How to Study for College

~ EXAM STUDY GUIDE ~
Adapted from Walter Pauk How to Study in College

Test Taking: Multiple-Choice Questions

The multiple-choice questions, matching, and true-false question have at least one thing in common - the correct answer is provided. Your problem as a test taker is to identify it.

Most multiple-choice questions are of the incomplete-statement type. A partial statement (called the stem) leads grammatically into four or five sentence endings, or options, listed directly under it. One of the options is the correct answer. The other (incorrect) options are called distracters or decoys.

Example: (stem) The almost perfect walls of granite boulders surrounding some lakes in Iowa were formed by

This incomplete-statement question exhibits good construction in the following ways:

1. all options are grammatically consistent.
2. the stem is long, and the options are short.
3. extraneous material is excluded from the stem.
4. the stem contains one central problem.
5. double negatives are not used.
6. all options are plausible.
7. the correct answer is no longer or shorter than the others.
8. only one option is the correct or best answer.

Answering Multiple Choice Questions

Before you even look at a question on a multiple-choice test, you must read the directions carefully. You must be sure of what is being asked of you. This cannot be stressed enough. Ask the teacher if necessary.

Begin each question by reading the stem all the way through. Then read the options all the way through.

You should read all the options even when the question seems unfamiliar. One of them might provide you with a hint as to what the question is about. There might be information in the options themselves.

After you read the stem and options, spend no more than a few seconds puzzling over the question. If you cannot answer it quickly, cross out any options you have eliminated and go on return later to the question.

If you cannot eliminate all options to a question you should guess.

1. Additional hints on decoy eliminating - the true-false technique: To use the true-false technique, you make a complete statement from the stem and each of the option, in turn. An option that results in a false statement is eliminated as a distracter. One that results in a true statement is probably the correct answer.

2. Stick to the subject of the course: When a multiple-choice question includes options that you don't recognize or seem out of place it is a good bet that the strange options are decoys.

3. Watch out for negatives and extreme words: Whenever you find negative words such as not or except in the stem or in the options. Circle them so they will stand out. But make sure you take them into consideration when you choose your answer.
Always circle 100 percent words such as never, no, none, best, worst, always, all, and every; and be suspicious of the options in which you find them.

4. Foolish options are usually incorrect: Sometimes test writers dash off foolish statements as an option. You should almost always view such statements as decoys worthy of being immediately crossed out.

5. The option "all the above" is usually correct:

Example: Until the first half of the second millennium B.C., an army laying seize to a city made use of

1. scaling ladders
2. siege towers
3. archery fire
4. all the above
 (The correct option is 4.)

6. Numbers in the middle range are usually correct: If you have a choice of options that are all numbers, one of the middle range numbers is probably the right choice. Test writers usually include a too high number and a too low number. You may eliminate them, then have a fifty/fifty chance of choosing the correct option. You may improve your chances by comparing the numbers to something you are familiar with.

7. Check for look-alike numbers: Test makers sometimes include, in one question, two options that are alike except for one word. Such a pair seems to indicate where the test maker's interest was focused, so it is logical to assume that one of the pair is the correct answer.

Example: The author considers himself an authority on _______ 

a. touring the Middle East
b. Middle East rug dealers
c. Middle East rug bargains
d. behavior patterns of tourist.

b and c seem to be the focus, you would therefore choose one of them.

Be really careful if there are two pairs of similar options.

8. Check longer or more inclusive options: In multiple-choice questions, the correct option is often longer or more inclusive of qualities or ideas than the decoys.

How to Answer Matching Questions

The following sequence of steps will help you work through any matching questions systematically and efficiently.

1. Read the directions. Then run your eyes down both columns to get a brief overview of the specific items you will be working with.

2. Read the top item in the left-hand column. Then look carefully down the right-hand column until you find a match for it. Don't stop at the first likely match; instead, continue through to the end of the right-hand column, to make sure there is not a better match.

