MEMORY TIPS

FILL IN BLANKS

Make your own flash cards by writing “ fill in the blank” statements on the front of index cards and answer on the back.
Or do the same with a hand- held tape recorder: Make recorded questions, pauses for answers, then recorded answers.

SEVEN IS THE MAGIC NUMBER.
Repeat difficult information seven times a day for seven days. OR Create seven index cards with the word or fact written on them. Tape the cards in places where you go frequently (i.e., mirror, fridge, etc,), then forget about them. After two weeks you will subliminally absorb the information.

REVEAL
During review cover up the text below heading and try to remember what’s next.
This method works well with your notes, outlines and Quick Study charts.

KEY IDEAS
Highlight them in your textbooks and outlines
Give extra attention to words or phases in bold
Make up acronyms or mnemonics to recall (i.e. GIGO = garbage in; garbage out) or (Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally = parentheses first, then exponents, then multiplication, division, addition and subtraction)

MAPPING
Make a mental image of your noted, outlines, color-coded Quick Study charts, etc. and where facts are located on them in relations to other topics. These images (fact maps) and their data can be recalled during tests.

STUDY STRESS MANAGEMENT SKILLS

Don’t sweat the small stuff. Try to prioritize your activities, and focus on the most important ones.

Work off stress through some kind of physical activity. Exercise is a great stress reliever because it takes your mind off of things that are bothering you.

Take care of yourself. Be sure to eat right and get enough sleep. Eating too much or too little, or sleeping too much or too little, can aggravate the stress that you already have.

STUDY NOTE TAKING SKILLS

Don’t try to write down everything the teacher says. Focus on the main ideas.

When you’re taking notes, use your own words.

Keep your notes organized. They will be as important as the text book.

Each night, review the notes you took that day. This will make things easier to remember when it comes time to study for the test.

TEST TAKING SKILLS(studying)

Be well rested before taking tests.

Don’t cram for tests! It’s OK to spend extra time studying the night before a big test, but don’t try to learn EVERYTHING that night.

Try to find out what type of test you will be taking (essay, multiple choice, True/ False, matching, etc.). It’s likely that test questions will be similar to homework you have done, because homework is "practice."

DON’T PANIC. Just tackle one question at a time. If a question is too hard, skip it and come back to it later.

TIME MANAGEMENT SKILLS

For each study period, decide what you want to accomplish and how long you will spend on each subject or assignment.

Break your workload down into manageable chunks and take your homework one step at a time.
Don’t procrastinate (that’s a big word that means putting things off). Give yourself plenty of time to get things done by planning ahead and sticking to a schedule.

Be aware of things that distract you or waste your time, and keep them to a minimum

ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS

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  Use things like outlines, charts, or flashcards to help you organize and learn new material.
• You’ll be reviewing the material while you are making these tools, and you’ll have them to use later when it’s time to study for tests.
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  Use a planner to keep track of homework assignments, tests and projects. Write in your planner every single day so that it becomes a habit!
• 
  Keep a notebook or folder for all your notes and homework assignments. You might need one for each subject to make things easier.
• 
  Keep a "To Do" list. Write down things you need to do, then decide what needs to be done right away and what can wait until later.