Engineering Fundamentals: An Introduction to Engineering, 4th ed.c

34 Chapter 2 Preparing for an Engineering Career

to discuss and explain key ideas and concepts to each other. Everyone in your study group should

agree that they need to come prepared to discuss appropriate materials and that they all need to

contribute to the discussions. It should be understood that the study groups serve a different pur-

pose than that of a tutoring session. However, if another student in your class asks for assis-

tance, help if you can by explaining new concepts you have learned. If you have difficulty

explaining the material to someone else, that could be an indication you don’t fully understand

the concept yourself and you need to study the material in more detail. So remember that a

good way to learn something is to form discussion groups where you explain ideas and concepts

in your own words to others in the group.Be an active learner not a passive learner!

Prepare for Examinations If you study and prepare from the first day of class, then you should

perform admirably on your exams. Keep reminding yourself that there is absolutely no substitu-

tion for daily studying. Don’t wait until the night before the exam to study! That is not the best

time for learning new concepts and ideas. The night before the exam is the time for review only.

Just before an exam, spend a few hours reviewing your notes and sample problems. Make sure

that you get a good night’s rest so you can be fresh and think clearly when you take the exam. It

may be a good idea to ask your instructor ahead of time what type of exam it will be, how many

questions there will be, or what suggestions she or he has to help you prepare better for the exam.

As with any test, be sure you understand what the questions are asking. Read the questions care-

fully before you proceed with answering them. If there is some ambiguity in the exam questions,

ask the instructor for clarification. After you have looked over the exam, you may want to answer

the easy questions first and then come back to the more complicated questions. Finally, some of

you may have experienced test anxiety when taking an exam. To reduce the anxiety, prepare well

and consider timing yourself when doing your homework problems.

A good way to study!

Source:Ed Kashi /Corbis / Magma

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