Are you a Non-STEM Major?
Are you struggling with your multiple choice tests and fill in the blank response tests?
Are you dealing with a bad professor?
Are you looking for the fast way to make sure that you get that A, or at least pass, your classes in no time and just get through with college clean?
If you are any of those things, then you’ve come to the right place for knocking out your multiple choice and fill in the blank tests in a snap.
Now before I introduce the most effective way to study for college tests, you must realize 1 thing:
If you start anytime earlier than a week, you are doomed to fail.
Start as soon as YOU need to.
Don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise.
YOU know yourself more than anybody so if you need 3 months to study for this test, so be it.
I’m going to write this as if you will be doing a 1 week study plan, but please feel free to adjust this post accordingly to your study needs.
So if you are committed to your own disciplined schedule, let’s get right to it kiddos!
The very first step to acing your tests is:
Start Studying for the Test at least 1 Week in Advance
Yeah, I said it already, but I’ll say it again.
This is absolutely the number 1 most vital step to your test success on the week leading up to it.
This one little trick of getting started early will ensure that YOU do not panic, avoid the all-nighters, and you get to retain the material for the test in an organized manner that will ensure your A.
In addition, you will not have to study for a ridiculous amount of hours like 8 hours per day for the test which is absurd for a multiple choice test or a simple fill in the blank kind of test.
You will instead study at the maximum 3 hours per day for the test and come away with at least an A.
So commit to that right now.
Another thing that MUST be done on the 1st day of test prep is that you have to organize all of the material that will be on the test in a sequential order from the material you covered first to the latest material that will be on the test.
This little tactic will save you wasted time from going into your notebook scrambling for your notes and wondering where your notes are.
And when you go into the rest of the week for prep, the material will gel nicely into your head with lots of certainty and you will definitely have a clear direction of what you need to know.
If you are unsure as to how to organize your material, there are several ways to go about this depending on your preference:
1. You can make index cards of the concepts, topics, and questions that could be on the test along with their associated answers (this is the recommended option if it’s a vocabulary or some sort of person/place test).
2. You can create your own study guide with the concepts, topics, and questions along with their associated answers and cover the answers with your hand as you try to recall them.
3. You take the notes that you already have and you would just do the same thing in 2. in that you would cover the answers with your hand and try to recall them as you read through the concepts and the questions (this is what I do).
If you can do 3, do it over 1 and 2 because you already wrote the material down in your own words and you clearly understand what it’s saying and how it needs to be interpreted. And besides, you don’t want to have to create the material again.
Talk about MORE delays!
Have you ever been to an airport during a holiday and you are trying to get back home?
And the announcer says “2 hour delay” and then “3 hour delay” and then “5 hour delay” and then:
You get what I mean.
Don’t cause any delays for a test.
Please.
Now once you’ve organized your study material for the test, the next thing that you should do for the day is to do a run through over the material twice to refresh your brain on what might be on it.
Now when you do this, you’ll come across what are called your “strong points” and your “weak points.”
Your strong points are the material that you know for sure and that you are set on.
Your weak points are basically everything else from you “sort of know it” to “I don’t know what the heck this is.”
When you study, make a note on a separate sheet of paper or on a post it note and write down what are your strong and weak points.
Keep that sheet or post it note in a very safe place and that is easily accessible. You will use this to set the foundation for day’s 2 prep, which is the momentum day for your prep.
Day 2 Prep
On day 2, grab your sheet with the study material and the sheet or post it note with your weak and strong points for the test.
You are going to go through this sheet and hit on the weak points first.
You are only going to drill those concepts and make sure that they are 100% crystal clear in your head before moving on to seeing if there is trouble with the strong points.
Now go through your study sheet or flashcards and cover the answers and try to recollect them with respect to their corresponding questions/concepts.
Do what you have to do in order to get the information on the weak points whether it’s reading your textbok again or asking a classmate for help.
Once you have done that, run through your strong points again and make sure that those are solid. If they are NOT solid, then you will seek out the answers for them again and you once you have, drill them again until they are 100% solid.
And finally, run through the entire material (both strong and weak points) in your study guide or flashcards again.
And there might be some new weak points as a result of the studying, so if that is the case, please do not hesitate recreating the exercise and repeating it for days 3-7.
Days 3-7 Prep/Wrap Up
Honestly, there really isn’t anything more that I have to say on this except do the same procedure again that I wrote about in this blog post for days 3-7. In a nutshell, here’s what you do:
1. Create or find your study guide/make flashcards (Day 1)
2. Run through the entire material for weak and strong points (Days 1-7)
3. Drill your weak points (Days 1-7)
4. Drill your strong points (Days 1-7)
5. Run through the entire material to make sure everything is solid (Days 1-7)
And here’s the final step,
6. Do NOT go over 3 hours for studying for that test in the day and do NOT try to pull an all nighter for that test (Days 1-7)
Believe me when I say this, all nighters are NOT worth it and they will do more HARM than good.
And here’s the REAL final step for you:
7. Don’t over study, but do NOT play any video games nor do anything that can detract your focus from the test (Days 1-7)
Yes, there are many successful college students who would tell you otherwise, but from my experience, that is bad advice.
You should be 100% focused.
But instead of over analyzing everything on the test, just focus on the end goal when you are finished with the studying.
It’ll force you to do whatever you need to do to achieve it during the test.
As long as you have the map (this blog post) and you KNOW the destination, you will get to where you need to go.
Just trust that statement to the core and understand that.
Even if you have a 20 IQ, you to can become the greatest engineer ever, better than all of those MIT kids 🙂
So just stick with it and the results will show.
If you liked this post, comment below with your comments and let me know what you got out of it or any questions that you may have.
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May the force be with you!
Until next time,
This is Chief Islander Evan signing off.
Evan Cruz
Evan Cruz is the founder of Join the Island, the website committed to helping young adults become massively productive and reach their full potential.
He has been featured on Vox, OnlineU, and UpJourney. He has also a cited human relations expert and college expert.
He graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering.
Read more about Evan and Join the Island here.