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Essay Exams
Do you know the key concepts discussed in class? What did the teacher highlight or emphasize in her lectures? What were the main topics she spoke about each day leading up to the test? The answers to these questions are important clues for what to study.
What you should do: Make a study sheet by writing down the main ideas discussed in each lecture (you do record class lectures, right?), textbook chapter, or handout. Bring your list to your teacher and ask whether you’re studying the right material. Now come up with key questions based on the main ideas. Write the questions on one side of a flashcard and the answers — in outline, story, or drawing format — on the other.
What you write on the back should be an abridged version of an essay answer. For example, if you’re explaining the history of civil rights, you might list key events, the date and location each occurred, who was involved, and why these events took place.
Quiz yourself from the questions on the flashcards, and write out the answers on a piece of paper. Then reverse the process — read the answers and formulate potential questions. Make sure you write out answers in “sandwich” form: an introductory sentence, three to five supporting statements, and a one-sentence conclusion. This will help you remember them.
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This article comes from the Spring 2009 issue of ADDitude.
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