Learning for exams

Why & When

Well, duh.

• When learning for exams
• basically when learning anything

Goal(s)

• Spend your learning time efficiently
• Retain knowledge & understanding long-term
• Enjoy learning

Getting started

Planning

• Learning for exams starts at the start of the semester, not a few weeks before the exams
• Having a clear-cut overview of what the exam is about - make topic maps, lists, whatever

Techniques

• Spaced-Repetition
• Active Recall
• Elaboration
• Interleaving
• Breaks

What NOT to do

• Summarizing
• Underlining
• Not taking breaks
• Cramming

Supportive Tools

• Anki
• Excel / Word / Notion (for creating plans)
• think-cell (for creating semester plans)

Further remarks

• Notes on group work
• Restructuring your environment
• Smartphone use
• ...

Links & Further reading

Videos

• Ali Abdaal - How to study for exams: There are numerous videos and guidelines on how to study effectively. Yet, Ali Abdaal has managed to narrow it down to the essentials that have scientific backing.
• Marty Lobdell - Study Less, Study Smart: An entertaining yet insightful overview of pitfalls and useful techniques for studying effectively.

Books

• Brown, P. C., Roediger, H. L., & McDaniel, M. A. (2014). Make it stick: The science of successful learning. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.

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