#i almost neever hella study before tests except for one dumb english GE i took but even then this still applies!

[catboybrain]

studying tips

ok so i keep seeing posts saying do a shit ton of work but let's be real, you're an engineering major and you have 5 classes and a lab, you don't have time to read through every little thing before an exam.

the main idea is studying is not confined to a specific time period, like before an exam. to properly study, you passively do it when you work on things for the class! the bulk of the studying i do is NOT in the week before the exam, it's in the downtime i have between exams. i also normally don't call it studying, to me it's just work on a subject. the fun thing about this method is it means you get to generally be lazier over a longer period (my executive dysfunction is very happy @ that) since the work is spread out but more thorough!

your goal should be to fully understand and apply the concepts! to do this most efficiently and seamlessly, you want to master them (or at least be able to wield them) as they come up in lecture. doing problem sets is studying. doing prereading for lectures to give yourself an initial footing on a topic, if that helps you, is studying! if you're trying to put the scaffolding in place some set time before a test, you're eventually going to get into a situation where you can't put it up, and then you're going to be in trouble.

here are some things i do to "study"/ master topics as they come up in class.

go to class. this seems silly but yk I should put it in here. if you need to skip, try and skip on a day where you think you already know what's going on (and it's ok to skip if you need to! just don't let it stop you from mastering the concepts)

do the assigned homework. if a class assigns work but it's not due, do the FUCK outta that work. my basic rule is do 75% of the work that's assigned (100% of work due obvs) if you already feel like you have a type of problem down. but don't stop doing problems until you feel like you completely understand how to do the problem!

rubber duck debug your own learning. talk to people, explain how to do a problem. if you don't know why you're doing a step, you probably don't have a strong enough understanding of the concept yet! talking out loud will help you see much easier.

ask for help. sometimes textbooks legitimately suck. sometimes professors suck! if you're struggling to understand a topic, seek out a bunch of different sources of explanation. normally it just takes one good perspective to click, but it's hard to find that perspective sometimes.

when a test is coming up, be realistic with yourself. oftentimes in this period there will be topics where i'm like "oh, i don't have a great success rate for these problems." that'll be what's important to review. don't spend your time studying for everything if you already know most of it.

if you're right before a test and you haven't been doing the above, pray. no, i'm just kidding. there's a concept in the pikmin games called dandori, the art of organizing your time. become a dandori master. think about which topics (and or ask around! always feel free to ask a prof what will be on the exam, i find they always give you at least some useful information if you're not like "uhhh what problems are on the test" LOL) are most important, and prioritize learning those. cover as much ground as you can, instead of just starting at the beginning.

this one might be controversial but. study to learn, not for the grade. if you're in college, this information will directly help you in your field. obviously if you're in a GE or something this doesn't apply as much but if your only motivation is an A, you aren't going to go as far. if you can nurture your inner curiousity and connect with the content you're learning, it'll be way more fun and it won't seem as much like a slog <3

ok that's all i got. knock 'em dead, kid. and always remember: C's get degrees <3