Motivation and Learning Strategies for College Success : A Self-management Approach

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PREPARING FOR EXAMS 251

Allocate Time for Each Study Strategy in a Weekly Schedule

Janis was taking four other courses and could not stop reading and

studying in her other courses to prepare for her child development

course. For example, she also had a math quiz and had to write a

short essay for English. Her task, therefore, was to integrate her exam

preparation with her other learning and study activities.

Janis labeled all the activities in her study plan from A to I. This

labeling allowed her to identify each activity in her weekly schedule

by a letter. Using this procedure, she did not have to recopy the

description of the study activity in her weekly schedule. She simply

referred to her study plan when it was time for the activity. Notice in

Fig. 10.2 that she prioritized her study sessions by starting with the

chapter she did not carefully read. Janis also included time during the

day to study for her child development exam so that she would have

some time each evening for her other courses.

Janis’ study plan was presented to provide a concrete example for

how to develop such a plan. Such plans can greatly differ from course

to course and student to student, depending on the nature of the con-

tent and ability of the student. For example, a study plan for a math

course would involve the identification of the different type of prob-

lems studied in the unit with problem solving as the major study activ-

ity. In a science course, the study strategies would focus both on learn-

ing the content knowledge and solving problems.

Janis did not choose to study in a group for this exam but has

formed study groups for other exams in the same and other courses

she is taking. In general, she has found group study very helpful in

reviewing answers to questions and reviewing solutions to problems.

Finally, once you start developing your own plans, modify the for-

mat to fit your own needs. The most important factor is not the for-

mat of the plan, but the selection and use of learning and study strate-

gies to improve your retention and retrieval of information on the

exam. Table 10.2 provides a summary of the procedures for develop-

ing a study plan.

TABLE 10.2

Procedures for Developing a Study Plan

Procedures Examples

1. Determine the content coverage “I never miss the class before an exam
   and question format of the exam because the instructor usually reviews the
   content coverage. I also take the time to
   check that I have all the needed resources
   (i.e., books, notes, and handouts) before I
   begin studying.”
   continued