Study Skills Primer

Time Management

• Planning
• Scheduling
• Attending Class
• Resisting Procrastination
• Other Tips

Strategies for Studying

• SQ3R Method
• Tips for Taking Exams

Time Management

Not very many of us are efficient all of the time. To manage your time well and avoid a time crunch, apply the guidelines, tools, and studying strategies reviewed here. The twin keys to successful time management are planning and persistence.

Planning. Try to plan your classes so you don't schedule an uninterrupted series of lectures or labs on one day. Such a routine can be fatiguing and prevent you from doing your best work. Don't schedule more than the recommended number of courses your first term. You don't want to end up with a heavy schedule and an impossible workload.

A general guideline for studying is to allot two hours of study time for every hour in class. You may find a course or two that will take less time; some courses will take more. If you have a job and a family, you may need to be doubly efficient or postpone some events.

You can save valuable review time for exams by taking extensive notes during class time. Don¹t allow yourself to daydream; listen attentively and outline the lecture. With the instructor¹s permission, you might tape lectures and listen as you travel to and from campus. Plot your study hours during your peak time when you are most alert; one hour of study then can be equal to two hours when you are tired. Managing your time well will lower your stress level and enhance your ability to do the work.

Scheduling. To control your time, buy or make a large monthly calendar. This will allow you to see at a glance the approaching deadlines for important class assignments and personal obligations. Schedule around conflicts. Hang the calendar where you can see it easily.

A weekly schedule is essential. Try to arrange study periods before and after classes. Ideally, you should read a textbook chapter before a teacher covers it; what you hear in class will then be a "second exposure," and so the ideas are likely to be more meaningful to you. A weekly to-do list is also helpful to carry with you.

Keep your schedule flexible. When unexpected events occur, trade times on your weekly timetable. Do not simply do away with study hours. If you find that your schedule requires constant adjustments, revise it. After two or three revisions, you will have a realistic, practical weekly schedule that you can follow honestly. For busy days, made a to-do list and carry it with you. Mark off items as you complete them.

Figure 1.1
Rich's Weekly Schedule

B=Breakfast
S=Study
Psy=Psychology
Eng=English
L=Lunch
Open=free time
Soc=Sociology
Phy Ed= Physical Education
D=Dinner
Bio=Biology

Attending Class. Be sure to attend class, especially the first day, and take careful notes. On the first day, instructors hand out the syllabus and assignments, explain policies, and often give an overview of major assignments. This way you can place the assignments on your monthly calendar right away and allot regular times for study. Cramming is not an effective study technique; recall is much better when study occurs in small chunks spaced throughout the term.

If you must be absent, secure class notes from a friend. If the instructor does not hand out a sheet of assignments, ask him or her what you missed. Asking a student is not always reliable.

Resisting Procrastination. As the term progresses and pressure builds, you must make choices. Do you leave the game table, click off the stereo or television, turn down invitations and go off alone to study? Or do you succumb to the short-term pleasure of procrastination? Beware: procrastination carries a high price. Develop the habit of doing your lessons first; summon your will power and maintain self-control. Then you can reward yourself by watching TV or visiting with a friend for a limited time.

If an emergency occurs, contact your instructor immediately and ask for extended time on a deadline. Ask family members to pitch in and help around the house. Take any necessary shortcuts. To succeed in college, you must place a high priority on study.

Other Tips. Studying with other people can be beneficial if everyone in the group is committed to doing work and really helping each other to learn the material. Someone else may be able to clarify concepts that you don't quite understand, and the camaraderie may be just what you need to keep going. Some students, however, use studying in groups to procrastinate further. You may end up wasting hours talking about things that have nothing to do with your lessons.

Or if you need help, go to the campus learning center, where you may work on developing writing, reading, study, and math skills. Finally, learn the office hours of your professors and plan to see them if you need additional help.

ACTIVITY #1: Now try your hand at putting together a weekly study schedule, using Figure 1.2.

Figure 1.2
Your Weekly Schedule

Strategies for Studying(back to top)

Although you are expected to study and ultimately learn a wide range of material, you are rarely taught a systematic strategy to help you study more effectively. The SQ3R method can help you not only increase your ability to learn and retain information but also to think critically.

SQ3R Method

The SQ3R method includes a series of five steps, designated by the initials S-Q-R-R-R:

• Survey. Scan the material by reading the parts of the chapter that give an overview. Read any chapter outlines, summaries, learning objectives, prologues, and epilogues.
• Question. Formulate questions--either aloud or in writing--before reading a section. Convert the boldface headings into questions. You may want to pencil them in your book. Questioning helps you focus on the key points.
• Read. Now read the material carefully and critically. While reading, answer the questions you have posed. Critically evaluate material by considering the implications of what you are reading. Think about possible exceptions and contradictions. Examine the assumptions behind the assertions made by the author.
• Recite. Look up from the book and summarize to yourself, or a study partner, the material you have just read and answer the questions you posed earlier. Do it aloud; this is one time when talking to yourself is beneficial.
• Review. Reviewing is a prerequisite to fully learning and remembering. Look over the information, reread the overview of the chapter. Review your questions and any in the chapter.

Applying the five steps of the SQ3R method should be an active process. It will help you to consider how different pieces of information fit together and to develop a sense of the overall picture.

Tips for Taking Exams

Whether you take essay or objective exams, you need to know and understand the material over which you will be tested. Prepare well­ take advantage of the time management techniques and study strategies described earlier. If you will be answering essay questions, turn to chapter 29 of Reasoning and Writing Well, third edition. There you will find tips for reviewing and guidelines for writing complete essay answers. Key phrases commonly found in essay questions are defined and explained.

If you will be taking objective exams, the following principles will help you become more savvy and confident:

• Scan the test. Look over the test and estimate how much time you can afford to spend on each item. Then pace yourself.
• Read each item carefully. Read the entire item. Then try to answer it before looking at possible answers so that you can choose the correct one.
• Eliminate options. If you don't immediately know the answer, eliminate unlikely options quickly, then choose among the rest.
• Watch for clues. Information in one item may provide a clue to the answer of another.
• Try to visualize the headings you studied. This may jog your mind to think of the answer.
• Don't leave items blank. If you don't know an answer, put down your best guess, mark the question, and come back later if time permits.
• Ask questions. If necessary, ask the instructor to clarify an item.
• Review your answers. Go back over the entire test before turning it in, if time permits. If time is short, concentrate on the difficult items you marked.
• Be careful about changing answers! If you are fairly sure that your first answer is incorrect, then change it. If you are unsure, do not change it, for your first inclination is more likely to be correct.

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