From “AHHHHH!” to A+, Steps to Ace Any Test

A typical parent asks in a concerned tone, “I know you have that (insert subject here) test coming up. Did you study?”

A typical student dismissively responds, “Yes, I got it covered.”

This typical student scores a 73 on the test and says, “How could this happen? I studied for three hours.”

One of the things I learned very quickly as a school counselor is that one student’s idea of studying is probably very different from another student’s idea of studying. Many students think of studying as looking over the material. They assume the longer they look at the information, the more likely they will be to remember the information. This passive strategy does not give a student any real feedback; instead, they just leave the study session with a false sense of confidence. As students get older, they start to take tests that cover more material and require a deeper understanding of the subject matter; it is not enough to just memorize some surface facts. These more demanding tests require active study strategies. Since there are so many possible ways to study (flashcards, Quizlet, Kahoot!, graphic organizers, rewriting information, etc), it can be difficult for a student to know how to study. So, how can a student ace any test?

Retrieval practice involves studying in a way that forces a student to answer two questions: What do I remember? How well do I understand the information? 

Practice tests, flashcards, online quizzes, and getting quizzed are all great examples of effective retrieval practice techniques.

If retrieval practice helps a student know what to do, spaced practice helps a student to figure out when and how long to study. Since there is a difference between short term memory and long term memory, spaced practice allows a student to study in small sessions over a longer period of time with breaks in between study sessions. For example, it is more effective for a student to study for 30-60 minutes each night for five consecutive nights than it would be to study for four-to-five hours the night before a test. With each successive night, a student should be able to recall a higher percentage of the information and should be able to develop a more complete understanding of the concepts.