ARIANNE SCHULZ
PRIDE STAFF WRITER

Image courtesy of studyprof.com

At the start of a new semester, students quickly and frequently discover that in order to succeed they must adapt existing study habits to the rigors of new college classes. In general, attending class, previewing reading, reviewing notes and studying the material in small bits each day are study habits valuable across any academic discipline.

Jennette Lucia, Biology major, said, “I will usually read the textbook and go over powerpoint slides before and after class. Flashcards are helpful.” Simliarly, Brittany McKelvie, a Nursing major, likes to read first to get a general idea. “Then, I review over the material that is more difficult to understand after the lecture,” McKelvie said.

Studying and preparing early will also prevent a time-honored college tradition, cramming. While it is a important to refresh and review material before a test, attempting to squeeze several weeks of information into one night significantly increases pressure. These habits will not only help to learn the material better, but it will also reduce test anxiety. Another way to reduce test anxiety is to visit CSUSM Student Health and Counseling Services, which offer general counseling services and counseling for test anxiety.

Sometimes studying solo can only go so far. Forming a productive study group with other students is a fun way to study. For some, mixing socializing with studying relieves test anxiety. “I like to study with friends, and then later review with flashcards. It helps keep me on the right track!” said Alma Perez.

Keeping up with material and balancing work with school can be challenging during the semester, but the benefits of hard work will pay off on test day. Jennette Lucia prefers to study in the evening after dinner and finds that “work and school wasn’t that bad for me because I only worked on Saturday. So I still had a lot of time to study on other days.” Perez noted that, “balancing school, work, and studying can be difficult.”

Two other great ways to study for tests and reduce testing anxiety are practice problems or sample tests. A recent study in Science Magazine, “Retrieval Practice Produces More Learning than Elaborative Studying with Concept Mapping,” found that actually taking practice tests is very effective for comprehension and inference-related test questions. “Retrieval practice” is a significant way to improve information retention for fact-heavy science studies.