The right and wrong way to study, according to psychology
During dead week, Parks Library is definitely the busiest place on campus. Students filter in and out all day trying to utilize the last bit of time to study before finals.
May 3, 2019
Finals week is here, and of the many different ways to study for tests, only some can actually help.
Jason Chan, associate professor of psychology, said the most effective way to retain information while studying is to test yourself.
“Testing yourself while studying is probably the most important thing you can do,” Chan said. “If students are reading a textbook or a particular chapter for some class they have, it’s important that they don’t just keep re-reading the information over and over.”
Chan further explained how students can test themselves to make sure it is effective.
“Covering the book up and trying to recall it out loud while recording their voice so that they can play it back and compare what they recall to the textbook or write it down on a piece of paper and try to recall it by their hand and mind,” Chan said.
Chan urged students to not give up and look at the book if they become stuck but keep trying because in the exam there is no book. Instead of checking after every sentence, Chan recommends recalling information in paragraph chunks.
The Academic Success Center on campus also offers resources to help with exam preparation. The resources include ways to help with time management, which instructors have said can act as the primary inhibitor to effective studying.
Although college students have a lot of practice studying, Chan said he believes their judgment may be off when it comes to their knowledge, which can cause them to underestimate the amount of time they really need.
“Even for students who are in college, who basically are pretty good at studying, they are not very accurate judging about whether people have actually learned something well or not,” Chan said.
He explained how many students may have felt a common belief of thinking they did well on a test to instead turn around and do poorly.
With finals week here, Chan said the most efficient way for students to break up their studying is to test themselves on information and take care of their bodies by having a breakfast and a good nights rest before exam days.
