Planning on pulling an all-nighter to study for your midterm or final? Read this article first! It's a very interesting perspective on how all-night cram sessions may not be as effective as you think.
It’s exam time, cramming doesn’t work
By Debbie Diljak, Correspondent
KNIGHTDALE - Cramming for exams, pulling all-nighters, foregoing hours of sleep to find that missing tidbit of information to help you ace the test – is that the best way to prepare for a final?
While hitting the books hard the night before a test might sound helpful, teachers – who know something about good study habits – say successful preparation for end of course tests or finals begins much earlier than that.
Jim Ryan, English chair at Knightdale High School, teaches a survey literature course to ninth graders. The course ends with a state-mandated final, which students must pass to receive credit for the class.
He helps students prepare for the final in two ways. Since the test is standardized, they’ll talk about what that means.
For the freshman English end of course test, multiple choice questions follow a reading passage. Ryan tells them to read each passage carefully so they understand not only the paragraph, but also what answer to look for. He reminds them to read all possible answers before putting pencil to paper.
“A lot are not aware that they can write on the test with a highlighter,” which can help students focus their thoughts, Ryan added.
Test-taking skills
Freshman English is an all-encompassing course, which covers drama, short stories and fiction, but the final does not test writing ability.
So Ryan suggests that students take notes every time they read through a unit. “You don’t want to start reviewing three days before a test,” he said. And, “you want to keep that knowledge for four years,” as critical reading skills are needed all the way through high school.
Ryan discourages his students from writing in their textbooks, a habit that got him into trouble in high school. Instead, they’ll use Post-it notes to highlight passages or important concepts throughout the book.
He also tells them to use the sticky notes to ask questions about the material they’re reading. Asking good questions about a story or play helps students comprehend more, he said.
Careful reading and note taking may work in a class such as freshman English, but how can students prepare for finals in math, a subject which builds on concepts as the semester unfolds?
Problem solving is key, says Lessie Anderson, Algebra I teacher and math chair at Knightdale High School.
Working out problems is not only necessary when students complete their homework, but helps as they prepare for math tests and the final exam, Anderson says.
“Students don’t really know if they can do the problem unless they work through the problem from start to finish,” she explains.
One encouraging thing about math is that a student who is lost in the beginning of a course is not doomed to fail.
Algebra does become more complex as time goes by, and “a lot of time, it takes time to really get it,” Anderson says.
“If in Chapter 1, they did not quite get the material, it could be that by the time Chapter 2 or Chapter 3 gets here the light bulb goes off,” she says.
Anderson suggests spending five to 10 minutes each night reviewing problems, which not only keeps techniques fresh in students’ minds, but also helps with studying.
Anderson encourages her students to keep each quiz to help them study as “quizzes build on homework, and tests build on quizzes.”
Science is a tough subject for some. Science chair and Knightdale High biology teacher Rhonda Rhodes tells her students “Day One it is an EOC course.” Students not only must pass the course to receive credit; the test is worth 25 percent of their total grade.
In addition to reviewing material for her tests, Rhodes incorporates EOC reviews into her classes. “We do focused reviews at the end of the semester, during class, and after school.”
Students are also steered toward websites where they can take practice tests throughout the semester.
About a month before the end of the semester, Rhodes pulls out review sheets for the end of course test. Rhodes also tells students to read each test question and answer carefully. “There is usually one question that is so obviously not the answer. Eliminate it. Try to narrow (it) down to two choices.”
Rhodes says when she was a student, she discovered that rewriting her notes helped her focus and learn the material. “Today, many teachers have students make note cards, note outlines or picture notes.”
Knightdale High junior Jonathon Crowder is in Ryan’s AP English class. Currently, he is preparing for four finals.
Crowder says he tries to take advantage of practice tests that “give you your incorrect answers afterwards.” Crowder notes that he has become more serious about his grades since entering high school.
“I actually study in high school, because I finally realized that what I do in high school affects how the rest of my life will play out,” he says.
Get to bed
While spending some time reviewing the night before a big test such as a final can help, the teachers agreed that going to bed early and getting enough sleep is equally important.
“I always tell students to relax at the end of their preparation time,” Ryan said.
“Get a good night’s sleep” the night before, Anderson advises. “Students are always texting and watching TV.
Go to bed early.” State-mandated tests can be as much as three hours long, and regular end of course tests last about two, she says.
And don’t count on cramming to help you retain everything you should have learned in a semester-long course, teachers advise.
“If you cram the night before, that’s exactly how long you’ll keep it,” Ryan says.
“It can be done in one night,” Crowder concedes, but “you have to keep reviewing for a few nights to get it to the point of immediate recall. This allows your mind to store it better so you don’t draw a blank when you go take the test.”
debbie.diljak@yahoo.com
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