Exam Study Tips

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“study time” by calebcherry is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

The end of the first semester is soon approaching as well as exams for many classes at FHS. For most freshmen, these are the first high school exams they are taking. There are a multitude of ways to improve the effectiveness of studying for these exams.

Allotting enough time for studying and planning is a great way to avoid waiting until the last minute to review information.

“I always try to build a schedule with my studying and stick to it to give myself extra time in case I feel that I need to review more of my material,” junior Jess Hughes said.

Spreading out information can also help avoid information overload.

“The best thing you can do to prepare for it is to be working on it a little bit at a time rather than waiting until the very end to cram,” chemistry teacher Mr. Gosser advised.

Gosser recommends taking a big section and splitting it down into smaller sections in order to be sure that the information is best absorbed.

Teaching others about the information being studied and encouraging them to ask questions can test yourself on the information to show how much you really know.

“I know for one test, Mr. Gosser, my chemistry teacher, had us play teacher with the person sitting next to us to help us study,” junior Chris Beck explained. “Everyone that I have talked to as well as myself have found that to be very helpful with exams and other tests.”

The method of teaching someone material that is being studied is used to bounce ideas off of one another and to test how much you truly know and understand.

Studying with friends in the same class with the same information can improve staying focused while studying and withholding accountability for each other.

“For exams last year, my friends and I would get together at George House or some place quiet and just sit there and study and I feel that it really helped our focus,” senior Emma Holdgreve said.

Simple memorization skills can be used if the information being studied is based on memorization.

“You can try to teach yourself mnemonics and things like that,” Mr. Gosser continued. “Every subject has a little bit of weird vocabulary that you can use little tricks for.”

Studying notes and past tests and quizzes are always beneficial ways to study for exams as it can be a good representation of the types of questions on the exams.