HOW TO STUDY

SEVENTH EDITION

Ron Fry

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Ron Fry
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 Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xi

Chapter 1: How to Start Out Right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Chapter 2: How to Organize Your Studying . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Chapter 3: How to Read and Remember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

Chapter 4: How to Organize Your TIme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75

Chapter 5: How to Excel in Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101

Chapter 6: How to Conduct Your Research . . . . . . . . . . . . .123

Chapter 7: How to Write Terrific Papers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133

Chapter 8: How to Study for Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171

Epilogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .217

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .219
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 Introduction

How to Use This Book

“What one knows is, in youth, of little moment;

they know enough who know how to learn.”
—Henry Adams

L earning how to study is learning how to learn. And that is,

to me, the greatest gift you can ever give yourself…or your
children.
Having stated that so boldly, I suspect I still have to convince some
of you that spending any time trying to master this stuff—studying,
learning, reading, note taking, writing—is worth your while.
There are, of course, some terrific reasons why you should learn how
to study, why you really must learn how to study. But before I start
convincing you that developing proper study skills is important—and
why—let’s figure out exactly what we mean by “study skills” so we’re
all on the same wavelength.
Yes, How to Study includes hints, advice, and techniques for taking
notes in class, while you’re reading your textbooks, in the library, and
online; how to prepare for tests; and how to organize your study
schedule to get the best results in the shortest amount of time. But
that’s only half of the book. There are essential skills you may think
have nothing to do with studying, and important steps you need to
take right from the start.
vi How to Study

Here’s Where to Start

“Learn as though you would never be able to master it;
hold it as if you would be in fear of losing it.”
—Confucius

Developing great study habits is like a foot race between you and your
friends. Before you can declare a winner, you have to agree on where
the finish line is. In other words, how do you measure your ability to
use these skills? What’s good? What’s poor?
But you can’t even start the race until you know where the starting
line is—especially if it’s drawn at a different spot for each of you!
Chapter 1 starts by explaining individual study skills and clarifying how
each can and should function in your life. Then you’ll be given the
chance to find your own starting line.
In Chapter 2, you’ll learn the importance of where, how, and when
you study, and you’ll start building the study environment that’s
perfect for you. Why is this important? If you’ve spent three hours
reading Gravity’s Rainbow with Outkast shaking the walls, it’s not
surprising you’re still on page three. Reading about and understand-
ing Mr. Pynchon might have little to do with increasing reading
comprehension, rescheduling your time, or changing books...and a
lot more to do with just turning down the volume.
There is no magic elixir in the study habit regimen. If math and
science are not your strong suits, memorizing How to Study will
not transform you into a Nobel Prize-winning physicist. Nobody is
great at everything, but everybody is great at something. So you’ll also
get a chance to rate the subjects you like and dislike, plus those classes
you do best and worst in.
 How to Use This Book vii

Chapter 2 also introduces some of the “intangibles” in the study

equation: your home environment, attitude, motivation, and so forth.
If you are dedicated to studying and motivated to achieve certain
goals, all the other factors that affect your study habits will fall more
naturally into place. A belief in the study ethic is one of the keys to
success.
Finally, mastering some other key components of the study process—
learning to “read” teachers, developing mentors, dealing with perfec-
tionism, the importance of flexibility—will help you get off to the
right start.

Reading and Comprehension

Chapter 3 introduces the skills basic to any study process: reading
and comprehension. No matter how well you learn to take notes,
how familiar you become with your library, how deftly you surf
the Internet, how doggedly you study for tests, if you are reading
poorly (or not enough) and not understanding what you read, life will
be difficult.
Becoming a good reader is a skill, one usually acquired early in life. If
it’s a skill you haven’t acquired yet, now is the time! Chapter 3 also
points out how your ability to recall ideas, facts, and figures can be
significantly increased (quantitatively and qualitatively) with practice.

Making Up for Lost Time

To see a significant change in your life, most of you will not need to
study harder, just smarter. This means making better use of your study
time—spending the same two, three, or four hours, but accomplishing
twice, thrice, or four times what you do now. Chapter 4 introduces the
simplest and easiest-to-use organizational and time-management tools
you’ll ever find—powerful ways to make sure you are always on
track, including guidelines to develop both short-term and long-term
calendars.
viii How to Study

Go to the Head of the Class

In Chapter 5 I talk about the one experience we all have in common,
no matter how old we are: the classroom. I’ll help you take better
notes, encourage your active participation in class discussions—
including pointers on how to overcome the tendency to hide behind
the plant in the back of the room—and help you get a lot more out
of lectures.

Becoming an Information Hound

Chapter 6 introduces you to the two important resources in your
study career—your library and the Internet—and discusses how to
build up your research muscles to get the information you need when
you need it. You’ll learn about the books, periodicals, newspapers,
magazines, computer software, videos, audiotapes, and other refer-
ence materials available to you at most brick-and-mortar libraries and
suggestions for how to find and use them, including an explanation of
the Dewey decimal classification and Library of Congress systems.
I’ll also cover the use of online resources and the importance of
becoming computer and Internet literate.

So You’re Not the Next Hemingway

I’m convinced that too many of you place the emphasis in “writing
papers” on the word “writing.” In Chapter 7 I’ll introduce you to a
remarkably easy way to take notes and organize your information.
By breaking down any paper, no matter how complex, into easy-to-
follow steps, I’ll help you create papers infinitely better than before—
even if you’re still no threat to Hemingway (or anybody else) when it
comes to writing.
 How to Use This Book ix

How to “Ace” Any Test

Chapter 8 covers the dos and don’ts of test preparation, including the
differences between studying for weekly quizzes, midterms, and final
examinations; why last-minute cramming doesn’t work (but how to
do it if you have no other choice—shame!); studying for and taking
different types of tests (multiple-choice, true/false, essay, open book,
and so on); how to increase your guessing scores; even which
questions to answer first and which to leave for last.

How Smart Do You Study?

How to Study is the most comprehensive study guide ever written—
a fundamental, step-by-step approach that you can follow to develop
and sharpen your study skills.
If you’re struggling through college or graduate school, here’s your life
preserver.
If you’re a high school student planning to attend college, now’s your
chance to hone your study skills.
If you’re heading for trade school or not even considering college—
even if you’re ready to drop out of high school at the earliest possible
instant, you still need How to Study.
If you’re an adult returning to the classroom after a lengthy absence,
there’s no substitute for the tips and techniques you will learn in this
helpful collection.
So what if you’re a really poor student? How smart you are is not the
point. What counts is how smart you study.
With the possible exception of the 2 percent of you who qualify as
“gifted,” the effective study habits How to Study teaches will help
students of any age and ability level.
x How to Study

If your grades are average to good, you will see a definite improve-
ment. If you are on the borderline of the pass/fail range, you will
benefit considerably. If good study habits are in place but rusty as a
result of years away from the classroom, How to Study will be the
perfect refresher for you.
And if you are one of those “gifted” 2 percent, I still think you’ll
find many helpful techniques in these pages.

Who Is This Book Really For?

While I originally wrote How to Study for high school students, I’ve
discovered over the years that I could probably count on only a
couple of hands the number of such students who actually bought
a copy of the book.
The surprise was that so many of the people buying How to Study
(and writing me reams of letters along the way) were adults. Yes, a
number of them were returning to school and saw How to Study as a
great refresher. And some were long out of school but had figured
out that if they can learn now the study skills their teachers never
taught them (or they never took the time to learn), they will do
better in their careers.
All too many were parents who had the same lament: “How do I get
Johnny to read (study, do better on tests, remember more, get
better grades)? If all his classes were on PlayStation, he’d be an A
student!”
So I want to briefly take the time to address every one of the audi-
ences for this book and discuss some of the factors particular to each
of you.
 How to Use This Book xi

If You’re a High School Student

You should be particularly comfortable with the format of the book—
its relatively short sentences and paragraphs, occasionally humorous
(hopefully) headings and subheadings, and the language used. I wrote
it with you in mind!
But you should also be uncomfortable with the fact that you’re
already in the middle of your school years— the period that will
drastically affect, one way or the other, all the rest of your career—
and you still don’t know how to study! Don’t lose another minute.
Make learning how to study and mastering all of the study skills in
this book your absolute priority.

If You’re a Middle School Student

Congratulations! You’re learning how to study at precisely the right
time. Sixth, seventh, and eighth grades—before that sometimes-
cosmic leap to high school—is without a doubt the period in which
all these study skills should be mastered, since doing so will make
high school not just easier, but a far more positive and successful
experience.

