The traditional, stereotypical ideal of the straight-A student spending countless hours studying at the same desk in the library week after week is not only inaccurate, but actually counterproductive. Too many students think that this is the way to good grades, and to ace the ACT test, but nothing could be farther from the truth. To be sure, studying more is generally better than studying less, but studying that is tedious and boring is not nearly as effective as it could be. It can actually be a waste of time.
How We Remember What We Study
By studying the way the brain works in memory, scientists have been able to determine what best helps us remember things. All the studying in the world is pointless if you don't retain what you're studying, so it is critical to analyze the nitty gritty of memory to find what techniques work best.
What the brain does in learning does is to associate what we are studying with things we already know. Our brain says "oh, I understand this new thing, it's kind of similar to this other thing I already know..." Thus, the more we know, the easier it is to learn because we have more things to associate new learnings with.
New Revelation for a Great Study Technique
A recent study found that it is not just what we already know that helps us remember things, but also the environment and surroundings WHERE we are learning. Specifically, if we study something several times in several different places - let's say a coffee shop, our living room, and at a friend's house - we have much greater retention because the brain has three different locations to tie it all into. It's not just the repetition that helps, but also that we were in three different environments. Even though you won't remember in a month where you learned something, the brain actually used the fact that you studied it in a few different locations to make it easier to retain in its long term memory.
What This Means for ACT Studying
Change your study location. If you have a study partner or study group, see about meeting in different places to review what you went over the last time you studied together. Before you meet with your study group at a coffee shop, for instance, skim the material at home or on the way to or from school. If you can aim for 3 different locations, reviewing the material 3 different times, you will save time over a long cram session and end up doing better.
Divide up your study time. If you have 3 hours to study in a week, then study 20 minutes a day for 6 days. The repetition will help you retain what you are studying.
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Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
How to Choose an ACT Test Date for the 2010 - 2011 School Year
Becoming a junior is exciting - now you're finally an upperclassman! But one of the biggest decisions (even bigger than driver's ed) is when you will take the ACT test. It seems that everyone has their own strategy and what generally happens is that you don't make the decision yourself and the calendar ends up making the decision for you... That's not a strategy for success.
For the 2010 - 2011 School Year, the test dates (and registration deadlines) are as follows:
•October 23, 2011 (register by September 17 to avoid a late registration charge)
•December 11, 2011 (register by November 5th to avoid a late registration charge)
•February 12, 2012 (register by January 7 to avoid a late registration charge)
•April 9, 2012 (register by March 4 to avoid a late registration charge)
•June 11, 2012 (register by May 6 to avoid a late registration charge)
First, Select the Month
The best month to take the test is as early as possible in your junior year. This allows you to have time to study and retake the test if you do poorly and want to increase your score. Ideally, you want to take the test in December or earlier. After you add on three weeks after the test date to get your score report, you will still have plenty of time, if you need to, to study and retake the test in February, April or June.
When making your decision, check your school calendar to see what things might interfere with the test date you want. For instance, a late night homecoming basketball game on the Friday night before the test Saturday morning is not a good idea. Check your exam schedule, prom and other activities.
Second, Register On Time
Register for the test as soon as you can. There is no guarantee that you will be able to get a seat if registering just before the deadline, let alone if you are registering late. You may end up having to go to a different test center farther from your house if there is no more room at your preferred test site, and that extra drive means you have to get up earlier before the test, giving you less sleep.
Third, Register for a TIR With NO Reports Sent to Schools
When you register for the December, April or June test dates and take the test at a designated "National Test Center" you can pay a fee of $18 extra to receive a TIR (Test Information Report) that will give you a copy of your test, the answers you selected and the answer key. This is the best possible way to understand why you got questions wrong and what you need to study if you decide to retake the test!
If you aren't sure about how well you are prepared for the test, you can choose to NOT send your scores to the colleges you are applying to. That way, if you didn't do as well as you'd like and intend to retake the test, you can send the scores from the next test (a small additional fee is required). Knowing that nobody will see your score until and unless you send it to them can be a BIG stress reliever on test day!
The best way to prepare for the test is a little bit every day instead of trying to cram. You can do that by subscribing to an email newsletter or a "tip of the day."
For a free month's worth of Video Tips of the Day, go to http://www.CollegeExamTutor.com where you can select either the weekly newsletter, the Daily Video Tips or both.
For the 2010 - 2011 School Year, the test dates (and registration deadlines) are as follows:
•October 23, 2011 (register by September 17 to avoid a late registration charge)
•December 11, 2011 (register by November 5th to avoid a late registration charge)
•February 12, 2012 (register by January 7 to avoid a late registration charge)
•April 9, 2012 (register by March 4 to avoid a late registration charge)
•June 11, 2012 (register by May 6 to avoid a late registration charge)
First, Select the Month
The best month to take the test is as early as possible in your junior year. This allows you to have time to study and retake the test if you do poorly and want to increase your score. Ideally, you want to take the test in December or earlier. After you add on three weeks after the test date to get your score report, you will still have plenty of time, if you need to, to study and retake the test in February, April or June.
When making your decision, check your school calendar to see what things might interfere with the test date you want. For instance, a late night homecoming basketball game on the Friday night before the test Saturday morning is not a good idea. Check your exam schedule, prom and other activities.
Second, Register On Time
Register for the test as soon as you can. There is no guarantee that you will be able to get a seat if registering just before the deadline, let alone if you are registering late. You may end up having to go to a different test center farther from your house if there is no more room at your preferred test site, and that extra drive means you have to get up earlier before the test, giving you less sleep.
Third, Register for a TIR With NO Reports Sent to Schools
When you register for the December, April or June test dates and take the test at a designated "National Test Center" you can pay a fee of $18 extra to receive a TIR (Test Information Report) that will give you a copy of your test, the answers you selected and the answer key. This is the best possible way to understand why you got questions wrong and what you need to study if you decide to retake the test!
If you aren't sure about how well you are prepared for the test, you can choose to NOT send your scores to the colleges you are applying to. That way, if you didn't do as well as you'd like and intend to retake the test, you can send the scores from the next test (a small additional fee is required). Knowing that nobody will see your score until and unless you send it to them can be a BIG stress reliever on test day!
The best way to prepare for the test is a little bit every day instead of trying to cram. You can do that by subscribing to an email newsletter or a "tip of the day."
For a free month's worth of Video Tips of the Day, go to http://www.CollegeExamTutor.com where you can select either the weekly newsletter, the Daily Video Tips or both.
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