Test Preparation
STRATEGIES BASED ON MAKE IT STICK: THE SCIENCE OF
SUCCESSFUL LEARNING BY PETER BROWN, HENRY ROEDIGER, AND
MARK MCDANIEL
POWERPOINT DEVELOPED BY ERIN DELANEY, U100 FACULTY
Overview
Real learning is hard. It comes from putting effort into your work and learning to overcome
setbacks.
Effortful learning changes your brain.
You can have control over your own learning if you choose to take it.
Strategy 1: Self-Quizzing
Pause in your reading to ask yourself quiz
questions.
◦ What are the key ideas?
◦ What ideas are new to me?
◦ How do they relate to what I already know?
Force yourself to answer—avoid illusions of
knowing.
Check your answers. Use them to focus your
studying.
While this may feel frustrating, it will strengthen
your learning and ability to access information.
Your Turn:
Work with a classmate to quiz
yourselves on The Postmortal.
What are the key ideas of the book?
Strategy 2: Space Out Studying
Study information more than once with time between study
sessions.
In other words, don’t cram.
Don’t stop quizzing yourself on material you think you know.
This will put the information into long term memory so you can use
it later in life.
Strategy 3: Interleave
Alternate between different subjects or problem types
Avoid repetition of a single concept or problem type
Challenge yourself to recognize the problem type and select the
correct solution
This helps you learn to tell the difference between types of
problems
Simulates a real-life scenario when you have to decide what
information is necessary
Strategy 4: Elaborate
Find additional layers of meaning in the material.
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Relate it to what you already know
Explain to someone else in your own words
Explain how it relates to your life outside of class
Discover a metaphor or visual image
Your Turn:
Work with a classmate to elaborate
on The Postmortal.
How does it relate to info you already
know or to your life? What parts of
the book relate to your essay?
Strategy 5: Generate
Attempt to answer a question or solve a problem
before being shown the answer or solution
Consult your creativity and storehouse of
knowledge to try to solve it
Make predictions
You may seek outside help (experts, websites, etc.)
Evaluate your performance—were you correct?
Sample problem: Find the picture that
logically follows (select A,B,C, or D).
Strategy 6: Reflect
Take a few minutes to review what has been learned in a
recent class/reading
Your Turn:
In your notes, write a short
paragraph that explains what
you learned in your last class.
Ask yourself questions
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What went well?
What could have gone better?
What other knowledge/experience does it remind you of?
What do you need to do to achieve better mastery of the
material?
Sample reflection activity: Before class, write a short
paragraph that explains what you learned in the previous
class.
Strategy 7: Calibrate
Line up what you think you know with objective feedback
Helps you avoid illusions of knowing
Test yourself and answer test questions
Use mnemonic devices
Decide what material is most important
Slow down to see the big picture
Do the reading before class
Create study guides and flashcards
Activity
In your notes, answer the following questions. Be prepared to discuss your answers with the
class.
1.
What did this lesson teach you about test preparation?
2.
How will you use these strategies to do well on final exams?