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Posted by bio_man   March 29, 2017   1611 views

Why practice tests should be the first and last step in the studying process.

I'm sure you've all seen the bumper stickers or posters that read, "I'd rather be fishing." If I were to stick one of these on my car I'd supplant fishing with coding. You might choose "singing," "eating" or "grooming my chia pet." Regardless of what activity you'd rather be doing, it's pretty safe to say that activity isn't studying.

Whether or not you consciously ask yourself before hitting the books, the paramount question when studying is "How can I maximize the time I spend doing this?" Or, in other words, it's all about efficiency, baby.

In my humble opinion it all starts and ends with the practice test. When you sit down to study, you have a good idea of where your strengths and weaknesses lie, but that doesn't mean you should head straight to your notes to solidify what's lacking. Start by taking a practice test (usually provided by your professor, textbook publisher or frat brothers).

You may realize that while you find the material on circuits to be hazy, the test questions on circuits all progress similarly. Spending a short amount of time with the method employed to solve these questions will get you to where you need to be. Think of it as inductive versus deductive studying.

So start with the practice test, understand what you need to focus on, do what's necessary to grasp that material, then take a second practice test (or even re-take the first one). If you can complete all of the problems without assistance or peeking at the solution page, you are good to go. If a certain problem still trips you up, repeat steps 2-4. Consider yourself enrolled in the Brian McKnight school of studying.

Just make sure you don't fall victim to the practice test trap.

Are practice tests your go-to guy for studying? On the contrary, think they are overrated? Share your thoughts!

practice
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3 Comments | Write Comment
1
Easier said than done.

Practice requires drive and persistence. Not everyone has these characters.
Posted on Mar 29, 2017 by fiero86
2
I agree with this article. Fire086, You're right about it's easier said than it's done but nothing is impossible. It's just a matter of time and in order to be successful in life you must have drive and presistance. school is a good place to build the one skills and I think every student has drive and precistnace that's why they are in school.
Posted on Mar 29, 2017 by cloveb
3
Nice Upwards Arrow
Posted on Mar 30, 2017 by bio_man
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