3. When you are certain that you have found a match, fill in the proper letter or number. If you are not sure of your choice skip the item and come back to it later.

4. This is the secret: Continue down the left column, filling in all the matches that you're sure of. This will drastically and immediately reduce the number of items that are left for the more difficult matches. Also, the fewer the items, the better are your chances of being correct.

5. As you use each item in the right column, circle its letter or number to show that it has been used. (You may also want to add the number or letter of the item with which it has been matched. This keying of your matches will help you check your answers later.)

Don't do any guessing until you are almost absolutely sure you're completely stumped. If you make an incorrect match too soon, you'll remove a "live" item from later consideration, then a second match, which would have made use of that item, will also be wrong. So first do your very best; then, using common sense and hunches, go ahead and guess at the remaining matches.

How to Study Matching Questions

If you know your instructor includes a long matching question in almost every exam, here's the best way to prepare for it. As you read and mark your textbook, be alert for facts and ideas that are associated with people's names. On a separate sheet, list the names and facts opposite each other, so that you end up with two distinct vertical columns, as in the following example.

Names	Facts or Ideas	Subject
Susan B. Anthony	Women's movement	Sociology
Jack London	Call of the Wild	Literature
George Washington Carver	Agricultural chemist	Science
Lewis and Clark	American explorers	History
George A. Miller	Magic number seven	Psychology
William James	Pragmatism	Philosophy
Mozart	Marriage of Figaro	Music

To master your list, cover the fact column with a sheet of paper. Look at each item in the name column, and recite and write the corresponding fact or idea. Then, to make sure that you learn the material both ways, block out the name column and use the facts as your cues. The example given here includes items from various subject areas. The same steps can be taken in any single subject area.

Test Taking: The True-False Test
What to Look For

In its simplest form, a true-false question is a statement that attributes a property or quality to one or more persons or things.

Examples:
T or F Birds can fly.
T or F Students are creative.
T or F Snakes are poisonous.

These questions are very simple. Most contain qualifiers, negatives, or strings of qualifiers.

1. Qualifiers: Here is what happens when we add qualifiers to our basic true-false questions:

Examples:
T or F All birds can fly.
T or F Some students are creative.
T or F Most snakes are poisonous.

Qualifiers may be grouped into sets. The six most used sets are:
1. All - most - some - none (no)
2. Always - usually - sometimes - never
3. Great - much - little - no
4. More - equal - less
5. Good - bad
6. Is - is not

Within each set, the qualifiers may overstate a true-false statement, understate it, or make it just right. Whenever one qualifier from a set is used in the true-false statement, substitute each of the others for it, in turn. In this way, determine which of the qualifiers in the set fits best. If that is the given qualifier, the answer is true; otherwise, the answer is false.

Example: T or F All birds can fly.

Substituting the other qualifiers in the all set gives you these four statements:

All birds can fly
Most birds can fly
Some birds can fly
No birds can fly

The statement beginning with the word most fits best, but that is not the given qualifier, therefore the answer is false.

Some qualifiers are 100 percent words. They imply that the statements they appear in are true 100 percent of the time. These words are No, Never, None, Every, Always, All, Only, Entirely, Invariably, Best. Such statements are almost always false because there are very few things that are 100 percent one way or the other.

Qualifying words that fall between the extremes are generally used in true statements. Here are some in between qualifiers: Seldom, Most, Usually, Sometimes, Few.

2. The parts of a true-false statement: If any part of a true-false statement is false then the whole statement is false.

Example:
Consider the statement: A warm-climate product, cocoa is grown in the Gold Coast of Africa, Nigeria, Brazil, Columbia, Venezuela, and in southern Norway. The answer is false because of the part that contains Norway.

Sometimes two statements are connected by such words as therefore, consequently, or because, implying that the two parts have a logical relationship. In most cases they do not have a logical relationship and are usually false. Example, take the statement: Ronald Reagan was an actor; consequently, he became president of the United States T or F.

