Studying For A Philosophy Exam
 
 
 
 



 
  

Tests can be stressful but they help you learn. A great way to relieve test stress is to study a lot and study well. Just looking over your notes for a couple of hours will not get you a passing grade on my exams. The following tips will help you study and do well.
 

Use the Study Guides given out in class.

In a note book, write down the first item on the study guide. Then go through your class notes and textbook(s) and write down the answer. If you are not sure of the answer, put a "?" by it in the margin, and ask the instructor about it. Then do the same for the rest of the items on the study guide. Use complete sentences, just as you should on the exam.

When you're finished, you'll have a list of everything you need to know for the exam.
 

The most important thing to do when memorizing information is...
study one item (e.g., definition, view, argument, etc.) at a time. Study an item until you can write it down from memory without looking at your notes. Only then should you go on to the next item. This will make your studying much more efficient. If instead you just read through a list of items over and over, you'll find that they get all jumbled together in your memory and that you can't remember what you read.
Over-learn the material.
Don't stop studying when you find that you can recall an item a few minutes after reading it. Keep studying even after you feel you have a pretty good grasp of the material. Recalling an item a few minutes after you have read it is very different from recalling it the next day during the test.

Study for at least a couple of hours at a time.
Don't just study in short 10-30 minute bursts. Studying one subject for several hours at a time will allow you to further engage with and understand the material.

Study with a group of classmates.
Studies show that students who study in groups tend to do better than students who do not. It's important to find a place to study that has no distractions, such as a cafe or one of the group study rooms in Dupre library, handled through their Circulation Department.



Use mnemonic devices to memorize large amounts of information.
A mnemonic device is something that helps you remember. For example, suppose you need to memorize a list of seven fruits and vegetables: carrots, avocados, bell peppers, lettuce, oranges, bok choy and celery. You might make up a word using the first letter (or first and second letters if two first letters are the same) of each item in your list: C - A - B - L - O - BC - CE. When you're studying, memorize your new word (Cablobcce). When it comes time to write down the list of seven fruits and vegetables on your exam, remembering your made up word will give you a clue to each of the items on your list. This will help you to (1) remember each item on the list, (2) make sure you don't leave an item out and (3) give you a clue if you forget one of the items on the list.

Some memorization techniques.
There a lot of different ways to memorize things. The following are some common techniques people use.

1. Flash cards.

Make up a set of flash cards with a question or word on one side and the answer on the other. Then test yourself repeatedly until you have memorized the contents of every card.
2. Copying your notes.
Some people find it helpful to write out their notes over and over until they have memorized them.
3. Forceful repetition.
Repeating items to be memorized over and over with a great deal of emotional force can help you remember them.

When taking a test ...
         
Write answers in complete sentences, being as clear as you can. Unless explicitly requested, never just give the name of a theory, argument, etc., but explain it.

Bubble Sheets

In some of my classes, I use multiple choice questions in addition to short answer or essay questions on the exams. For those exams, you want to bring to the exam a DataLink 3000 Reorder # 29240 100-question bubble sheet. If the store is out of these, adequate substitutes include the DataLink 3000 reorder #20170 70-question bubble sheet and the Datalink 3000 reorder #20010 60-question bubble sheet. Short-answer/essay questions are always written on the exam I hand out, so you will not need to write them on the back of the bubble sheet. Here are pictures of each of these:

DataLink 3000 Reorder # 29240 100-question bubble sheet DataLink 3000 reorder #20170 70-question bubble sheet Datalink 3000 reorder #20010 60-question bubble sheet


Proofreader's Marks

When your test or other assignments are returned they may have some abbreviated comments on them. Here's what they mean:

sp. = spelling error
gr. = grammatical error
cap. = capitalize this word
Frag. = sentence fragment
awk. = awkward wording
? = I do not understand what you have written here.

Everybody makes the occasional typo, but you should not be making too many of them. Use your spell and grammar check in your word processing program. The folks at UL's English Writing Center (now located on the first floor of Dupre Library) can help as well. If you are having trouble with this it's often a sign that you are not reading enough and not writing enough. Don't become the next "Florida Man" - read as often as possible for the rest of your life!


Additional Resources

Ten Traps of Studying - and how to get out of them.

16 Study Tips for College - some good, basic advice.

25 Scientifically Proven Tips for More Effective Studying - very detailed and includes links to their sources!

Cornell University's List of Study Skills Resources

AcademicTips.org - tips from a variety of experts.

Test Anxiety - numerous tips  from a psychologist for overcoming test anxiety.

See UL Lafayette's tips for mental health and coping with stress.


5 Elements of EffectiveThinking, by Edward Burger and Michael Starbird, (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2012) - a brief guide on how to better understand what you learn.