7 Study Techniques: How to Read and Pass Any Examination

Every student have a study technique… whether good or bad but there is a room for improvement

Go for Group Discussion: 

This is not the same as group reading, they are different. Group discussion is the gathering of students with a common goal to discuss.  I had a girlfriend who prefers group discussion to hours of lone reading. In the group discussion, students teach each other.

In fact, you might better understand some topics from a fellow student than from your teachers or textbooks/class notes. In the group discussion, you’re active; thinking through and through, making educative and constructive arguments, asking questions. And observing how fellow students break down topics in a friendly manner can gear you to an intense private study.

We remember discussions more than we remember the one-way teaching of the class room.

Make Use of Past Questions:
The place of past questions can never be replaced, it is a lifesaver and also a time saver. Except a new topic is introduced into a subject, questions are repeated or rephrased. When you study past questions very well, you will understand the various ways in which questions are presented and how to answer them. Do you have past questions If you don’t have access to past questions, formulate one for yourself or ask people who have gone ahead of you. 

Make use of the Library:
The library is the second abode of successful students. Am not referring to the personal (Private Library) in your place of comfort but the School/Public Library. In your private study, you might sleep off; but inside the Library, your sleepy eyes will be encouraged when it sees others open.

Successful students are ever busy reading and collating references. The library is a world of its own, the container of compendiums, giving learners and educators an atmospheric curiosity to learn without limitations and distraction.

Summarize Class Note/ Textbooks:
Do you know how to summarize  Many students use this study technique to write and pass exams. I first discovered this through a friend who happened to be the overall best in my Department. Students with this technique are fervent private readers; they read and make notes or summaries. When the exam draws near, they pick up the summary note and revise. This note is usually short and concise, more like a key point.

Soliloquize (Assimilative Technique)
Soliloquy means talking to one’s self. It is a study technique I coined Assimilative Technique (ATQ). It is often applied when the time frame for an exam is short and there is a whole lot to cover. In this technique, you audibly engage yourself in question and answer. This should be done when you’re alone, else, you may be laughed at by someone who has no knowledge of what you’re doing.

Listen to Audio Record:
Some lecturers do not give a class note as most make do with textbooks or past written materials. While explaining things in class, most students try to jot down some things. But I knew students who prefer to record the lecturer’s explanation. At their place of comfort, they listen to this record and make note of necessary points which forms a base for their note. I tried it few times but I couldn’t adapt.

Cram:
This is the last option.. hard to believe When it comes to cramming, no one is a saint and there are some who do it better. When the stuff you’re trying to get is not sticking, you cram your way out. It is far better to cram than to engage in examination malpractice.

How do you cram you cram by engaging in an intensive study without the want of knowledge. Like downloading with the aim of uploading as soon as possible. I knew students who would not talk to you at the exam (before exam start) until the exam is over. They believe that once they start talking, everything they crammed will be forgotten.

In conclusion, you want to be a successful student, try one of those or all of the above. If you know of other employable techniques not mentioned, please make note of them using the comment and I will gladly add it up.

… and I wish you luck