3. Beware of negatives: True - false statements that contain negative words and prefixes are difficult to sort out and answer. Such words include not and cannot, and the negative prefixes are des, il, im, in, non, and un, as in inconsequential or illogical.

When you are confronted with such statements, begin by circling the negative words and negative prefixes. Then try to get the meaning of the statement with out the negatives.

4. Think "True" - and guess when you must: Most true - false test contain more true statements than false.

Answering Essay Questions
How essay exam are graded

Those grading essays exam don't simply count facts, ideas, and dates. Most essay questions require reasoning, and graders look for it in your answers. In a survey 114 college teachers were asked what they look for most when grading answers to essay questions. Here is how they responded.

Specific Quality	Number of Responses
Reasoning ability	103
Factual accuracy	84
Relevance to question	73
Good organization	71
Complete answers	71
Clarity	64

Of course, you must know the facts cold, because you can't reason and organize well or be clear and relevant if you don't know what you are writing about.

Planning before you answer: A good plan before you start writing will save you time and help you remember things about the subject matter. Here are some ideas that work.

1. Make notes on the back of the exam sheet: Jot ideas, facts, and details, that you have memorized, on the back of the exam sheet.

2. Read the examination directions carefully: Notice especially whether you must answer all the questions and whether there are time limits. You may be given a choice of questions.

3. Read all the questions: Before you write anything, read all the questions. If you have a choice among questions, select those for which you are best prepared. As you read the instructions for each question, underline or circle the key words, which tell you the form in which the answer is wanted. Then check the key words before you begin to answer the question.

4. Jot cues alongside each question: While reading each question, quickly note a few words of phrases that immediately come to your mind. Later, when you begin writing, use these jottings and those on the back of the exam sheet to organize your answer.

5. Plan your time: After following these steps, figure out how much time is left Then decide how much tine to give each question, and stick to your plan.

6. Start with the easiest question: Don't sit and stare at the first exam question. Seize on an easy one, number the answer correctly, and start writing.

Some key words that appear in essay exam questions and the form in which you should respond.

1. Comment - discuss briefly
2. Compare - emphasize similarities, but also present differences
3. Contrast - give differences only
4. Criticize - give your judgment of good points and limitations, with evidence.
5. Define - give meaning but no details
6. Discuss - give reasons pro and con, with details
7. Enumerate - list the points
8. Explain - give reasons for happenings or situations
9. Give an example - give a concrete example from your book or experience
10. Identify - list and describe
11. Justify - prove or give reasons
12. Trace - give main points from beginning to end of event
13. Solve - come up with a solution based on given facts or your knowledge

How to Answer an Essay Question

These ten rules are not meant to tell you what to write, but rather how to compose and word your answers.

1. Understand the question with precision: You must determine the exact idea that the professor is trying to get at.

2. Strive for a complete answer: State your ideas explicitly. Do not leave anything to be inferred or concluded by the teacher. Also define your term as you go to show that you know the full meaning of all the words that you are using. Show the complete process of your thinking.

3. Use facts and logic, not vague impressions or feelings: Teachers are not interested in your personal likes or dislikes, emotions, attitude or feelings. They are concerned with how well you understand the material. They don't even care whether you like or dislike the subject.

4. Avoid unsupported opinions: An option that is not supported by some kind of logical or factual evidence is not worth anything at all, even if it is absolutely correct. If a point is true or untrue it must be made on the basis of some convincing evidence or argument.

5. Be concise: The most impressive answer is invariably presented in a direct and straight forward manner.

6. Write carefully to avoid errors: If you misspell common words, and make clumsy errors in sentence structure, many of your instructors are going to take it as a sure sign that you are lacking in basic academic ability.

7. Be natural and sincere: Avoid the use of high-sounding jargon, super elegant language, phony fancy style, or so-called "fine writing."

8. Organize your answer intelligently: Focus on either one central idea, or several main points. In either case, follow the principle of "one idea - one paragraph." Write deductive paragraphs, in which you first state your important idea clearly and precisely, with adequate explanation. Then follow this statement immediately with factual or logical evidence that will support it adequately and convincingly.

