives me lots of time to study. I don't need to know how to cram for tests. I'll ace this one!"
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