None of the study techniques discussed at length in this book is carved
in stone. Not only should you feel free to adapt and shape and bend
them to your own needs, you mustdo so.
When Teachers Rule
A key way to do better on any test is to read the instructions before
you start it. This helps you avoid the poor grade (not to mention the
frustration and embarrassment) that results from trying to answer all
six essay questions in an hour when you were only supposed to pick
three.
Tests aren’t the only time “reading the instructions” is important.
Many teachers have their own rules and regulations about turning in
homework assignments, preparing papers or projects, reporting lab
results, etc. And it’s just as important to follow theirinstructions—
and just as devastating if you don’t.
I really did have a teacher in 10th grade—when none of us had access
to personal computers and few of us had learned to type—who failed
a student because her paper was handwritten. What bothered me
then was that the paper was really good...andit didn’t mean a hill of
beans to that teacher. The farther along you are in school, the less
likely your instructors will cut you any slack.
Be Proud of Your Work... And Show It
Do you know someone who makes sure he counts every word of a
500-word assignment and heads to a conclusion as soon as he
approaches that magic number?
How about the student who is convinced her chicken scratch is
perfectly decipherable, even when the teacher has to wade through
several crossouts on every page and follow arrows from one page to
another? Or the one who only spells one thing correctly per paper—
his name—or, even worse, spells a word correctly two or three times
and incorrectly four or five others...all on the same page?
Chapter 2 ■ How to Organize Your Studying 19