If You’re a “Traditional” College Student

…age 18 to 25, I hope you are tackling one or two of the study skills
you failed to master in high school (in which case I highly recommend
you also read the other books in my How to Study Program).
Otherwise, I can’t see how you’re ever going to succeed in college.
(Then again, I can’t figure out how you managed to get into college.)
If you are starting from scratch, my advice is the same as to the high
school students reading this book: Drop everything and make it your
number one priority. Do not pass Go. Do not order pizza.
xii How to Study

If You’re the Parent of a Student of Any Age

Your child’s school is probably doing little, if anything, to teach him or
her how to study. Which means he or she is not learning how to learn.
And that means he or she is not learning how to succeed.
There are probably even more dedicated parents out there than
dedicated students, since the first phone call at any of my radio or TV
appearances comes from a sincere and worried parent asking, “What
can I do to help my kid do better in school?” Okay, here they are, the
rules for parents of students of any age:

1. Set up a homework area. Free of distraction, well lit, with

all necessary supplies handy.
2. Set up a homework routine. When and where it gets done.
Studies have clearly shown that students who establish a
regular routine are better organized and, as a result, more
successful.
3. Set homework priorities. Actually, just make the point that
homework is the priority—before a date, before TV, before
going out to play, whatever.
4. Make reading a habit—for them, certainly, but also for
yourselves. Kids will inevitably do what you do, not what you
say (even if you say not to do what you do).
5. Turn off the TV. Or at the very least, severely limit when
and how much TV-watching is appropriate. This may be the
toughest suggestion to enforce. I know. I’m the parent of a
teenager.
6. Talk to the teachers. Find out what your kids are supposed
to be learning. If you don’t know the books they’re supposed
to be reading, what’s expected of them in class, and how
much homework they should be scheduling, you can’t really
give them the help they need.
7. Encourage and motivate, but don’t nag them to do their
homework. It doesn’t work. The more you insist, the quicker
they will tune you out.
 How to Use This Book xiii

8. Supervise their work, but don’t fall into the trap of doing
their homework. Checking (i.e., proofreading) a paper, for
example, is a positive way to help your child in school. But if
you simply put in corrections without your child learning from
her mistakes, you’re not helping her at all…except in the belief
that she is not responsible for her own work.
9. Praise them when they succeed, but don’t overpraise them
for mediocre work. Kids know when you’re being insincere
and, again, will quickly tune you out.
10. Convince them of reality. (This is for older students.)
Okay, I’ll admit it’s almost as much of a stretch as turning off
the TV, but learning and believing that the real world will not
care about their grades, but will measure them by what they
know and what they can do, is a lesson that will save many
tears (probably yours). It’s probably never too early to (care-
fully) let your boy or girl genius get the message that life is
not fair.
11. If you can afford it, get your kid(s) a computer and all
the software they can handle. There really is no avoiding it:
Your kids, whatever their ages, absolutely must be computer-
savvy in order to survive in and after school.
12. Turn off the TV already!
13. Get wired. The Internet is the greatest invention of our age
and an unbelievable tool for students of any age. It is impossible
for a college student to succeed without the ability to surf online,
and nearly impossible for younger students. They’ve got to be
connected.
14. But turn off IM (Instant Messaging) while doing home-
work. They will attempt to convince you that they can write
a term paper, do their geometry homework, and IM their
friends at the same time. Parents who believe this have also
been persuaded that the best study area is in front of the TV.
xiv How to Study

The Importance of Your Involvement

Don’t for a minute underestimate the importance of your commitment
to your child’s success. Your involvement in your child’s education is
absolutely essential. The results of every study done in the last two
decades clearly confirm the single factor that overwhelmingly affects
a student’s success in school: your involvement—not money, great
teachers, a bigger gym, or weekly dance classes. You.
So please, take the time to read this book (and all of the others in the
series). Learn what your kids should be learning (and which of the
other subject-specific books in the series your child needs the most).
And you can help tremendously, even if you were not a great student
yourself, even if you never learned great study skills. You can learn now
with your child—not only will it help him or her in school, it will help
you on the job, whatever your field.

If You’re a Nontraditional Student

If you’re going back to high school, college, or graduate school at age
25, 45, 65, or 85—you probably need the help in How to Study more
than anyone! Why? Because the longer you’ve been out of school,
the more likely you don’t remember what you’ve forgotten. And
you’ve forgotten what you’re supposed to remember! As much as
I emphasize that it’s rarely too early to learn good study habits, I must
also emphasize that it’s never too late.

What You Won’t Find in This Book

I’ve seen so-called study books spend chapters on proper nutrition,
how to dress, how to exercise, and a number of other topics that are
not covered at all in How to Study, except for this briefest of acknowl-
edgments: It is an absolute given that diet, sleep, exercise, and the
use of drugs (including alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine) will affect your
studying, perhaps significantly.
 How to Use This Book xv

Having said that, I see little reason to waste your time detailing what
should be obvious: Anything—including studying—is more difficult if
you’re tired, hungry, unhealthy, drunk, stoned, and so on. So please
use common sense. Eat as healthily as you can, get whatever sleep
your body requires, stay reasonably fit, and avoid alcohol and other
drugs. If your lack of success is in any way due to one of these other
factors and you’re unable to deal with it alone, find a good book or a
professional to help you.

Are You Ready to Learn Something?

The book you are holding in your hands is now in its seventh edition,
and has been helping students and parents (and even teachers) for
more than 20 years. (The other books in my How to Study Program—
“Ace” Any Test, Get Organized, Improve Your Memory, Improve Your
Reading, and Improve Your Writing—are also available in new editions.)
Thank you for making these books so successful.
Learning shouldn’t be painful or boring, though it is occasionally both.
I don’t promise that How to Study will make everything easier. It won’t.
It can’t. And it may actually require some work to achieve what you
want. But How to Study will show you the path, give you directions,
and make sure you’re properly provisioned for your journey.
You will not understand everything the first time you read it. Or, per-
haps, even the second or third time. You may have to learn it slowly,
very slowly. But that doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with
you. It may be a subject that everyone learns slowly. (My particular
nemesis was organic chemistry.) A poorly written textbook or
unmotivated teacher can make any subject a torture.
Parents often ask me, “How can I motivate my teenager?” Well, there
is an answer, but it’s not something parents can do—it’s something
you, the student, have to decide: Are you going to spend the school
day interested and alert or bored and resentful?
xvi How to Study

It’s really that simple. Since you have to go to school anyway,

why not decide that you might as well be active and learn as much as
possible instead of wallowing in misery? The difference between a
C and an A or B for many students is, I firmly believe, merely a mat-
ter of wanting to do better. When you graduate, you’ll quickly
discover that all anyone cares about is what you know and what
you can do. Grades won’t count anymore; neither will tests. So you
can learn it all now or regret it later.
You will also inevitably decide that one or more courses couldn’t
possibly be of any use later in life. “I don’t have a clue why I’m bust-
ing my hump to learn calculus (algebra, physics, chemistry, European
history, fill in the blank)!” you lament. “I will never need it.”
Trust me: You have no idea what you may or may not need, use, or
remember next week, let alone in a decade. I have found in my own
life that a surprising amount of “useless” information and learning has
been vitally important to my career.
So learn it all. Get excited about the process of learning, and I guar-
antee you will not ever worry about what you need to know in the
future.

There Are Other Study Guides

Though I immodestly maintain that my How to Study Program is the
most helpful to the most people, there are certainly plenty of other
purported study books out there. Unfortunately, I don’t think most of
them deliver on their promises. Inevitably, these other books promote
the authors’ “system,” which usually means what they did to get
through school. This “system,” whether basic and traditional or wildly
quirky, may or may not work for you. So what do you do if “their”
way of taking notes makes no sense to you? Or you master their high-
falutin’ “Super Student Study Symbols” and still get Cs?
 How to Use This Book xvii

There are very few “rights” and “wrongs” out there in the study
world. There’s certainly no single “right” way to attack a multiple-
choice test or take notes or write a paper. So don’t get fooled into
thinking there is, especially if what you’re doing seems to be working
for you. Don’t change what “ain’t broke” just because some self-
proclaimed study guru claims what you’re doing is all wet. Maybe he’s
all wet.
Needless to say, don’t read my books looking for some single, inestimable
system of “rules” that works for everyone. You won’t find it, ’cause
there’s no such bird. You will find a plethora of techniques, tips, tricks,
gimmicks, and what-have-you, some or all of which may work
for you, some of which won’t. Pick and choose, change and adapt,
figure out what works for you. Because you are responsible for
creating your study system, not me.
That said, I can guarantee that the nearly 1,000 pages of my How to
Study Program contain the most wide-ranging, comprehensive, and
complete system of studying ever published. I have attempted to
create a system that is usable, useful, practical, and learnable. One
that you can use—whatever your age, whatever your level of achieve-
ment, whatever your IQ—to start doing better in school, in work,
and in life immediately.
I think we’ve spent enough time talking about what you’re going to
learn. Let’s get on with the learning.

Ron Fry
This page intentionally left blank
 Chapter 1

How to Start out Right

“It is not enough to understand what we ought to be,

unless we understand what we are; and we do not understand
what we are, unless we know what we ought to be.”
—T.S. Eliot

T
■
aking a good, honest look at yourself is not the easiest thing
in the world. In the next two chapters, I’m going to help you:

Evaluate the current level of all your study skills, a necessary

step to identify those areas in which you need to concentrate
your efforts.
■ Identify the study environment and learning style that suit you.
■ Categorize all of your school subjects according to how well
you like them and how well you do in them.

1
2 How to Study

How to Keep Score

In the next few pages, I’ll explain the 11 primary study skills covered
in this book: reading and comprehension, memory development, time
management, library skills, computer skills, textbook note taking,
classroom note taking, library note taking, classroom participation,
writing papers, and test preparation. Then I’ll ask you to rate your-
self on your current level of achievement and understanding of each:
“A” (excellent) for mastery or near mastery of a particular skill; “B”
(good) for some mastery; “C” (fair to poor) for little or no mastery.
But let’s do a “down-and-dirty” test first, just to give you a taste of
what’s to come. Read the following 28 statements and consider which
apply to you. If a statement does apply, mark “Y” (for yes). If not,
mark “N” (for no):

1. ❑ Y ❏N I wish I could read faster.

