Your actions and inactions towards an exam day can determine whether you will pass or fail. Whatever you do during this period has its repercussions. In athletics, a marathon runner wouldn’t begin his/her training just a day to the main event. So you should also prepare in advance for a test and get LearnSmart answers online to have enough time with your books and other reading materials to avoid putting pressure on the brain. Here are some strategies you can employ to ensure effective learning as you get closer to examination.

Preparation period

As you prepare for exams, several things must be considered and your attitude must reflect the seriousness you attach to it. As such, you need to:

• Get ready for your first test immediately after you receive your reading materials and syllabus for the semester. Adopt a specific learning strategy you are comfortable with and plan to execute it.
• Give yourself enough time through the learning process.
• Plan your studying schedules to include break times
• Don’t stress yourself with long hours of studies. Break materials into pieces and consume little by little
• Create your own learning style

Strategies for Pre-Reading, Reading, and Post-Reading

• Learn to create pre-reading questions on assigned topics, and before you start reading the chapters, test your knowledge on it.
• Don’t just go straight into reading chapters/sections of the assigned topic, instead accustom yourself with them with a quick scan through the headings, main points, and illustrations.
• When you come across new/strange words, find the meaning according to their usage in the chapter.
• Create a vocabulary dictionary for new words
• Make sure you create your own notes using the main points. It should be simpler, easy to read and understand, compared to the main learning material.
• It is highly possible to come across things you don’t understand as you read. In such cases, note them down, and seek further explanation from your teacher or classmates.
• If you need further clarification on a topic, visit your school library or any available facility related to what you are seeking.
• Prepare study questions throughout your studies.

Preparing for lecture and note-taking

• Before attending a lecture, read through the day’s topic to have background knowledge on it. Through that, you can also prepare a list of questions to ask your teacher.
• You should always take note during lessons by writing down the main points and highlights.
• If your lecturer speaks faster than you can comprehend, seek permission to do an audio recording of the lecture.
• Another way of matching the pace of your lecturer is by taking notes in shorthand and using abbreviations.
• In case the lecturer referred to several pages or sections in the learning material, write the pages or sections numbers down. If he/she also mentioned an external source, write it down for future studies.
• After class, review your notes by comparing them with others. You can then prepare personal notes using the recorded audio or points you wrote.

After-lecture activities

• Read through your study materials
• Learn in groups made up of competent and serious students and be highly involved with it
• Test your ability by setting yourself some questions
• Make use of flashcards to improve your memory
• Explore other reading and learning materials related to your topic

Tips on Studying Physics Effectively

• Understand the overview of physics as a program or subject. It always proves crucial to recognize physics as a discipline that primarily deals with problem-solving. As much as your instructor will stress aspects such as principles and themes, you will have to apply them to solve problems. Therefore, an overview of physics can prove instrumental in organizing your efforts besides increasing your efficiency. You will have to comprehend and retain formulas and data. Additionally, the connecting themes and underlying principles should also prove visible from your position to generate formulas whenever you forget one. 
• Effective class participation. Physics as a program requires effective class participation, and for this reason, it becomes crucial to prepare beforehand to integrate the materials while in class fully.  Therefore, check your reading assignment or course outline to understand what your instructor will cover in class. Do homework carefully to be ready for the next lesson. Besides this, it also becomes essential to preview textbook sections that become pivotal to whatever subjects you will cover in class, enhancing your capacity to understand concepts. So read and understand the summary and introduction sections of the chapters and pay attention to the headings. You can then formulate potential questions concerning the subjects you will cover to understand the material better.
  It also becomes crucial to attend classes and stay attentive to the end. Here, you will get valuable hints from your instructor, which you can note down to help you understand and recap everything later in your study sessions.
• Read your physics textbook. You will always find the process of reading texts and solving assignment problems proving cyclical. Answers can lead to questions that can ultimately lead to answers again. Additionally, it becomes crucial to look for associations between topics. Here, you might notice specific problems getting analyzed first before the problem’s generalization is set into abstract results.  In such instances, it becomes crucial to refer to the previously cited case and ensure that you comprehend the application of the general theory to a particular problem.

Problem Solving

Physics, as earlier mentioned, entails plenty of problem-solving, and by this point, you might prove a novice in problem-solving. To become an expert, you have to become efficient in solving physics problems. So how can you go about it? You must first consider the background of the problem before going ahead and pondering what you have to find by solving the problem. Additionally, consider aspects such as the information you have to use and the principles that will apply. Similarly, aspects such as your knowledge of similar situations and how you can solve the problem through applying the information you have can prove pivotal. 

Effective Preparation for Tests

You have to have an elaborate study strategy to give yourself an easier time to prepare for exams. Plenty, if not all, physics exams entail problem-solving. Therefore actively studying will enable you to apply physics principles to solve problems presented in the exams. To do this efficiently, consider doing the following.

• Review your course notes a week before the test and recheck what the outline of the course says. It will help you prepare by equipping you with what you can anticipate in your exams.
• You have to read your assignment problem solutions afresh to remind yourself of the underlying laws and principles of physics besides their application to ensure you prepare adequately in applying the same to solve test problems.
• Review the chapters assigned. Here, your goal entails preparing for your exam by ensuring that you become conversant with the exam topics.
• Finally, review actively.

Conclusion

Physics can become a fun and easy subject so long as you develop an effective study routine. For you to ace physics in college, consider the guidelines provided.