9. Keep it simple: Do not get involved in deep philosophical profundities. Especially avoid vague and fuzzy speculation that cannot be squared with common sense.

10. Understand the instructor's pet idea: In general, every instructor uses only a few basic approaches to his subject. An alert student can easily identify the pet ideas and work them out carefully in his own words.

The Content of An Essay Answer

Your answer must demonstrate that you:

1. understand the question clearly.
2. know the necessary facts and supporting materials.
3. can apply reasoning to these materials

Getting organized to write your answer

1. Do not write an introduction: Don't start your essay with an introductory paragraph or even with a high sounding sentence such as "This is, indeed, a crucial question that demands a swift solution;" therefore. . . the instructor wants to know how you answer the question.

2. Answer the question directly and forcefully in the first sentence: The key to a direct answer is in a partial repeat of the question itself. Here is an example.

Question: What do you think is the purpose of studying sociology?

Answer: I believe that the purpose of studying sociology is to make us aware and conscious that the people of the world are not one conglomerated mass; instead people fall into various groups societies, and economic groups.

3. Expand on the first sentence: Now all you need to do is put down ideas, facts, and details to support your first sentence. When everything you write pertains to the first sentence, you cannot help but achieve unity, everything is not only pertinent but also hangs together. Example:

Question: Are dunes recognizable after they have been covered with vegetation? Describe.

Answer: Yes, dunes can be recognized after they have been covered by vegetation because dunes have characteristic shapes that cannot be entirely obscured or obliterated by vegetation. Dunes have a definite crest or summit, usually having a long windward slope and a much steeper leeward slope. They would be especially easy to recognize if they were barchans (crest-shaped dunes). By studying the shape of dunes, it is often possible to determine the direction of the prevailing winds over a region; thus a person can ascertain the present direction of prevailing winds to see whether the windward slope and the winds coincide. Shape therefore indicates much more than whether a desert feature is or is not a dune.

This is a one paragraph essay answer. For an extended essay it is even more important that your direct answer comes first, but in form of a paragraph. Then each of your subsequent paragraphs should expand on one of the sentences in the first paragraph. Example:

Question: Name and briefly describe several specific methods that a classroom teacher way employ to aid students in improving their reading skills. Consider this question in the context of the subject area in which you plan to teach.

Answer: I plan to teach high school English. To help my students improve their reading skills, I would teach them word analysis, how to read between the lines and interpret what they are reading, how to read with a purpose - and how to better understand the structure of what they are reading. I shall discuss each of these methods briefly:

(A) Reading ability is...

(B) Interpretative reading or reading between the lines is...

(C) Reading with a purpose is...

(D) I would try to improve students' reading skills...

To sum up, I would help my students improve their reading skills through word analysis, interpretative reading, reading with a purpose, and analysis of the structure of writing. As you can see, the sentences in the first paragraph become topic sentences in the subsequent paragraphs A, B, C and D. Each topic sentence is a direct answer to the question. You would expand on the topic sentence by providing supportive material.

4. Use transitions: Transitions are often called directional words; they point to the turn in the road that the reader should take. When transitions lead from one idea to the next, the instructor finds the paper clear logical and refreshing.

Transitional words and expressions	Their intention
For example, in other words, that is because, consequently, for this reason hence, since, thus, therefore, if. then	to amplify, show cause and effect
Similarly, moreover, also, too, in addition	to illustrate no change
At the same time, likewise, similarly	to show equal value
First, finally, last, next, second, then	to show order
For these reasons, in brief, in conclusion, to sum up	summary

5. Don't save your best for last: Avoid the mistake of saving your last idea for last, the big finish. If it is not in the first sentence the professor might not find it.

