Allocate the Time You Need
Consider these questions when figuring out the time you need to
allocate to study for a particular test:
■ How much time do I usually spend studying for this
type of exam? What have been the results? If you usually
spend three hours and you consistently get Ds, perhaps you
need to reassess the time you’re spending or, more accurately,
misspending.
■ What grade do I have going for me now? If it’s a solid B
and you’re convinced you can’t get an A, you may decide to
devote lesstime to this test and more to a subject in which
you have a better shot at a top grade. If you have a C+ and a
good grade on the exam would give you a solid B, you may
decide to devote more time to thissubject.
■ What special studying do I have to do? It’s one thing to
review notes and practice with a study group, but if you need
to sit in a language lab and listen to hours of tapes or run the
slower group of gerbils through the alphabet once more,
plan accordingly.
■ Organize the materials you need to study, pace
yourself, and check to see how much material you
have covered in the first hour of review. How does this
compare to what you have left to study? Not every hour will
be equally productive, but you should be able to project the
time you need based on what you are able to accomplish in
an hour.Why Cramming Doesn’t Work
We’ve all done it at one time or another, with one excuse or another—
waited until the last minute and then tried to cram a week’s or
month’s or entire semester’s worth of work into a single night
or weekend. Did it work for you? Didn’t think so.
180 How to Study