Can anyone here read the textbook straight through and retain everything w/o supplemental work?

Student Lounge College Life
1

I do not mean recall the information verbatim either, but rather the ability to read the chapter once and remember the big idea along with the small supporting details. Basically can you read chapter 5 one time straight through, then receive a perfect 100 on the chapter 5 test?

I only ever had one class with a kid that could do this, and even he answered some questions about the text every once in a while.

Also, can anybody do this with a math textbook?

I’ve always taken pride in my minimal work to GPA ratio and am looking for ways to further enhance my efficiency. I think the SK3R method is good, but I still have trouble reading the textbooks.

Sorry if this is the wrong forum.

2

LOL, I read 300 pages of textbook material (4 chapters) in the week leading up to the midterm exam in my International Relations course this semester and received a 98 on the midterm exam (multiple choice, fill in the blank, and two open response questions.) It’s not something I do often, however, because a lot of my exams are purely lecture based so I need to study my lecture notes (and I can disregard the supplementary readings.)

3

Do you follow any techniques or just read?

4

This is credited. I do the exact same thing. Only not the week before–usually it’s the night before/weekend before the exam.

I do this then take practice exams from other schools for the same/comparative class to cement my understanding.

5

@CoolmanIam - I just read straight through and try my best not to cry.

6

Just out of curiosity, do you use any “speed reading” techniques. Or is that a load of bs?

7

No, I don’t speed read. I just read it as though I were reading any material; I try to consider the content as I go along and I’ll pause to reread something that doesn’t make sense immediately. It’s easier if the textbook has a summary or review page at the end because then I can streamline all of the details I just encountered into a sort of coherent narrative (so to speak.)

I don’t really recommend trying to read a huge amount of dense material at once - the week I was preparing for my IR midterm was easily one of the most stressful weeks of my life, haha. I could’ve avoided all of that had I just done the 15-20 pages of reading a night that had been assigned earlier.

8

I’m still amazed people do this. I have the memory of a peanut: for all my studies I learn processes and procedures and then a very select bit of memorized material, usually less than a page total.

If you understand a process instead of memorizing it can work just as well IMO.

9

I’m a kinesthetic/auditory learner, so for me just reading wouldn’t do the trick. For math or physics, for example, I work the examples. Of course the answers are right in front of me, but it helps me actually understand it if I “do” it.

10

I don’t remember everything, but I usually remember more than I think I will. I’m a math major, but I’m probably worse at reading math textbooks than anything else. I remember the most if I read out loud, but it makes my throat hurt. :((

11

^ For my first AP class sophomore year of high school (it was AP World), my grades were slipping on tests and I didn’t know how to study better. So I read each chapter. Out loud. Sometimes twice, if I had time. My throat is still cringing at the thought. :stuck_out_tongue:

12

I don’t think I read a total of three pages in AP World. It is by God’s grace that I pulled off a 5 on that exam. I hated AP history courses in high school. AP US was even worse; so many damn pages of uber detailed information. Bleh.

13

There’s one theory that says having TOO good a memory can be a problem. I think it may be true, because my 22-year-old son has always had an incredible memory - could “see” text in his head - and then he developed schizophrenia. The theory is that some schizophrenics have such a good memory that they have too much “data” in their heads, and their brains can’t connect all the dots without coming up with some delusional ideas. Research was carried out at UT-Austin, my alma mater.

14

I love reading, but my memory sucks, so I usually have to take notes and use highlighters when I read large amounts of text. I remember color-coded things better than just a straight wall of words. Usually by the end of long reading session, my face, hands, and arms are covered in an assortment of lime green, hot pink, lavender, and blue marks and dots.

15

“Also, can anybody do this with a math textbook?”

There’s a reason math books have exercises. When I was at Harvard, I knew people in Math 55 (Google it). They had to do the exercises too.

16

My cousin’s boyfriend said he once procrastinated on all his assigned readings for his chemistry class, and when it came time for the final, he read the entire book straight through in one night and got an A on the final.

I have trouble reading textbooks straight through and remembering everything in it if there’s a lot of complex sentences or jargon that I don’t know.