2. ❑ Y ❏N I go to class, but I don’t pay a lot of attention.
3. ❑ Y ❏N I rarely review for tests, but I do spend hours
cramming the night before.
4. ❑ Y ❏N I think I spend more time studying than I need to.
5. ❑ Y ❏N I usually study with the radio and/or TV on.
6. ❑ Y ❏N I rarely finish all my homework on time.
7. ❑ Y ❏N I usually write assigned papers the week
(or the night) before they’re due.
8. ❑ Y ❏N I read every book at the same speed and in the
same way.
9. ❑ Y ❏N I’m an IM whiz but I can never seem to find
the information I need on the Internet.
10. ❑ Y ❏N I’m overwhelmed with too much homework.
11. ❑ Y ❏N I can never complete my reading assignments
on time.
12. ❑ Y ❏N I always seem to write down the wrong stuff
in class.
 Chapter 1 ■ How to Start Out Right 3

13. ❑ Y ❏N I frequently forget important assignments and

test dates.
14. ❑ Y ❏N I get nervous before exams and do worse than
I think I should.
15. ❑ Y ❏N I frequently must reread whole passages two
or three times before I understand them.
16. ❑ Y ❏N When I finish reading a chapter, I usually don’t
remember much of it.
17. ❑ Y ❏N I try to take down everything the teacher says,
but usually can’t understand any of my notes.
18. ❑ Y ❏N I can only study for about 15 minutes before I get
bored or distracted.
19. ❑ Y ❏N When I’m working on a paper or report, I spend
most of the time with a thesaurus in my lap.
20. ❑ Y ❏N I always seem to study the wrong stuff.
21. ❑ Y ❏N I don’t use any kind of calendar.
22. ❑ Y ❏N I study for some tests, but I always forget what
I studied when I get there.
23. ❑ Y ❏N I don’t have enough time to do well in school
and still have a social life.
24. ❑ Y ❏N I can’t figure out the important points in my
textbooks.
25. ❑ Y ❏N When I look at my class notes right before a
test, I can’t understand them.
26. ❑ Y ❏N I hate to read.
27. ❑ Y ❏N I get marked down on essay tests because I don’t
organize them well.
28. ❑ Y ❏N I spend a lot of time on my computer, but it
feels like most of it is wasted.
4 How to Study

What do your answers mean? If you answered yes to questions:

■ 2, 5, or 18, you need to work on your concentration.

■ 1, 8, 15, 16, 24, or 26, your reading and comprehension skills
are holding you back.
■ 3, 14, or 22, you need to learn the proper way to study for
tests and how to reduce test anxiety.
■ 4, 6, 10, 11, 13, 21, or 23, your organizational skills are letting
you down.
■ 7, 19, 27, you’re spending a lot of time “writing” papers but
haven’t learned proper research or organizational skills.
■ 9 or 28, you need to hone your computer skills.
■ 12, 17, 20, or 25, you need a better system for taking notes in
class and from your textbooks.

It is not as important how many “yes” answers you had as it is how

many were grouped in a specific area—the one in which you obvi-
ously need help. (Though 10 or more yes answers should certainly
indicate big problems in more than a single area.)
Let’s go into a little more detail and get an even firmer handle on the
current state of your study skills. I’ve listed the primary study skills on
the next page. Take a separate piece of paper and rate yourself
on each of them (from reading to test preparation) before you read the
rest of this chapter. Then give yourself two points for every A, one
point for every B, and zero points for every C.
If your overall rating is 18 or more, give yourself an A on the “Initial
self-evaluation” line; 13 to 17, give yourself a B; and if 12 or less, give
yourself a C. This is your assessment of your study habits as they exist
right now.
 Chapter 1 ■ How to Start Out Right 5

Now let’s review each of these areas, giving you insight as to what
“excellent,” “good,” and “fair” really mean. As you read each section,
fill in your rating on the “Your Starting Point” chart—and be honest
with yourself. This evaluation will give you a benchmark from which
to measure your improvement after you’ve completed the book. File
it away and make the comparison when you’ve completed reading.
Remember: There are no right or wrong answers in either of these
assessments. They are jumping-off points from which you can measure
your progress and identify those areas in which your skills need
improvement.

Your Starting Point

Initial self-evaluation A( ) B( ) C( )
Reading A( ) B( ) C( )
Memory development A( ) B( ) C( )
Time management A( ) B( ) C( )
Textbook note taking A( ) B( ) C( )
Classroom note taking A( ) B( ) C( )
Classroom participation A( ) B( ) C( )
Basic library skills A( ) B( ) C( )
Computer skills A( ) B( ) C( )
Library note taking A( ) B( ) C( )
Writing papers A( ) B( ) C( )
Test preparation A( ) B( ) C( )
Overall study skill level A( ) B( ) C( )
6 How to Study

Reading
Speed, comprehension, and recall are the three important components
of reading. Comprehension and recall are especially interrelated—
better to sacrifice some speed to increase these two factors. To test your
reading and comprehension skills, read the passage below (excerpted
from American Firsts by Stephen Spignesi, New Page Books, 2004).
Then close the book, jot down the key points made in the selection
you read, review the text, and compare your notes with the reading
selection. You will get a good idea of how well you understood what
you read and just how good your “top-of-the-mind” recall is.

Bar codes are everywhere these days. They are automatically

printed on almost every manufactured item—even though
there are still many retail outlets that do not use bar code
scanning devices. Someday, though, everyone will, the thinking
goes, and so the code is printed on more than 95 percent of
consumer items.
A bar code consists of 12 numbers separated by double lines
at the beginning, middle, and end of the sequence. A laser/
optical scanner reads the pattern of the numbers and instantly
identifies the item and its correct price. Bar codes have been
a boon to the retail industry, as well as the United States
military, which requires that every single item it purchases
have a scannable bar code. Bar codes allow speedy checkouts
at stores, continual inventory updating, and accurate informa-
tion about purchasing patterns.
Bar codes were invented in 1948 by Bernard Silver, a graduate
student of Drexel Institute in Philadelphia, and Joseph Wood-
land, his partner. They initially worked with ultraviolet ink, but
eventually settled on the pattern matching system in use today.
Some conspiracy theorists believe that the government even-
tually plans to have bar codes placed on every citizen, either on
the back of the wrist or on the forehead, for constant monitor-
ing of the populace. Interestingly, it was recently announced
 Chapter 1 ■ How to Start Out Right 7

that laser bar code technology has advanced to the point where
bar codes can now be imprinted directly onto meat and eggs and
be read without damaging the product.
This means that, yes, bar codes can now safely be placed on
human flesh. Imagine a future in which you order a ticket to a
baseball game at home on the Internet using your own personal
bar code ID number. When you get to the stadium, you hold out
your hand, and an optical scanner reads the bar code tattooed
(or whatever) on the back of your wrist. The master database
(which everyone will be sharing by then) confirms that you did,
indeed, purchase a ticket, and you get whisked through the
entrance in the time it takes to swipe a bag of chips across a
grocery store cash register scanner.
Science fiction? Not really. We’re pretty close to this scenario
already.

Score: If you can read the material straight through and accurately
summarize what you’ve read, all in less than two minutes, give your-
self an A. If you have some problems reading and understanding the
text but are able to complete the assignment in less than four minutes,
give yourself a B. If you are unable to complete the assignment in that
time, remember what you read, or produce accurate notes at all, give
yourself a C.

Retention
Test #1: Look at the number following this paragraph for 10 seconds.
Then cover the page and write down as much of it as you can
remember:

762049582049736

Score: If you remembered 12 or more digits in the correct order,

give yourself an A; 8 to 11, a B; 7 or less, a C.
8 How to Study

Test #2: Below are 12 nonsense words from a language I just made
up and their “definitions.” Study the list for 60 seconds and try to
remember each word, how it’s spelled, and its definition:

Berilly excited Narouf bedpan

Simpoc to cry Mccusker to dream
Delmak old man Yerbtry salt
Triddle to wade Armulla coffee cup
Gazdon lion Frabje to skip
Cognit spine Eklek lunch

Done? Close the book and write down each of the 12 words and its
definition. They do not need to be in the order in which they were
listed.
Score: If you accurately listed nine or more words and definitions
(and that includes spelling my new words correctly), give yourself
an A. If you listed from five to eight words and their definitions, or
correctly listed and spelled nine or more words but mixed up their
definitions, give yourself a B. If you were unable to remember at least
four words and their definitions, give yourself a C.

Time Management
Your effective use of available study time can be measured by two
yardsticks: (1) your ability to break down assignments into compo-
nent parts (e.g., reading, note taking, outlining, writing); and (2) your
ability to complete each task in an efficient manner.
Score: If you feel you use your time wisely and efficiently, give
yourself an A. If you know there are times you simply run out of time,
give yourself a B. If you can’t tell time, give yourself a C.
 Chapter 1 ■ How to Start Out Right 9

Library Skills
Making the most of the library is a function of understanding its organ-
ization—and using it! The more time you spend there—studying,
reading, researching—the more productive you’ll be. You’ll become
adept at tracking down reference materials and finding the informa-
tion you need quickly.
Virtually all libraries follow the same organization— once you under-
stand it you’ll be “library literate,” no matter what library you use.
In this book, you’ll discover what kinds of resources are available
(books, periodicals, directories, encyclopedias, dictionaries, magazines,
newspapers, documents, microfilm files) and learn how to find mate-
rials using the Dewey decimal and Library of Congress Systems as
well as the library’s computerized system.
To better evaluate your library skills, answer the following questions:

1. What collections are restricted in your library?

2. Where would you find a biography of Herbert Hoover in your
local library? Where is the reference section in your local
library?
3. Given the Dewey number for a book, could you find it in less
than five minutes? The Library of Congress number?
4. How often have you been to the library in the past six
months? The past month?
5. Do you know how to find books, periodicals, and so forth
using the library’s computerized card catalog?

Score: If the answers to these questions are all obvious to you, indi-
cating a steady pattern of library use, then you can claim to have the
library habit—give yourself an A. If you’re unable to answer at least
four of the questions or will freely own up to a spotty record of library
use, give yourself a B. If you don’t have the faintest clue of where the
closest library is, give yourself a C.
10 How to Study

Computer Skills
It’s virtually impossible now to succeed at almost any level of educa-
tion without complete mastery of the computer. But knowing how
to use a computer is just the beginning. You have to know how to use
it to study more efficiently and more effectively. That includes learn-
ing how to write better papers, keep your schedules, and taking
advantage of the almost limitless research possibilities available online.
Score: If you are capable of doing just about anything online short of
hacking the Pentagon, and have made your computer equipment a
key tool in your quest for more efficient studying and better grades,
give yourself an A. If you are adept at word processing and playing
games and at least can get online, but have never used 75 percent of
the other tools on your computer and “wipe out” more often than
surf, give yourself a B. If you don’t even know what “being online”
means and need four minutes to figure out how to turn your com-
puter on, give yourself a C.

