Studying Tips for a World History Final Exam??

Question

I have world history final exam on tuesday, and its about 400 pages of information, and i've been through about 1/5 of it so far, taking notes..

On the study guide, there are only one or two terms for each section. But my dad wants me to briefly read the whole book again, and then reread it, taking notes.

I only have today and monday, but i am going to study a lot.

What do you think is the most efficient way of studying for this final exam?

Answer 1

Some ideas:

- Make flash cards. Focus especially on the terms in the study guide, but also add your own terms from your notes. Write the term on the front of the card and a brief definition on the back to test your memory.

- Consider the format of the exam and try to predict what kinds of test questions you will encounter. For example, if there will be essay questions, think about broader concepts that you might be asked to write about. If there will be multiple choice or true/false questions, you should focus more on memorizing "trivia"--names, dates, places, events, years.

- Since you have a lot of information to cover and not a lot of time, don't get hung up on any one thing for too long. Make a list of priorities: focus on the topics you had the most trouble with in the class or are having the most difficult time remembering, instead of just going in the order of the book. Also focus on what your teacher spent the most time going over in class. You can also skip re-reading the things you already know pretty well. Don't try to study everything; try to study what will get you the most points on the test!

- Typing out your notes can help you to take faster notes, but writing terms, names, and dates out longhand can help you to memorize them. (Especially when you are dealing with names or foreign words that are hard to spell.)

- Making lists and timelines is a good way to organize the information in your head. Instead of just taking "plain" notes, keep a list of people and what they did, a list of major events, and/or a timeline on separate sheets of paper. That way when you're doing last-minute reviewing, you can skim the information quickly and efficiently.

- Don't forget to get some sleep! It doesn't do any good to cram all of that information if you're so sleepy you forget it or get confused when you take the test! A good night's sleep is critical to memory function.