How to Make a Study Guide for a Test

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Having a test scheduled is a nightmare for many students. You get overwhelmed with the thought of a test. You get anxious and become doubtful. But, all of these negative thoughts will not help you to get a good score. Instead, you must stay positive and prepare yourself in advance.

Creating a study guide or GRE guide for University admission preparation is one of the effective ways to learn lessons, understand difficult concepts, and practice them. You can read it anytime and connect with it more than your textbooks. A hand-written study guide is a collective set of personal notes that will help you to revise the subject in the last days of the examination.

Identify important parts of the lesson or book

A study guide is a summary of important points that you have to memorize. Before you plan to write your study guide, you must break the lesson into important parts. For this, you have to read the textbooks and write short points in an organized way. Once you have selected it, you can make easy notes that will help you to recall the points before the test. You can also add some points that you think you might forget to include. You can also highlight some points that make revision easy.  You can make columns to write topics and content separately.

When you prepare for an entrance exam, the pressure can be even more. It can leave you stressed out and you might end up with feelings like you have not done enough to take the exam. This is a situation that no student would want to be in. 

Preparing for a postgraduate exam is not a cakewalk so having every piece of information handy plays a key role in the success rate. This online LinkedIn guide on the best GRE prep courses will help you know about the sources. Choose the best one that you think suits your learning style and can enhance your chances of clearing the PG exam. GRE offers you the chance to study at a good university in the US, Canada, and some other countries. This is certainly not a chance that you can take lightly.

Prepare questions and answers

You can practice questions and answers by writing them in your study guide. Keep a separate notebook for questions and answers. Make sure to write all the questions that are present in the review section after every chapter. Write the lesson or chapter name at the beginning of every note page. Contact students who can tell you about some important questions that are asked every year, this will help you to revise those too. You can also take reference from library books or check online, too. Once you have finalized your study guide, mark the important questions and come back to them later to revise.

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Include word meanings section

Sometimes, you also word meanings as a part of your questions. To prepare for that, you must create a section for the same. After you read every chapter or lesson, write difficult words with their meaning. Once you have the list, you will feel confident and less burdened. By preparing personal notes, all the important words get registered in your mind. You will have a better understanding of words and you will not feel the need to mug it. It also helps to enhance your vocabulary. You get a stronghold on the language which is crucial in many types of entrance exams including GRE, GMAT, etc.

Make flowcharts and tables

Preparing notes for important processes or steps can be challenging. To keep your style guide brief and concise, you use flowcharts or tables. It will help you to understand and learn each step more comprehensively. Adding diagrams to make your work well-organized and structured. Subjects like science, history, and economics that have a lot of theory become easy to learn, if you mix visual elements.

Underline makes a difference too

To make it more interactive, you can add a personal touch to your style guide by underlining important points, questions, and word meanings that you expect in the test. This will make you well-prepared for the upcoming test. Use color pens to make it look attractive. It will also help to get your attention on the main test day. Highlight steps or create bullet lists for easy understanding.

Be consistent in your plan

You must take notes regularly or weekly. Set up a time on weekends to prepare notes. As you have to cover the syllabus, you must plan accordingly. If you start preparing notes after the test schedule announcement, then you might be unable to complete it. Instead, prepare a schedule for notes and stick to it. This way, you will be able to finish note-taking in a much more relaxed way. With a stressed mind, you might miss including important topics.

Conclusion

Do the exams scare you or make you feel jittery? Don’t worry because you can become fearless with your study guide. To have handy notes before your test is a blessing. You can refer to your guide anytime. It helps you to stay unloaded without carrying all textbooks for revision. Your guide is an important toolkit or resource while preparing for exams. As you have all the curriculum covered, it becomes a valuable resource in your academic journey. Preparing notes is a healthy studying habit that takes away all your exam stress.