Note Taking
Different arenas—at home with your textbooks, in the classroom, at
the library, and online—require different methods of note taking.
From your textbooks: Working from your textbooks, you should
identify the main ideas, rephrase information in your own words, as
well as capture the details with which you were unfamiliar. Take brief,
concise notes in a separate notebook as you read. You should write
down questions and answers to ensure your mastery of the material,
starring those questions for which you don’t have answers so you can
ask them in class.
In class: Class preparation is the key to class participation. By read-
ing material to be covered before class, you will be able to concentrate
and absorb the teacher’s interpretations and points. Using a topical,
short sentence approach or your own shorthand or symbols, take
notes on those items that will trigger thematic comprehension of the
 Chapter 1 ■ How to Start Out Right 11

subject matter. Your notes should be sequential, following the teacher’s

lecture pattern. Review your notes at the first opportunity following
class. Fill in any blanks and add your own thoughts.
In the library or online: What’s the difference between taking
notes at the library or working at home with library books or those
you’ve found online vs. your own textbooks? Sooner or later you’ll
have to return library books (if you’re allowed to take them out at all),
and librarians tend to frown on highlighting them. And unless you plan
to print out every Web page you find and wield your magic highlighter,
you need an effective system for taking notes right from the source,
whether it’s a library book or Web page.
Score: Are your note-taking skills sufficient to summarize the
necessary data from your textbooks and capture the key points from
classroom lectures and discussions? Do they allow you to get the
information you need from a variety of sources, prepare detailed
outlines, and write good papers? Give yourself an A. If you feel you
are deficient in any one of these, give yourself a B. If notes are what
you pass to your friends in class, give yourself a C.

Class Participation
Most teachers take each student’s class participation into account
when giving grades, no matter how many pop quizzes they pull or
how many term papers they assign. And, you may have discovered,
there are teachers out there who will mark down even those students
who “ace” every paper and quiz if they seem to disappear in the
classroom.
Score: If you are always prepared for class (which means, at the very
least, reading all assigned material, preparing assigned homework and
projects, and turning them in on time), actively participate in dis-
cussions, and ask frequent and pertinent questions as a way of both
trumpeting what you already know and filling in the gaps in that
knowledge, give yourself an A. If you fail in any of these criteria, give
yourself a B. If you aren’t sure where the classroom is, give yourself
a C.
12 How to Study

Writing Paper and Preparing Oral Reports

Preparing any sort of report, written or oral, is 90 percent perspira-
tion (research) and 10 percent inspiration (writing). In other words,
the ability to write a good paper is more dependent on your mastery
of the other skills we’ve already discussed than your mastery of
writing. If you are an avid reader, familiar with your local library, a
veteran online researcher, a good note taker, and capable of breaking
down the most complex topic into the manageable steps necessary
to write a paper, you probably turn in superior papers.
Score: If you have already given yourself an A in library skills, library
and online note taking, time management, and reading, give yourself
an A. If you feel you turn in relatively good papers but definitely lack
in any of these areas, give yourself a B. If your idea of writing a paper
is photocopying the pertinent Cliffs Notes and recopying the summary
in your own handwriting, give yourself a C.

Test Preparation
The key to proper test preparation is knowing what material will
be covered and what form the test will take. Weekly quizzes or
unit/chapter exams usually cover the most recent material. Midterms
and finals cover a much broader area—usually all the subject matter
to date. Multiple-choice tests, essays, lists of math problems, and
science lab tests all require different preparation and apply different
test-taking skills. Knowing the kind of test you’re facing will make your
preparation much easier.
So will creating a list of questions you think your teacher will most
likely ask. By periodically reviewing your text and class notes, you’ll
begin to identify the areas in which your teacher appears most inter-
ested … and on which he or she is most likely to test you. As a final
trick, prepare a list of 10 or more questions you would ask if you were
the teacher.
 Chapter 1 ■ How to Start Out Right 13

Score: If you are able to construct tests that are harder than the ones
your teacher gives you—and score well on his or hers—give yourself
an A. If you feel you know the material, but somehow don’t perform
as well as you think you should at test time, give yourself a B. If you
didn’t pass your driver’s test, let alone algebra, give yourself a C.

Your Overall Score

Once again, after you’ve rated yourself in each area, give yourself two
points for every A, one point for every B, and zero points for every
C. If your overall rating is 18 or more, excellent (give yourself an A);
13 to 17, good (give yourself a B); 12 or less, fair (give yourself a C).
Put your new score in the line “Overall study skill level” in the “Your
Starting Point” chart on page 5.
How closely did this more detailed evaluation compare with the score
you gave yourself before reading the rest of this chapter? If the latter
was wildly off the mark, it just means you aren’t as ready to toss this
book as you wanted to be! If your initial evaluation wasn’t as positive
as the more detailed one you just completed, you’re in better shape
than you thought!

Now What?
The fact that you have been honest with yourself in evaluating the
talents you bring to the study game is a big plus in your favor. Knowing
where you are strong and where you need to improve makes every-
thing else a good deal easier. Now, based on your test results, draw
up a list of your assets and liabilities—your areas of strength and
weakness. This will focus your attention on those areas that require
the most work to improve.
While I would strongly recommend you read the entire book, this
simple test has enabled you to identify the chapters you really need
to study and the specific skills that may require your continued atten-
tion long after you finish reading this book.
This page intentionally left blank
 Chapter 2

How to Organize
Your Studying

W hat effect can good study habits have? I suspect native-

born talents and skills—the basic abilities you’re born
with—have the most to do with success in school—
50 percent, maybe even 60. And the environment in which you’re
trying to learn, your health, and other such factors may account for
another 10 percent, maybe 15. That leaves 25 to 40 percent for study
skills.
Don’t believe that learning how to study can have such a monstrous
effect? First, read How to Study, practice the skills, and watch the
results. I think you’ll discover I’m right. Second, if you don’t believe
study skills are so important, you must believe something like “smart
kids do well because they’re smart.” Well, a lot of smart kids don’t do
well. At all. Others do well in school but test poorly. And many are
great in some subjects and not so great in others. I don’t have to prove
this. Look at your friends, at others in your school. I guarantee you’ll
prove it to yourself.
What kind of effort are we talking about here? Another hour a night?
Two hours a night? More? And what about that “study smarter, not
harder” slogan that’s associated with my How to Study Program?
“If I’m studying longer,” you might reasonably contend, “I’m sure as
heck studying harder, at least by my definition.”

15
16 How to Study

Let’s take the latter point first. You can study smarter. You can put in
less time and get better results. But learning how to do so is hard,
because learning of any kind takes discipline. And learning self-
discipline is, to many of us, the most difficult task of all. So don’t
kid yourself: You aren’t going to sit down, skim How to Study, and
miraculously transform yourself from a C student to an A student.
But you absolutely can achieve such results if you put in the time to
learn the lessons this book contains and, more importantly, practice
and use them every day.
If you’re currently doing little or nothing in the way of schoolwork,
then you are going to have to put in more time and effort. How much
more? Or even more generally, how long should you study? Until you
get the results you want to achieve. The smarter you are and the
more easily you learn and adapt the techniques in How to Study,
the more likely you will spend less time on your homework than
before. But the further you need to go—from Ds to As rather than
Bs to As—the more you need to learn and the longer you need to
give yourself to learn it.
Don’t get discouraged. You will see positive results surprisingly quickly.

Make Study Habit-Forming

If you’re doing poorly in school even while putting in a reasonable
amount of study time, you’ve got poor study habits. Who knows
where or when you acquired them, but failure has, to some extent,
become a habit.
Good news! Not only can bad habits be broken, but they can be
replaced by good habits relatively easily. Here’s your battle plan:

■ It is much easier to replace a habit than to break it entirely.

So don’t attempt to stop poor study habits— just learn the
good ones to substitute for them.
■ Practice, practice, practice. Practice is the motor oil that
lubricates any habit’s engine. The more you do something,
the more ingrained it becomes.
 Chapter 2 ■ How to Organize Your Studying 17

■ Tell your friends and family of your decision to improve your

study skills and do better in school. (This is a trick that works
for some people, who find that the added pressure is a good
motivator.)
■ For others, however, such a strategy simply adds too much
pressure and is more likely to backfire instead, encouraging
failure. My advice would be to use such a strategy if you know
it will help you, but avoid it if you know it will actually hurt.
■ You don’t have to grind it out from Ds to As with no feedback.
To make sure you get a “motivational jolt” from every accom-
plishment, resolve to chart every inch of your progress, even
if, like Robert Frost, you have “miles to go before you sleep.”
You may want to set up a chart on your wall on which you list
“Today’s Successes” every day. And remember the small steps
you’re taking—saving five minutes on a reading assignment,
finding the books you need at the library more quickly, feeling
that you took good notes in a lecture, raising your hand to
actually answer a professor’s question in a class discussion,
and so on.

Starting with the next chapter, everything in this book will concen-
trate on specific strategies useful for specific tasks—paper writing,
note taking, test taking, reading, and so forth. So this is probably the
best place to discuss some overall study strategies that have little to
do with any particular task but everything to do with your eventual
study success.

