Studying
STUDYING EFFECTIVELY AND CONQUERING EXAMS 1.
INTRODUCTION
This is some practical advice from my own experiences as a student and from many years of teaching this discipline (Management Accounting). “Studying effectively” is about building a sound foundation of professional knowledge that is more than just knowing enough to pass the next test or examination.
2.
HOW GOOD ARE YOUR STUDY SKILLS?
The old adage is “If it ain’t broken don’t fix it”. Make an honest assessment of your study skills. If your study method has worked up to now do not change unless:
• You are relying on your memory and are not internalising the skills you have learned.
• You are reality cramming 3 to 5 days before a test or examination.
• You rely heavily on a collection of examples – learning by mimicking is the term used. Educationalists call this “shallow learning” because the level of internalisation is very low and much of the material is forgotten soon after the memorization takes place. This is particularly important in our discipline where in subsequent years you build upon and integrate prior knowledge. Sadly, we have seen some bright students eventually crashing in later years because of this poor study technique and
“tutorial memorisation” as an exam preparation.
3.
WHICH STUDY METHOD IS BEST?
This is an intensely personal matter and you must experiment (BUT NOT JUST BEFORE A TEST OR
EXAMINATION) to find methods that really work for you. The resources from Dartmouth College http://www.dartmouth.edu/~acskills/ are excellent and available to you. You may want to take some of the self‐assessment tests to assess your learning style. Another more general website is http://www.how‐to‐study.com and of course, you should look for books in the UCT library.
4.
AVOID BECOMING OVERWHELMED BY VOLUME
Many students are simply overwhelmed by the volume of material. Human beings need some stress to motivate us
INTRODUCTION
This is some practical advice from my own experiences as a student and from many years of teaching this discipline (Management Accounting). “Studying effectively” is about building a sound foundation of professional knowledge that is more than just knowing enough to pass the next test or examination.
2.
HOW GOOD ARE YOUR STUDY SKILLS?
The old adage is “If it ain’t broken don’t fix it”. Make an honest assessment of your study skills. If your study method has worked up to now do not change unless:
• You are relying on your memory and are not internalising the skills you have learned.
• You are reality cramming 3 to 5 days before a test or examination.
• You rely heavily on a collection of examples – learning by mimicking is the term used. Educationalists call this “shallow learning” because the level of internalisation is very low and much of the material is forgotten soon after the memorization takes place. This is particularly important in our discipline where in subsequent years you build upon and integrate prior knowledge. Sadly, we have seen some bright students eventually crashing in later years because of this poor study technique and
“tutorial memorisation” as an exam preparation.
3.
WHICH STUDY METHOD IS BEST?
This is an intensely personal matter and you must experiment (BUT NOT JUST BEFORE A TEST OR
EXAMINATION) to find methods that really work for you. The resources from Dartmouth College http://www.dartmouth.edu/~acskills/ are excellent and available to you. You may want to take some of the self‐assessment tests to assess your learning style. Another more general website is http://www.how‐to‐study.com and of course, you should look for books in the UCT library.
4.
AVOID BECOMING OVERWHELMED BY VOLUME
Many students are simply overwhelmed by the volume of material. Human beings need some stress to motivate us