<p>How can I optimize my studying? I understand homeworks but only do below average to average on tests (except math). I always read the textbooks but on tests it feels like I know nothing of the subject. Please help I only have a few semesters left to increase my GPA. How to beat the average by a large margin? I want to taste victory for a change.</p>
<p>The best way to do better is know what the professor cares about. You can figure this out by look at their past exams, and if they give out a study guide. Also if they give out focus questions and things like that. The textbook should only be supplementary.</p>
<p>Thanks for the tips what happens if the teacher does not give practice tests or focus questions?</p>
<p>You can still tell what the professor cares about by what he talks about in class. Keep a list of topics to study. If he goes over a topic in class, write it on your list. If he mentions it more than once, put a star by that one - he obviously thinks it is important.</p>
<p>This will vary from person to person, but as an engineering undergrad I’ve found that it is most helpful to study in a group. Sometimes there will be some drawbacks or distractions that come along with working in a group, but overall and to a certain point, the more minds you have thinking on something the better.</p>
<p>When you study, you should cover all notes you’ve taken in class (examples, derivations, etc). You should rework your old homeworks that are relevant to the exam, and you should look at other problems in the book that you haven’t covered but seem like the same material. If you can get your hand on old exams, depending on the professor, sometimes your exam will be nearly identical.</p>
<p>When I study for midterms or finals, I go all out. This is geared for math, engineering, or computer science classes.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I read the chapters in the book with material that will be on the test.
Usually word-for-word. For engineering, this doesn’t take too long really since it’s not literature and it’s straight forward text. There is usually just one column of text and pictures and equations, which doesn’t take long to read. This will introduce you to everything. If you don’t understand it all, don’t worry because you’ll get it once you do the homework.</p></li>
<li><p>Redo all assigned homework.
This will make sure you actually know how to do the problems instead of “thinking” that you know how to do the problems.</p></li>
<li><p>Pay special attention to previous semester/quarter exams your professor may provide.
Professors sometimes like to repeat ideas and certain problems covered in their previous exams. Make sure you can do these.</p></li>
<li><p>Use the Internet.
Wikipedia, Google search, and Youtube can be helpful to give you more information on the material. If you’re stuck on math, go to Youtube first to see if people have tutorials up.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>What gstein said regarding groupwork. I get a lot more good studying done when I work in a group; you just have make sure that you keep slogging through material. It’s also really helpful when you’re unsure about something. Stuff you’re unsure about that might take you 20 minutes to figure out on your own will often end up going much more quickly when you can bounce ideas back and forth with other people.</p>