Get Ready to Become a “Lifer”

Learning how to study is really a long-term process. Once you under-
take the journey, you will be surprised at the number of landmarks,
pathways, side streets, and road signs you’ll find. Even after you’ve
transformed yourself into a better student than you’d ever hoped
to be, you’ll inevitably find one more signpost that offers new
information, one more pathway that leads you in an interesting
new direction.
18 How to Study

Consider learning how to study a lifelong process, and be ready to

modify anything you’re doing as you learn other methods.
This is especially important right from the start, when you consider
your overall study strategies. How long should you study per night?
How do you allocate time between subjects? How often should you
schedule breaks? Your answers to these questions are going to vary
considerably depending on how well you were doing before you read
this book, how far you have to go, how interested you are in getting
there, how involved you are in other activities, the time of day, your
general health, and a host of other individual factors.
What’s your study sequence? Hardest assignments first? Easiest?
Longest? Shortest? Are you comfortable switching back and forth
from one to another, or do you prefer to focus on a single assignment
from start to finish?
What’s your study strategy? Your high school history teacher may
want you to memorize a series of battles, dates, and generals. Your
college professor will expect a deeper understanding of the battles,
how they related to the overall conduct of the war, and how they
affected or were affected by what was occurring in the rest of the
world. Your teacher’s emphasis will change the way you study.
This gets even more difficult (believe it or not!) when you consider
that the tasks themselves may have a great effect on your schedule.
When I sit down to plan out the chapter of a book, for example,
I need a relatively long period of uninterrupted time—at least an hour,
perhaps as long as three hours. That enables me to put my notes in
the order I want them and think through the entire chapter—writing
transitions in my head, noting problem areas, figuring out where
I need an example or illustration. If I only have half an hour before
a meeting or appointment, I wouldn’t even attempt to start such a
project.
What’s the lesson in all of this? There is no ideal, no answer—
certainly no “right” answer—to many of the questions I’ve posed.
It’s a message you’ll read in these pages again and again: Figure out
what works for you and keep on doing it. If it later stops working or
doesn’t seem to be working as well, change it.
 Chapter 2 ■ How to Organize Your Studying 19

None of the study techniques discussed at length in this book is carved

in stone. Not only should you feel free to adapt and shape and bend
them to your own needs, you must do so.

When Teachers Rule

A key way to do better on any test is to read the instructions before
you start it. This helps you avoid the poor grade (not to mention the
frustration and embarrassment) that results from trying to answer all
six essay questions in an hour when you were only supposed to pick
three.
Tests aren’t the only time “reading the instructions” is important.
Many teachers have their own rules and regulations about turning in
homework assignments, preparing papers or projects, reporting lab
results, etc. And it’s just as important to follow their instructions—
and just as devastating if you don’t.
I really did have a teacher in 10th grade—when none of us had access
to personal computers and few of us had learned to type—who failed
a student because her paper was handwritten. What bothered me
then was that the paper was really good…and it didn’t mean a hill of
beans to that teacher. The farther along you are in school, the less
likely your instructors will cut you any slack.

Be Proud of Your Work . . . And Show It

Do you know someone who makes sure he counts every word of a
500-word assignment and heads to a conclusion as soon as he
approaches that magic number?
How about the student who is convinced her chicken scratch is
perfectly decipherable, even when the teacher has to wade through
several crossouts on every page and follow arrows from one page to
another? Or the one who only spells one thing correctly per paper—
his name—or, even worse, spells a word correctly two or three times
and incorrectly four or five others…all on the same page?
20 How to Study

Teachers are human. They respond to presentation. If the substance

of two papers or tests or projects is relatively equal, the form in which
they’re presented may well affect the grade, perhaps significantly.
Besides, there are a lot of teachers who make it a point to decrease
grades because of poor grammar, spelling, or overall presentation. Just
as there are others who may subconsciously give a better grade to a
paper that clearly shows a student cares.

Know Thy Teachers

Teachers are different, too, in their approach to their subjects, as well
as their expectations, standards, flexibility, and so on. It certainly is
worth the effort to compile a “profile” of each of your teachers. What
do each of them want to see in terms of notes, level of participation,
papers, projects? What are their individual likes and dislikes? Their
methods of grading and testing?
Knowing these various traits should certainly lead you to approach
each class—and each teacher—differently. Let’s say—not that it
would ever really happen to you, of course—that you have managed
to dig yourself a very deep hole. It’s 11 p.m., you’re well past your
study prime, and you still have reading assignments to complete for
English and history tomorrow morning.
Your English teacher demands maximum class participation and
makes it a large part of your grade—and test scores be damned. Her
hobby seems to be calling on the unprepared, and she has an uncanny
and unerring knack for ferreting those students out.
Your history teacher discourages discussion, preferring to lecture and
answer a couple of questions at the end of the class. He never calls
on anyone for anything.
Given this situation, and knowing you can stay awake long enough
to read only one of the two assignments, which would you pick?
Would there ever be a time, barring a simultaneous typhoon, eclipse,
and national holiday, that you would show up for that English class
unprepared?
 Chapter 2 ■ How to Organize Your Studying 21

While I’ll show you in Chapter 4 how to ensure that poor scheduling
does not become a habit that dooms you to such choices, I suspect
that far too many of you do not take the natural differences among
your teachers into account when scheduling homework, preparing
papers, or studying for tests.
Likewise, I suspect that far too few of you try to create a bond with
one special teacher—a mentoring relationship— that could help you
avoid some of the bumps and swerves and reach your goal with far
less trouble. Why should you go out of your way to find a mentor?
Because you probably need more help—in life, not just in school—
than your friends or parents can provide. A mentor can give you that
perspective, advice, and help.

Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation

Motivators are either intrinsic or extrinsic. What’s the difference?
You sign up for a voice class. While the hours certainly apply to your
graduating requirements, you attend class because you love singing.
You also signed up for biology. You hate the thought of dissecting
frogs, and you couldn’t care less whether they have exoskeletons,
endoskeletons, hydroskeletons, or no skeletons at all, but the class is
required.
In the first case, you’re motivated by intrinsic factors— you are
taking the voice class simply because you truly enjoy it.
The second scenario is an example of extrinsic motivation. While
you have no interest in biology, your reward for taking the class is
external—you’ll be able to graduate.
Extrinsic motivation can help you make it through boring or unpleas-
ant tasks that are part of the process of reaching your goals. A vivid
image of your final goal can be a powerful motivating force. One
student thought about what his job as a computer programmer would
be like whenever he needed some help getting through class.
22 How to Study

Try imagining a day in your life 5 or 10 years from now. If you can’t,
no wonder you’re having a hard time motivating yourself to work
toward that career as a final goal!
A specific role model may also be an effective motivator. When
she was a first grader, my daughter Lindsay became particularly
enamored of Wilma Rudolph. Growing up black and poor was a minor
part of Wilma’s childhood problems. When she contracted polio,
doctors told her she would never walk again. My daughter thought
it was amazing that Wilma, through sheer guts and determination,
not only walked again but became the fastest woman in the world,
winning multiple Olympic gold medals. When confronted with her
own (smaller!) problems, my daughter still reminds herself that
“If Wilma could do it, I can, too.” What a great way to motivate
yourself! Think of your own role models in life. And if you don’t have
any, find some!

The Goal Pyramid

One way to visualize all your goals—and their relationship to each
other—is to construct what I call a goal pyramid. Here’s how to do it:

1. Centered at the top of a piece of paper, write down where

you hope to be—and what you want to be doing—3, 5, or
10 years from now. This is your long-range goal and the
pinnacle of your pyramid.
2. Below your long-range goal(s), list mid-range goals—
milestones or steps that will lead you to your eventual
target.
3. Below the mid-range goals, list as many short-range
goals as you can—smaller steps that can be completed
in relatively short periods of time.
 Chapter 2 ■ How to Organize Your Studying 23

Change your goal pyramid as you progress through school. You may
eventually decide on a different career. Or your mid-range goals may
change as you decide on a different path leading to the long-range
goal. The short-range goals will undoubtedly change, even daily.
The process of creating your own goal pyramid allows you to see how
all those little daily and weekly steps you take can lead to your mid-
range and long-term goals, and will thereby motivate you to work on
your daily and weekly tasks with more energy and enthusiasm.
The development of good study skills is the highway to your goals,
whatever they are. No matter how hard you have to work or how
much adversity you have to overcome along the way, the journey will
indeed be worth it.
How do you make setting goals a part of your life? Here are some
hints I think will help:

■ Be realistic when you set goals. Don’t aim too high or too
low, and don’t be particularly concerned when (not if ) you
have to make adjustments along the way.
■ Be realistic about your expectations. Seek a greater
understanding of a subject for which you have little aptitude
rather than getting hopelessly bogged down if total mastery
is just not in the cards.
■ Don’t give up too easily. You can be overly realistic—
too ready to give up just because something is a trifle harder
than you’d like. Don’t aim too high and feel miserable when
you don’t come close, or aim too low and never achieve your
potential—find the path that’s right for you.
■ Concentrate on areas that offer the best chance for
improvement. Unexpected successes can do wonders
for your confidence and might make it possible for you to
achieve more than you thought you could, even in other
areas.
24 How to Study

■ Monitor your achievements and keep resetting your

goals. Daily, weekly, monthly, yearly—ask yourself how
you’ve done and where you’d like to go now.
■ Put your goal pyramid right up on the wall. See it.
Feel it. Live it.

Use Rewards as Artificial Motivators

The way you decide to use a reward system depends on how much
help you need getting motivated to study. As we’ve observed, tasks
that are intrinsically interesting require little outside motivation.
However, most schoolwork can be spurred along by the promise
of little rewards along the way. If the task is especially tedious or
difficult, make the rewards more frequent so that your energy and
determination don’t flag.
As a general rule, the size of the reward should match the difficulty
of the task. For an hour of reading, promise yourself a 15-minute ice-
cream break. When you complete a rough draft for a big assignment,
treat yourself to a movie.

Three Great Ways to Get Super Organized

As you begin to make goal setting and organization a part of your daily
life, here are three concepts that will make a huge difference in your
success.

