We've tried sleeping with a text book under our pillow. Sadly, learning by osmosis is not the way to get straight A's.

Individuals learn in a variety of ways. Learning styles include but are not limited to:

• Spatial
• Auditory
• Verbal
• Kinesthetic (hands-on)
• Logical

The following article by Time4Learning shares additional details on learning styles. The article can be found here. The issue is - public school systems do not customize curriculums to fit every learning style. Can you imagine five different curriculums covering the same topic? We can't either.

​Unfortunately, standardized learning can leave students unprepared when facing complex topics in higher education. 

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STUDY HABITS & TESTING STRATEGIES

So... which is it? What kind of learner are you? Oxford Learning offers an excellent guide that outlines learning strategies for every type of learner. The Oxford Learning resource can be found here. For individuals who are unfamiliar with these themes, you may have experienced them in the workplace. Think back, what helps you retain information in a professional setting? Being rewarded. Writing things down. ​Practicing often. 

Of course, we are generalizing. We'll go over some of our favorite strategies. Keep in mind, these might not work for everyone but they were the most effective strategies we used over the past decade. 

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Study Habits

Mind Mapping

• Organizing information visually using diagrams. 
• Mind mapping is an excellent way to get a bird's eye/full picture view of your material.

Get started: Mindomo is a Google Drive extension you can use for mind mapping. The program offers a free version that is easy to use and automatically stays organized for you. 

Phonetic Learning | Games
Create word games for yourself. 

• Does the new word sound like a word you know?
• Does the word itself look like the object?
  • Example: bed
    • the word itself looks like a bed with the 'd' counting as a headboard. 

Leverage Acronyms to learn topics. 

• Fan favorite acronym seen in an episode of Spongebob Squarepants
• Kristy Krab training acronym | P.O.O.P.
  • People Order Our Patties

General Habits
Create a routine. Study at the same time each day and in similar durations. 

• Take as many practice tests as you can. 

Learn concepts by tying them to your life experience. 
​
Use popular techniques.

• Pomodoro Technique
  • ​time management
  • break work into manageable and consistent interval periods ​

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Testing Strategies

To clarify, the following concepts will highlight multiple choice exams. The University of Northern Colorado offers a phenomenal resource on test taking strategies. The resource can be found and downloaded here. The following are our favorite strategies for general test staking.

Examine Opposite multiple choice options/answers closely.

• there is a good chance one of the two is correct
• Work questions twice then move on (come back later).
  • time management
  • another question on the exam may help you remember information

If you have to guess, increase your odds of success by removing the blatantly incorrect options prior to guessing. 

Read the question and answers all the way through before making a selection. 

• questions may seem straight forward and end with:
  • all these options apply except? 
  • when is this not true?
• one answer may seem correct while a second option is the more correct answer

Testing anxiety gets the best of us too. The best way to develop your test taking skills is by taking tests. The more you take, the easier the process will get.