6. End with a summarizing sentence or two: Review the summary paragraph in the reading skills question.

Cramming for an Exam

The ideal test preparation model is to study and read ahead throughout the semester, yet if you have to cram it is best to use a systematic, controlled method. First off, you have to be realistic about what you can learn and thus distill the material into a workable amount. Remember, cramming cannot and will not be as effective as semester-long, conscientious studying. Below is a suggested method of cramming that seems highly successful. The "countdown days" are guideline dates, and thus should be altered to fit your situation.

Days before exam	3	4	5	Day of
Task	Assessment	Decide Outline	Memorize Review	Review

Five-Step Method to Studying for a Test

1. Three days before exam: Assessment

a. What will be covered in the test? Is it a cumulative test or not? What material am I responsible for?

b. Do I have all the material read? If not, it is probably too late to read all the material. If I have completed nearly all the material, I can go ahead and finish it. If I have not opened the book, I should concentrate on getting a general overview of the chapters by reading the chapter subtitles and the summaries located at the end of the various chapters.

c. Do I have all the lecture notes and are the ones I have clear? If I do not have the lecture notes, I should get them from someone in the class. Even if that person's notes aren't too clear, they will give me an indication of what the teacher stressed in the lecture.

d. Is the test going to concentrate on lecture notes or material from the book? The answer to this question will tell you where to concentrate my limited study time.

e. What are the main topics of testable material? What might be stressed on the test by the teacher? A review of my lecture notes and the themes the teacher concentrated upon or spent a great deal of time on are good indicators of the likely main topics of the test. Further, sometimes, especially in review sessions, the teacher might tell me what is going to be stressed (e.g. "This might be a good test question...").

f. Do I understand the material? If the material is understood, it is more easily remembered. If I do not understand something, I should go either to my professor or my teaching assistant and ask for an explanation.

g. What type of memory work will be stressed? I may be asked to recall information (essay tests) or simply recognize the correct answer (objective tests).

2. Two days before exam: Decide how much more background information you need or can learn within the time limit before the test. This is an important and critical step, for you might have to eliminate certain material in order to limit the material to a workable amount. At this point you may need to "take your chances" and make an educated guess on what will and will not be on the test, then only study those topics you believe will be on the exam.

a. Have I outlined the material? I should write a general outline on one or two pieces of paper stressing the highlights and main points of the material. It will be easier to remember an organized outline than a disorganized set of notes.

b. Does my outline capture the major bulk of the material that needs to be known for the test? Is everything clear on my outline?

c. Two to one day before exam (especially the evening before): Memorize - This is the crucial step. THIS is the actual "cramming" stage. It is here that you are attempting to stuff the material into your head. Yet the first three steps are essential if this step of memorizing is to be effective and successful, for now the material is learnable in organized, concise chunks.

d. Have I studied the items I need to remember the most? The items that you study first will be remembered more accurately and for a longer period of time.

e. Am I learning complete sections at a time? It is likely that you will be asked to recall a complete section of material at a single time in the exam, so it is best to memorize the material in entire outline sections.

f. Am I able to make a mental impression of the material? If you can see the outline in your mind, it will make the memorization process much more effective and your knowledge of the material much more complete. Form a "cheat sheet" in your mind, If you will.

g. Can I form my own examples, applications and illustrations of the material? This is not applicable to all forms of material. If you can make your own illustrations explaining the material, it is usually a sign you have a good grasp of the material.

h. Am I going to sleep early enough that I will wake up refreshed in the morning? If you do not get enough sleep the night before the exam, you will forget more than you might have learned otherwise.

3. Night before going to bed / Day of exam: Review

a. Night before going to bed: Have I rehearsed this material either out loud or silently? Once you have learned the various sections of material, go over it all together a couple of times. It helps to review out loud - giving yourself a lecture on the material. Do this review from memory - do not look at your outline or notes. After you have gone through the "'lecture," then go back to your outline and see what you have left out.

b. Day of exam: Did you get up early enough to review the material once before the exam? Reviewing the material the morning of the exam will keep it fresh in your mind. Do not attempt to study immediately before the test. Studying immediately before the exam will more likely create confusion in your mind about the material.

GOOD LUCK!