<p>Whenever there is a test from a class that requires reading (such as anthro, hist, geog, etc) I never NEVER get an A on my tests, I get a B if I'm lucky.</p>
<p>I put lots of time studying (about 2hours a day) and I do it a week before the test. I read the vocab and read the book (though I mainly study vocab since re-reading the whole book takes forever).</p>
<p>When the test comes, there are quite a few questions that I don't know as well as many questions where all the options seem so right so I can't choose. </p>
<p>Is knowing the whole book and lecture not enough? Or am I not spending enough time studying? I know I have a terrible brain capacity when it comes to book facts so things that I've read and re-read I can easily forget the next day.</p>
<p>How do you guys manage to study for these type of classes?</p>
<p>Take notes while reading the book and study those. Rereading everything is pointless, but looking over key parts is very worthwhile. It also keeps you engaged when you do the readings the first time.</p>
<p>Perhaps you need to start being more interactive with your teacher. After all he/she is the one who writes the tests. Ask them questions, or find a tutor. Going at it alone might work for some, but for others, it doesn’t work.</p>
<p>For me, I do pretty much what your do. I study a lot beforehand and read a lot. I do get Bs sometimes, but I get As other times. I do what I can to ask my teacher questions. I even bought a scanner so that I scanned in worksheets with my own answers to the teacher to ask him to verify my answers on graded homeworks, so that I know what is right or wrong.</p>
<p>Oh and TAKE NOTES WHILE reading. Sometimes I read and then my mind wanders while I “pretend to read”. If you take notes, it becomes an abridged version of your book and easier to study from.</p>
<p>I think you might be focusing on the wrong things to study. It’s important to know vocabulary, but most humanities exams require short answers and/or essays. Do you have trouble with those as well? When I think of a “vocab list,” I think of a list of discrete entities. In college classes, it’s really not helpful just to know what something is; you need to know its significance within the context of your class.</p>
<p>But do you notice a pattern in the kinds of questions that you miss? Do you have multiple choice tests or essay exams? Do you have trouble making connections between material? Are you getting the “big ideas,” or are you just memorizing the details without paying attention to the context?</p>
<p>Thanks for the suggestions guys! I’ll try focusing on key point, but whenever I highlight important points I usually end up high lighting half the book since every sentence looks so “important” =.</p>
<p>^highlighting never worked for me because I either highlight on sentence or the entire page. what’s worked best for me was making study outlines of a chapter after reading it.</p>
<p>Visom, I think that’s a common problem when you don’t really know how to study for a class. At the beginning, when you’re just getting used to the material and the professor, it’s natural to want to know all the details because they all seem important. But whether consciously or not, you start picking up on what kind of information the professor wants you to know after a couple of weeks (and especially after the first paper/exam). Some professors want you to focus more on factual knowledge, while others want you to be able to draw connections between two historical events. When you study for each class, think about what kind of information was tested on the last test, or what kind of criticism you got on your last paper. Then tailor your study plan accordingly.</p>
<p>Also, in addition to highlighting and outlining, you might try writing in the margins of your textbook. Jot down questions as you read. These may be “stupid” questions or more complicated conceptual questions. Instead of thinking, “Okay, I don’t get this topic at all,” come up with more specific questions. Write them down and ask your TA/professor during office hours.</p>
<p>When you’re studying for an exam, briefly brainstorm the major themes/ideas discussed in class. Try coming up with your own essay topics (again, this requires familiarity with a professor’s style) and think about what you might write if one of them showed up on the exam.</p>
<p>I definately understand what you’re saying. I find in humanities classes its important that you stop while you read to make connections (i.e. why were these two topics placed under the same section). The tests, at least in my experience, want you to make connections between the concepts, not know every little detail.</p>
<p>smoke some pot before class. then you’ll have a solid reason for your lack of memory for material and you’ll blame the pot, instead of feeling bad about the brain you were born with :)</p>
<p>Definitely don’t highlight everything. Only words or short phrases. I know it’s hard to refrain from highlighting everything since you feel everything is important (I understand). </p>
<p>This is what used to happen to me:</p>
<p>Take highlighter and start highlighting while reading.
Yes! 'm done reading. I go back to Page 1.
Crap, I highlighted the entire book.</p>