Small Changes Add Up to Big Results

A simple, tiny change in your behavior may have virtually negligible
results, but make hundreds of small changes, and the effects can be
earth-shattering!
 Chapter 2 ■ How to Organize Your Studying 25

Make this rule become an automatic part of your thought process and
your actions. It will help you understand the often small difference
between success and failure, productivity and frustration, happiness
and agony. It’s so simple, it’s deceptive. What is the key to your suc-
cess? Maybe just a little more training. Maybe a slightly better method
of planning. Maybe just overcoming one tiny bad habit. Maybe all of
these and more. Each change alone may be almost inconsequential, but
when added up, a host of small changes can lead to incredible results!

The 80–20 Rule (The Pareto Principle)

Another rule that you can apply to make a difference in how well you
organize and manage your priorities is the 80–20 Rule, also known as
the Pareto Principle.
Victor Pareto was an Italian economist and sociologist at the turn of
the 20th century who studied land ownership in Italy. Pareto discov-
ered that more than 80 percent of the land was owned by less than
20 percent of the people. As he studied other things that people
owned (including money), he found the same principle held true:
20 percent or less of the people always ended up with 80 percent or
more of whatever he measured.
The most astonishing revelation about the 80–20 Rule is its corollary:
If 20 percent of activities are producing 80 percent of the results, then
the other 80 percent of activities are only producing 20 percent.
Remember: To apply the 80-20 Rule to managing your priorities,
remind yourself that 20 percent of the activities on your list are going
to produce 80 percent of the results and payoff. Your question must
constantly be, “Which activities are part of the 20 percent?”
But don’t get too hung up on statistics, especially misleading ones.
An ex-partner of mine once noticed that 45 percent of the books
published one year made most of the profits, so he instructed every-
one to just publish the 45 percent of books next year that would make
money. Think about it.
26 How to Study

Take Advantage of “In-between” Time

You can be even more productive by identifying the little windows
of opportunity that open every day. They don’t arrive with much
fanfare, so if you’re not alert to them, you’ll never even notice them.
What must you do with this “inbetween” time, while you’re stuck in
traffic, waiting in line, or sitting by the phone? Recognize it as soon
as it occurs and utilize it immediately by taking premeditated action.
If you don’t have a plan, you will waste this time!
Here are some suggestions:

■ Make phone calls.

■ Read something.
■ Mail letters.
■ Pick up groceries (or make your grocery list).
■ Clean your desk and return things to their proper places.
■ Review your daily schedule and reprioritize, if necessary.
■ Go through your mail.
■ Write a quick note or letter home.
■ Proofread some or all of one of your papers.
■ Think! (About an upcoming assignment, a paper you’re
writing, any upcoming project.)
■ Relax!

How Perfect Are You?

Superior students show they care about their work and consistently
apply the effort necessary to achieve their goals. Perfectionists care
perhaps too much, finding it impossible to be satisfied with anything
less than “perfect” work (as they define it), presuming for a moment
that such an ideal can actually be attained.
It is possible, of course, to score a “perfect” 100 on a test or to get
an A+ on a paper the teacher calls “Perfect!” in the margin. But in
reality, doing anything “perfectly” is an impossible task.
 Chapter 2 ■ How to Organize Your Studying 27

What does all this have to do with you? Nothing, unless you find
yourself spending two hours polishing what is already an A+ paper
or half an hour searching for that one “perfect” word or an hour
rewriting great notes to make them “absolutely perfect.” In other
words, while striving for perfection may well be a noble trait, it can
easily, perhaps inevitably, become an uncontrollable and unstoppable
urge that seriously inhibits your enjoyment of your work and your
life.
If you find yourself fighting this demon, remind yourself (frequently)
of the Law of Diminishing Returns: Your initial effort yields the biggest
results, with each succeeding effort yielding proportionately less.
And there comes a point where even the most prodigious efforts yield
negligible results. This applies not only to perfectionists, but also to
those of you who scoff at the very thought of using a “simple” out-
line or producing a “formulaic” report. You do not have to always be
innovative, dazzling, and creative. You do not have to invent a new,
multimedia, interactive book report. Sometimes a good six-page book
report that gets an A– is just fine, and that A+ “innovation” is more
trouble (and time!) than it’s worth!
When I am tempted to do far more than necessary, just because
it would be a “cool” solution (and time consuming and wasteful
and inefficient and difficult), I think of George Simenon, the French
author best known for his Inspector Maigret mystery series—and
the 500 total books he wrote in his lifetime. How did he do it…
and still have time to eat and sleep? Simple—he used only 2,000
vocabulary words (out of the 800,000 plus available to him) so
he wouldn’t have to interrupt his writing to consult a dictionary or
thesaurus. (And he probably didn’t eat or sleep much.)
If you really would prefer spending another couple of hours polishing
that A+ paper or searching for a website your teacher’s never heard
of to taking in a movie, reading a book, or getting some other assignment
done, be my guest. Is the extra effort really worth it? Maybe in some
cases, but not usually.
28 How to Study

Creating Your Study Environment

I have included a checklist below for you to rate your study environment.
It includes not just where you study, but when and how you study, too.
Once you’ve identified what works for you, avoid those situations in
which you know you don’t perform best. If you don’t know the answer
to one or more of the questions, take the time to experiment.

My Ideal Study Environment

How I receive information best:
1. ❏ Orally ❏ Visually
In the classroom, I should:
2. ❏ Concentrate on taking notes
❏ Concentrate on listening
3. ❏ Sit up front ❏ Sit in back
❏ Sit near a window or door
Where I study best:
4. ❏ At home ❏ In the library
❏ Somewhere else: ______________________________
When I study best:
5. ❏ Every night; a little on weekends
❏ Mainly on weekends
❏ Spread out over seven days
6. ❏ In the morning ❏ Evening ❏ Afternoon
7. ❏ Before dinner ❏ After dinner
 Chapter 2 ■ How to Organize Your Studying 29

How I study best:

8. ❏ Alone ❏ With a friend ❏ In a group
9. ❏ Under time pressure
❏ Before I know I have to
10. ❏ With music ❏ In front of the TV
❏ In a quiet room
11. ❏ Organizing an entire night’s studying before I start
❏ Tackling and completing one subject at a time
I need to take a break:
12. ❏ Every 30 minutes or so ❏ Every hour
❏ Every 2 hours ❏ Every ____ hours

Many of the items on this chart should be understandable to you now.

Why you feel the need for a particular environment is not important.
Knowing you have a preference is. Here’s what you’re trying to assess
in each item of the checklist:
1. If you prefer “listening” to “seeing,” you’ll have little problem
getting the information you need from class lectures and
discussions. In fact, you’ll prefer them to studying your text-
books. (You may have to concentrate on your reading skills
and spend more time with your textbooks to offset this
tendency. Highlighting your texts may help.)
If you’re more of a “visual” person, you’ll probably find it easier
reading your textbook and may have to work to improve your
classroom concentration. Taking excellent class notes that
you can read later will probably be important for you. You’ll
also want to adapt your note-taking methods to your visual
preference: Rather than writing notes like everybody else,
draw pictures, use charts, and learn how to “map” a lecture.
30 How to Study

2. This should tie in with your answer to (1). The more “aural”
you are, the more you should concentrate on listening. The
more “visual,” the better your notes should be for later review.
3. This may make a difference for a number of reasons. You may
find it difficult to hear or see from the back of the classroom.
You may be shy and want to sit up front to motivate yourself
to participate in class discussions. You may find sitting near a
window makes you feel a little less claustrophobic; alternatively,
you may daydream too much if you are near a window and
should sit as far “inside” the classroom as possible.
4. Whatever location you find most conducive to study (consider-
ing the limitations of your current living situation and schedule)
should be where you spend most of your study time.
5. Deciding how to organize your time to most effectively cover
the material may depend, in part, on the amount of homework
you are burdened with and/or the time of year. You may have
one schedule during most of the school year but have to adapt
during test time, when papers are due, for special projects, etc.
6. To some of you, such preferences may only be a factor on
weekends, because your day hours are set—you’re in school.
But if you’re in college (or in a high school program that mimics
college’s “choose your own courses and times” scheduling
procedures), you would want to use this factor in determining
when to schedule your classes.
If you study best in the morning, for example, try to schedule
as many classes as possible in the afternoons (or, at worst,
late in the morning).
If you study best in the evening, either schedule morning
classes and leave your afternoons free for other activities,
or schedule them in the afternoons so you can sleep later
(and study later the night before).
7. Some of us get cranky if we try to do anything when we’re
hungry. If you study poorly when your stomach is growling,
eat something!
 Chapter 2 ■ How to Organize Your Studying 31

8. Most of us grow up automatically studying alone. If we study

with a friend, there’s often more talking, TV watching, anything
but studying. But don’t underestimate the positive effect study-
ing with one or two friends—or even a larger study group—
can have on your mastery of schoolwork and your grades.
(I discuss study groups in greater detail at the end of this
section.)
9. Just because you perform best under pressure doesn’t mean
you should always leave projects, papers, and studying for
tests until the last minute. It just means you won’t panic
when an unexpected project gets assigned or a surprise test
is announced.
If you do not study well under pressure, it certainly doesn’t
mean you occasionally won’t be required to do so. The better
organized you are, the easier it will be for you to avoid panick-
ing when the unexpected arises.
10. As we’ve discussed, some of you (like me) will find it difficult
to concentrate without music or some sort of noise. Others
couldn’t sit in front of the TV and do anything but breathe
and eat.
Many of you will fall in between—you can read and even take
notes to music but need absolute quiet to study for a test or
master particularly difficult concepts. If you don’t know how
you function best, now is the time to find out.
11. Choosing the second option—starting and finishing one project
before moving on to another—doesn’t mean you can’t at least
sit down and outline an entire night’s study plan before tackling
each subject, one at a time. Setting up such a study schedule
is advised. But it may mean you really can’t move to another
project while the first one is unfinished. Other people may
have no problem working on one project, switching to another
when they get stuck or just need a break, then going back to
the first.
32 How to Study

12. There’s nothing particularly wrong with taking a break when-

ever you feel you need to keep yourself sharp and maximize
your quality study time—as long as the breaks aren’t every five
minutes and don’t last longer than the study periods! In general,
though, try to increase your concentration through practice so
that you can go at least an hour before getting up, stretching,
and having a drink or snack. Too many projects will require at
least that long to “get into” or organize, and you may find that
breaking too frequently will require too much “review time”
when you return to your desk.

