Currently when I sit down to study, I read the chapter, answer the review questions, then take the practice test. But it doesn't seem like I am retaining as much of the information as I should. I haven't done well on any of the tests (thankfully I can keep taking them until I do well), but put me out in public and I can spew forth random facts like a fountain.
I've tried studying in different situations and have yet to find my "happy study spot" where I can concentrate fully and absorb the information.
The material isn't overly complicated, there just is an extremely large amount that has to be covered in a very short period of time. I have until the middle of May to sit for my exam and I'm afraid that I won't be ready.
Does anyone have anything helpful to offer when it comes to studying? 
Does it help if you've heard a lecture on the topic before hand? Some people retain things better through hearing than through reading. If all else fails, maybe try reading it aloud?
Sorry I can't be more help, I tend to get all of my education from lectures, and perusing the readings if there's anything I need clarified...
Maybe finding a secondary source on the material would help too, like history channel or discovery channel stuff.
sigpic courtesy of This Guy, original modified by me
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This insanity brought to you by Ja'Deth Issar Ka'bael:
Reminds me of that Simpsons episode wher Lisa discovers that at a certain age, the Simpson men suffer "The Dumbening" and thinks she's going to get stupid, only to find out the WOMEN end up brilliant as ever. Except in our case, it's in reverse
Ha ha ha.
I actually have found that if I do go out and study at the coffee house, I tend to do better. I like the people watching aspect.
I can't get anything done if I'm sitting at home.
When I have to study, I usually make flash cards and do review tests
I do not recommend you follow this example, though it can work in a pinch.
Your problem could actually be that you're studying too much or may not be good at test-taking, though. Have you done well on other tests regularly? If not, try working a bit on test-taking tactics and see if that helps. Falaanla Marr fucked around with this message on 03-20-2007 at 01:34 PM.
I think one reason why this subject is coming easily for the most part is that I was trained on the basics at my last job.
Unfortunately I don't have the option like you do, Fal, to study a chapter then go crap it out all over a test. There's practice tests that don't get graded, then there is the exam that is either pass or fail (and failing means paying again to sit for the exam, blech).
I've made vocab flash cards (and just finished organizing them by chapter) and plan on starting to make the review questions into flash cards too.
I tried studying at home today but there were just way too many distractions (I kept thinking of things to do instead). So I think I am going to have to go out of the house to study now. It seems to keep me focused.
1. After you've done the review questions, go back and read it again, except this time keep trying to relate what you're reading to things you already know. When you've finished a paragraph, ask yourself, "How does this relate to the overall subject? What is the impact of this information?"
2. After you've done all that and finished the practice test, too, close the book and write a one-page summary of what you've just learned, in your own words. Emphasize not only the facts, but the relations between them and their potential impact or consequences.
3. Profit.
--Satan, quoted by John Milton
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Falaanla Marr attempted to be funny by writing:
Jaja, do you think it just may be test anxiety? It sounds like this test is a pretty important one.
Could be. And yes, this is for my P/C license (license=profit), so it's a very big deal to pass this. Most agencies won't hire you until you're licensed or at least working towards being licensed.
And Sage, I like what you have suggested. I want to know this stuff inside and out, not just memorize it to get a passing grade. I think that after I write up the summary I will have my better half read over it and ask me questions based on real-life examples so I will be able to sit back and say "Oh yeah, when this happens while you're insured this <insert answer here> is what the recovery process will be".
Well now I am all sorts of pumped and excited to get back to studying! Thanks!
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Verily, Falaanla Marr doth proclaim:
Ooh. I like Sage's advice too. I might start doing some of this myself.
In the end, we all should follow Sage advice. 
On the other hand, once you get the basics down, it makes all your other studies easy. Teachers and particularly college professors go all gooey if they see that you're personalizing the subject matter being taught rather than simply regurgitating what the teacher said back to them. Plus there's that delicious sensation, once you get the hang of it, that you're getting away with something.
sigpic courtesy of This Guy, original modified by me
Playing towards the strengths of your memory also helps. If you're good with patterns, work out the how & why for what you read, and make connections with material you've already learned. If you remember things better after you write them, take notes while you read. If you remember better by audio, find somewhere private and read aloud. (Note: each method slows down your reading, giving you more time to process & organize the information.)
It's getting better, slowly... College taught me a lot, and I'm slowly looking back at past years and finding out where I went wrong (which teaches me not to do it next time, LOL)
Most higher level learning doesn't involve that type of memorization, but the ability to tie complex ideas together in some meaningful fashion in order to apply them in a context that you haven't been explicitly taught how to do. This is a challenge for pretty much everyone and as such is avoided even at the undergraduate level which is a shame.
If educators would focus more on the ideas of what is being done, i.e. factorization, instead of memorizing the results, i.e. multiplication tables, I believe that many more people would be able to perform passably in the professional fields that America is slowly losing ground in.
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Ares had this to say about Cuba:
I have terrible study habits. I don't study, I read over my notes right before an exam. I usually get 70-80% depending on the topic. I'm lucky in the sense that I have an excellent memory for most topics, especially history. Math and anatomy on the other hand, I studied my ass off.. Which was hard, not knowing how to actually study.When I have to study, I usually make flash cards and do review tests
This sounds exactly like my study habits. It works well for me, but each person must find their own way. Good luck to you.
