Study habits

Summary The right preparation plan for you depends on your study habits and the amount of time you have before the test. 

You are the best judge of your study habits. You should make a realistic decision about what will work best for you. Good intentions and wishes will not prepare you for the exam. Decide what works best for you. Do not feel that you must follow one of these schedules exactly you can fine-tune any one of them to your own needs. Do not make the mistake of forcing yourself to follow someone else s method. Look at the following descriptions, and see which best describes you. This will help you pick a prep mode. 

The first time you may have to refer to your notes or book. Make sure you understand and master the material that gave you trouble. Then work the problems again, but the second time try not to use your notes, and work them in a random order. Sometimes the context of the material gives you clues that may not be present on an excim, so you don t want to rely on them. Working problems in a random order is an especially powerful study habit when gearing up for the final exam. 

Accomplish the above—DO NOT wait until the day before the exam to begin studying create good study habits. 

For many of you, the first course in chemistry will be a new experience— perhaps a difficult one. To understand chemistry, you will have to work hundreds of problems. For many students, the mathematical side of the course may seem more difficult than it should, leading to unnecessary frustration. There appear to be two main sources of this difficulty and frustration they center around (1) study habits, and (2) the way you analyze a problem and proceed to its solution. The following suggestions, taken seriously from the very beginning, may be of great help to you. For most people, improved study habits and problem-solving skills come only with practice and with a determined effort spread over a long time. It s worth it. 

I want to know which studies have identified the factors that show a positive correlation with success in completion of graduate programs. Perhaps, for instance, it is better to weight the letters of recommendation, where someone has actually had a student in the lab and has seen the student work and knows that the student, in spite of initial difficulties such as poor study habits, is likely to complete the program because of his or her own personal commitment. 

Students know full well that the above-mentioned premises underlie most of the tests that they take. We have only to look at their study habits for confirmation. They memorize dates, figures, isolated facts, lists, and as many trivial details as they can. They expect to be quizzed on these things. They do not expect to be asked to demonstrate their reasoning, their ability to apply their understanding in a meaningful way to a new situation, or to create anything. In fact, they may become aggrieved when asked to do so, because it disrupts their expectations (Marshall, in press). Have we not all heard complaints that some tests were unfair because students were not told in advance that they would be asked a particular type of question Tests have become routine look-up or recall exercises. Students memorize some material and... 

In words of Kothari Commission (1966) "Evaluation is a continuous process, it forms an integral part of the total system of education, and is intimately related to educational objectives. It exercises a great influence on the pupil s study habits and teachers methods of instruction and thus helps not only to measure educational achievement but also to improve it the techniques of evaluation are means of collecting evidences about the students development in desirable directions". 

The teacher s goal was to help the students (adopt/adapt) good study habits. 

Learning chemistry requires both the assimilation of many concepts and the development of analytical skills. In this text we have provided you with numerous tools to help you succeed in both tasks. If you are going to succeed in your chemistry course, you will have to develop good study habits. Science courses, and chemistry in particular, make different demands on your learning skills than do other types of courses. We offer the following tips for success in your study of chemistry ... 

Self-directed study habits—attendance, participation, critical thinking, troubleshooting, goal setting, time management, motivation, reading and study, homework, self-directed work ethic... 

Students often say, I studied 40 hours for this exam and I still didn t do well. Where did I go wrong Most instructors hear this complaint every year. In many cases, it is true that the student invested countless hours, only to produce abysmal results. Often, inefficient study habits are to blame. The important question is why do so many students have difficulty preparing themselves for organic chemistry exams There are certainly several factors at play here, but perhaps the most dominant factor is a fundamental disconnect between what students learn and the tasks expected of them. To illustrate this disconnect, consider the following analogy. 

Some people are gifted scholars and naturally pick up the skills that enable them to be successful in their studies. Most of us, however, have to learn the study habits that will help us succeed. No two people learn in exactly the same way, so each of us has to find what works best for us. 

United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare, National Heart Institute (1966) The Framingham Heart Study Habits and Coronary Heart Disease (PHS Publication No. 1515), US GPO, Washington, D. C. 

Student Focus Groups on Content and Design Two student class tests and three student focus groups provided the editorial team with an rmderstanding of how content and the design of a textbook impact a student s homework and study habits in the general chemistry cotuse. 

Faculty, administrators, and staff members, including academic advisors, are much less positive about the adequacy of students preparation. Faculty members were split in their views of preparation eight said students are prepared, ten said they are not, and six said student preparation varies. One professor notes students are prepared academically but not in study habits. Administrators and staff were not asked directly about student preparation as were faculty, but when asked about obstacles to students successful completion of the engineering degree some cited poor high school preparation. 

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