Study Groups: What Are Friends For?

I never got invited to join a study group while I was in college and
didn’t think of forming one myself. If I had thought of it, even while
I was in high school, I would have probably started one.
The idea is simple: Find a small group of like-minded students
and share notes, question each other, and prepare for tests together.
To be effective, obviously, the students you pick should share all, or
at least most, of your classes.
Search out students who are smarter than you, but not too much
smarter. If they are on a level far beyond your own, you’ll soon be left
in the dust and be more discouraged than ever. On the other hand, if
you choose students who are too far beneath your level, you may
enjoy being the “brain” of the bunch but miss the point of the group—
the challenge of other minds to spur you on.
Study groups can be organized in a variety of ways. Each member
could be assigned primary responsibility for a single class, such as
preparing detailed notes from lectures and discussion groups. If sup-
plementary reading is recommended but not required, that person
could be responsible for doing all such reading and preparing detailed
summaries.
 Chapter 2 ■ How to Organize Your Studying 33

Alternatively, everybody can be responsible for his or her own notes,

but the group could act as an ad hoc discussion group, refining under-
standing of key points, working on problems together, questioning
each other, practicing for tests, and so forth.
Even if you find only one or two other students willing to work with
you, such cooperation will be invaluable, especially in preparing for
major exams.

Tips for Forming Your Own Study Group

■ I suggest four students minimum, probably six maximum.

You want to ensure everyone gets a chance to participate as
much as he or she wants while maximizing the collective
knowledge and wisdom of the group.
■ While group members needn’t be best friends, they shouldn’t
be overtly hostile to one another, either. Seek diversity of
experience and demand common dedication.
■ Try to select students who are at least as smart, committed,
and serious as you. That will encourage you to keep up and
challenge you a bit. Avoid a group in which you’re the “star”—
at least until you flicker out during the first exam.
■ Avoid inviting members who are inherently unequal into the
group—boyfriend/girlfriend combinations, in which one or the
other may be inhibited by their amore’s presence; situations
where one student works for another; situations where under-
classmen and upperclassmen may stifle one another—you get
the idea.
■ Decide early on if you’re forming a study group or a social group.
If it’s the latter, don’t pretend it’s the former. If the former, don’t
just invite your friends and informally sit around discussing
your teachers for an hour each week.
34 How to Study

■ My suggestion is to assign each class to one student. Each

student must master his or her assigned class, completing
any supplemental assigned reading, taking outstanding notes,
outlining the course (if the group so desires), being available
for questions, and preparing various practice quizzes,
midterms, and finals as needed.
Needless to say, all of the other students should still attend
class, take their own notes, and do their own reading and
homework assignments. But the student assigned a particular
class should attempt to actually become the “substitute
professor” of that class in the study group.
So if you have five classes, a five-person study group is ideal.
■ Make meeting times and assignments formal and rigorous.
Consider establishing rigid rules of conduct. Better to shake
out the nonserious students early. You don’t want anyone who
wants to work as little as possible to take advantage of your
hard work.
■ Consider appointing a chair in charge of keeping everyone to
schedule and settling disputes before they disrupt the study
group.
■ However you organize, clearly decide—early—the exact
requirements and assignments of each student. Again, you
never want the feeling to emerge that one or two of you are
trying to “ride the coattails” of the others.

Where Should You Study?

■ At the library. There may be numerous choices, from the
large reading room to quieter, sometimes deserted, specialty
rooms to your own study cubicle. My favorite “home away
from home” at Princeton was a little room that seemingly only
four or five of us knew about—with wonderfully comfortable
chairs, subdued lighting, phonographs with earplugs, and a
selection of some 500 classical records. For someone who
needed music to study, it was custom made!
 Chapter 2 ■ How to Organize Your Studying 35

■ At home. Remember that this is the place where distractions

are most likely to occur. No one tends to telephone you at the
library and little brothers (or your own kids) will not find you
easily among the stacks of books. While home is usually the
most convenient place to make your study headquarters, it
may not be the most effective.
■ At a friend’s, neighbor’s, or relative’s house. This may
not be an option for most of you, even on an occasional basis,
but you may want to set up one or two alternative study sites.
Despite many experts’ opinions that you must study in the
same place every night (with which I don’t agree), I had a
friend who simply craved some variety to help motivate him.
He had four different places he liked to study and rotated
them from night to night. Do whatever works for you.
■ In an empty classroom. Certainly an option at many colleges
and perhaps some private high schools, it is an interesting idea
mainly because so few students have ever thought of it! While
not a likely option at a public high school, it never hurts to ask
if you can’t make some arrangements. Since many athletic
teams practice until 6 p.m. or later, even on the high school
level, there may be a part of the school open—and usable with
permission— even if the rest is locked up tight.
■ At your job. Whether you’re a student working part-time
or a full-time worker going to school part-time, you may well
be able to make arrangements to use an empty office, even
during regular office hours, or perhaps after everyone has left
(depending on how much your boss trusts you). If you’re in
middle or high school and a parent, friend, or relative works
nearby, you may be able to work from just after school ends
until closing time at his or her workplace.

Whatever place you choose for your study area, make it somewhere
that is only for study. Which leaves out your bed, in front of the TV,
and the dining room table, among other bad choices.
36 How to Study

Just as you (hopefully) sit right down and go to work when you enter
a classroom (presuming the teacher is in the room!), your attitude and
attention will be automatic if you associate your study area solely with
homework, not sleeping, eating, or entertaining yourself. And that
will make the time you spend more effective and efficient.

When Should You Study?

As much as possible, create a routine time of day for your studying.
Some experts contend that doing the same thing at the same time
every day is the most effective way to organize any ongoing task.
Some students find it easier to set aside specific blocks of time during
the day, each day, in which they plan on studying.
No matter who you are, the time of day you’ll study is determined by
these factors:

■ Study when you’re at your best. What is your peak per-

formance period—the time of day you do your best work?
This period varies from person to person—you may be dead
to the world until noon but able to study well into the night,
or up and alert at the crack of dawn but distracted and tired
if you try to burn the midnight oil. Just remember, focus =
efficiency.
■ Consider your sleep habits. Habit is a very powerful influ-
ence. If you always set your alarm for 7 a.m., you may soon
start waking up just before the alarm goes off. If you have
grown accustomed to going to sleep around 11 p.m., you
will undoubtedly become quite tired if you try to study until
2 a.m., and probably accomplish very little during those three
extra hours.
■ Study when you can. Although you want to sit down to
study when you are mentally most alert, external factors also
play a role in deciding when you study. Being at your best is
a great goal, but is not always possible. Study whenever
circumstances allow.
 Chapter 2 ■ How to Organize Your Studying 37

■ Consider the complexity of the assignment when you

allocate time. The tasks themselves may have a great effect
on your schedule. Don’t schedule one hour for an 80-page
reading assignment when you know you read half a page
per minute...on a good day.
■ Use “nonprime” hours for the easiest tasks. When your
energy and motivation are at their lowest levels, should you
really bore in on that project that’s been giving you fits? Or
merely recopy some notes, go over your calendar, or proofread
a paper? When you’re least creative, least energetic, and least
motivated, why would you even consider tackling your most
challenging assignments? Don’t be like many businesspeople
I know who schedule their time backwards: In the morning,
when they’re raring to go, they read the paper, check their
email, and skim trade journals. At the end of the day, when
they can barely see straight, they start on the presentation
for the Board of Directors’ meeting…tomorrow’s Board of
Directors’ meeting.
■ Schedule study time immediately after class or, if that’s
not possible, immediately before. This is most pertinent
for college and graduate students, who may have significant
free time between classes. Your memory of a class is, not
surprisingly, strongest immediately after it, so allocating an
open hour after class to go over notes, think about the lecture,
and complete that day’s assignment is the best way to spend
that hour.

If that isn’t possible, then taking the time to study immediately before
class is an excellent second option, especially if you usually need that
time to complete your assignments!
38 How to Study

Evaluate Your Study Area

Whatever location you choose as your study base, how you set
up your study area can affect your ability to stay focused and, if
you aren’t careful, seriously inhibit quality study time. Sit down
at your desk or study area right now and evaluate your own study
environment:

■ Do you have one or two special places reserved just for study-
ing? Or do you study wherever seems convenient or available
at the time?
■ Is your study area a pleasant place? Would you tout it to a
friend as a good place to study? Or do you dread it because
it’s so depressing?
■ How’s the lighting? Is it too dim or too bright? Is the entire
desk area well lit?
■ Are all the materials you need handy?
■ What else do you do here? Do you eat? Sleep? Write letters?
Read for pleasure? If you try to study at the same place you sit
to listen to music or chat on the phone, you may find yourself
doing one when you think you’re doing the other!
■ Is your study area in a high-traffic area? How often are you
interrupted by people passing through?
■ Can you close the door to the room to avoid disturbances and
outside noise?
■ When do you spend the most time here? What time of day
do you study? Is it when you are at your best? Or do you
inevitably study when you’re tired and less productive?
■ Are your files, folders, and other class materials organized and
near the work area? Do you have an effective filing system in
place for them?

