How to study for an exam: advice for adult learners

How to study for an exam: advice for adult learners

At present, there are quite taken and shown by evidence that studying is not only things children and youth. Any age is good for improving training and, as a person coming true year is closer to intellectual fulfillment and maximum creativity. When an adult decides to resume formal education will face the challenge of exams. A drink that for some adults may have an added difficulty having lost the habit of memorizing and lack of time for their further obligations to the study, as work and / or family.

Techniques for achieving success in exams

Working on own notes with underlining, concept mapping and other techniques

With a simple search on Google or using specialized websites we can find summaries and outlines of all disciplines at all levels. It is a quick and easy option, but we must not be tempted to abuse this information, since synthesis activities effectively lose a lot when they are not performed by oneself. Therefore, the ideal is:

Study and work on the notes themselves.

A good way to approach the subjects of the tests is to make a comprehensive first reading of the texts and then highlight the most important.

Summarizing, ie synthesize the highlight with our own words and remember more easily.

The key is to summarize the full content but leave out any key or important data.

Create mind maps

Visual diagrams, mind maps or conceptual type maps are very effective in summarizing content, organize our own ideas and review them at a glance whenever we want.

Using flashcards

Study sheets are very useful to assimilate specific information, dates, numbers, or vocabulary. Therefore, they are particularly suitable for subjects like history, chemistry and geography. The study chips become rote in a fun process and are very effective at reviewing. They can be made with the classic method of writing on small rectangles of paper or cardboard or software.

Exercises or case studies

Sometimes it is hard to grasp the theory of some fields of study. However, exercises and case studies can help us visualize the theoretical or abstract concepts as they assimilate knowledge more easily and see their practical use in our daily lives, an issue particularly appreciated by adult students. This technique is very useful in subjects like mathematics, physics or law.

Brainstorming

Brainstorming is a meeting of a group of people who make a brainstorm about a particular topic. Although it is more related to the world of work, brainstorming can be especially useful when doing group work in order to consider different ideas and perspectives as well in examinations, in order to answer questions and get to the bottom of the matter.

Mnemonics rules

Some adults complain that they no longer have the memory of when they were younger. A possible solution to this difficulty may be the mnemonics, especially helpful in memorizing lists and sets. The rules work mnemonic basically associating concepts, words or phrases that we have to memorize with others that are more familiar to us.

Planning and organizing the Study

One of the most effective study skills but often overlooked is simply to optimize our time through a rational organization of the study. Basically it is to develop a single calendar with pragmatic and realistic criteria, in which time we can devote to study and what will work in every moment detail.