Set up a “future” drawer in your filing cabinet. When you find ideas,
research material, and so on (from magazines, books, newspapers,
websites, whatever) that you think may be important sometime in the
future, write a pertinent note to yourself and file it. The time you take
now will be a mere fraction of the time you save in the future.
 Chapter 2 ■ How to Organize Your Studying 39

Staying Focused on Your Studies

If you find yourself doodling and dawdling more than reading and
remembering, try these solutions:

■ Create a work environment in which you’re comfortable.

The size, style, and placement of your desk, chair, and lighting
may all affect whether or not you’re distracted from the work
at hand. Take the time to design the area that’s perfect for
you. Needless to say, anything that you know will distract
you—a girlfriend’s picture, a radio or TV, whatever, should
disappear from your study area.
■ Turn up the lights. Experiment with the placement and
intensity of lighting in your study area until you find what
works for you, both in terms of comfort and as a means of
staying awake and focused.
■ Set some rules. Let family, relatives, and especially friends
know how important your studying is and that designated
study hours are inviolate.
■ Take the breaks you need. Don’t just follow well-intentioned
but bogus advice about how long you should study before
taking a break. Break when you need to.
■ Select a study symbol. Choose something you can associate
with studying, such as a hat, a scarf, even one of those little
trolls people keep on their desks. Whenever it’s time to study,
just jam on the hat, wrap yourself in the scarf, or set the troll
prominently on your desk. It’s study time! Not only will this
“get you in the mood” to study, it will serve as a warning to
roommates, friends, or family members that you are working.
Don’t associate your new “study symbol” with anything
but studying. Don’t wear your study hat to baseball games
or leave your troll on the desk while you’re on the phone
with friends. The instant your study symbol is associated
with something other than studying, it begins to lose its
effectiveness as a study aid.
40 How to Study

Fighting Tiredness and Boredom

You’ve chosen the best study spot, and no one could fault you on its
setup. So why are you still using pencils to prop up your eyelids?
Here’s what to do if your energy has taken a brief vacation:

■ Take a nap. What a concept! When you’re too tired to

study, take a short nap to revive yourself. Maximize that nap’s
effect by keeping it short—20 minutes is ideal, 40 minutes
absolute maximum. After that, you go into another phase of
sleep and you may wake even more tired than before.
■ Have a drink. A little caffeine won’t harm you—a cup of
coffee or tea, a glass of soda. Just be careful not to mainline
it—caffeine’s “wake-up” properties seem to reverse when you
reach a certain level, making you far more tired than you were!
■ Turn down the heat. You needn’t build an igloo out back,
but too warm a room will inevitably leave you dreaming of
sugarplums...while your paper remains unwritten on your
desk.
■ Shake a leg. Go for a walk, high step around the kitchen, do a
few jumping jacks—even mild physical exertion will give you
an immediate lift.
■ Change your study schedule. Presuming you have some
choice here, find a way to study when you are normally more
awake and/or most efficient.

Studying with Small Kids

Since so many more of you are going to school while raising a family,
I want to give you some ideas that will help you cope with the Charge
of the Preschool Light Brigade:
■ Plan activities to keep the kids occupied. The busier
you are in school and/or at work, the more time your kids will
want to spend with you when you are home. If you schedule
some time with them, it may be easier for them to play alone
the rest of the time, especially if you’ve created projects they
can work on while you’re working on your homework.
 Chapter 2 ■ How to Organize Your Studying 41

■ Make the kids part of your study routine. Kids love routine,
so why not include them in yours? If 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. is always
“Mommy’s Study Time,” they will soon get used to it, espe-
cially if you make spending other time with them a priority and
give them something to do during those hours. Explaining the
importance of what you’re doing—in a way that includes some
ultimate benefit for them—will also motivate them to be part
of your “study team.”
■ Use the television as a babysitter. While many of you
will have a problem with this—it’s one that I and my daughter
dealt with weekly, if not daily—it may be the lesser of two
evils. And you can certainly rent (or DVR or TiVo) enough
quality shows so you don’t have to worry about the little
darlings watching street gangs bash skulls in (or bashing skulls
themselves on some video game system).
■ Plan your study accordingly. All of these suggestions will
not keep your kids from interrupting every now and then. While
you can minimize such intrusions, it’s virtually impossible to
eliminate them entirely. So don’t try—plan your schedule
assuming them. For one, that means taking more frequent
breaks to spend five minutes with your kids. They’ll be more
likely to give you the 15 or 20 minutes you need if they get
periodic attention themselves.
■ Find help. Spouses can occasionally take the kids out for
dinner and a movie. (And trust me, the kids will encourage
you to study more if you institute this practice!) Relatives can
babysit (at their homes) on a rotating basis. Playmates can be
invited over (allowing you to send your darling to their house
the next day). You may be able to trade babysitting with other
parents at school. And professional day care may be available
at your child’s school or in someone’s home for a couple of
hours a day.
42 How to Study

Find Out Where You Shine

It is the rare individual who is superior, or even good, in every subject.
If you are, count your blessings. Most of us are a little better in one
subject or another. Some of us simply like one subject more than
another—and don’t think that doesn’t change your attitude toward it.
Others are naturally gifted in one area, average in others.
For example, skill with numbers and spatial relationships may come
easily to you, but you may have absolutely no ear for music or lan-
guages. Or you may find learning a language to be a piece of cake,
but not have the faintest clue why Pythagoras came up with his
Theorem—or why you should care. Some students are good with
their hands. Others (I’m in this group) may find making the simplest
item torturous (and the results laughable).
The reasons for such unequal distribution of native-born talents rest
somewhere in the area between karma and God, depending on your
philosophy.
My advice is to be thankful for whatever native-born talents you
possess and use the gift as a double-edged sword. Shift some study
time from those tasks easily achieved to those that you find more
difficult. The balance you will see in your development will be well
worth the effort.
And if you’ve never really thought about the subjects you like and
dislike, use the chart at the end of this chapter to identify them. You’ll
also be asked to identify those in which you perform well or poorly.
(Your report card should confirm those!) Use this list to organize your
own schedule to take advantage of your natural talents and give
added time to the subject areas that need the most work.

And If You Have a Choice

All college students—and some high school students—are able to pick
and choose courses according to their own schedules, likes, dislikes,
goals, etc. The bliss of such freedom should be tempered with the
commonsense approach you’re trying to develop through reading this
book. Here are a few hints to help you along:
 Chapter 2 ■ How to Organize Your Studying 43

■ Whenever possible, consider each professor’s reputation as

you decide whether to select a particular course, especially
if it is an overview or introductory course offered in two or
three sessions. Word soon gets around as to which professors’
lectures are stimulating and rewarding—an environment in
which learning is a joy, even if it isn’t a subject you like!
■ If there’s a course you think you’d like to take but suspect or
know you can’t fit it in this semester (or even this year), take
the time now to check out course requirements, assignments,
reading lists, etc., and go to the first class. This is generally
an overview of the entire course and the time when most
professors hand out syllabuses, longterm assignments, and
suggested reading lists. You may not be sure you want to take
the course before that class, but you’ll certainly have a better
idea afterwards.
■ Attempt to select classes that balance your schedule on a
weekly and even a daily basis, though this will not always be
possible or advisable. (Don’t change your major just to fit your
schedule!) Try to leave an open hour or half-hour between
classes— it’s ideal for review, postclass note taking, quick trips
to the library, etc.
■ Try to alternate challenging classes with those that come more
easily to you. Studying is a process of positive reinforcement.
You’ll need encouragement along the way.
■ Avoid late evening or early morning classes, especially if such
scheduling provides you with large gaps of “downtime.” And
if you’re not a “morning person,” don’t even think of taking a
class that meets daily at 8 a.m. I did it my freshman year of
college and managed to get there, oh, at least three times.
■ Set a personal study pace and follow it. Place yourself on a
study diet, the key rule of which is: Don’t overeat.

The landscape is littered with the shadows of unsuccessful students who

have failed in their pursuits—not because they lacked the talent or moti-
vation, but because they just overloaded on information and pressure.
You can be successful without killing yourself!
44 How to Study

Evaluation of Subject Areas

List the subject areas/courses you like most:

List those you like least:

List the courses in which you get the best grades:

And those in which you get the worst grades:

 Chapter 3

How to Read
and Remember

P ersonally, I’ll read anything handy, just to be able to read

something. But the fact that I have always loved to read didn’t
make it any easier to face some of those deadly textbook
reading assignments. As a student, you inevitably will be required, as
I was, to spend hours poring through ponderous, fact-filled, convoluted
reading assignments for subjects that are required, but not exactly
scintillating.
You may love reading for pleasure but have trouble reading textbook
assignments for certain subjects. You may get the reading done but
forget what you’ve read nearly as quickly as you read it. Or you just
may hate the thought of sitting still to read anything. Whatever kind
of student you are—and whatever your level of reading skill—this
chapter will help you surmount your reading challenge.
And that includes, for those of you long out of school, reading those
nap-inducing business tomes, trade magazine articles, and other
work-related stuff that’s rarely reader-friendly.

45
46 How to Study

You’ll learn what you should read—and what you don’t have to.
You’ll discover how to cut down on the time you spend reading, how
to identify the main idea and the important details, and how to
remember more of what you read.
Who knows? I might even convince you reading is fun!

Define Your Purpose for Reading

What is your purpose for reading? If the best answer you can
come up with is, “Because my teacher said I had to,” we need to
uncover some better reasons. Reading a chapter just so you can say,
“I finished my assignment” is relatively futile. You may as well put the
book under a pillow and hope to absorb it by osmosis.
Unless you identify some purpose for reading, you will find yourself
flipping the pages of your textbooks while retaining little more than
the chapter titles.
According to reading experts, there are six fundamental purposes for
reading:

1. To grasp a certain message.

2. To find important details.
3. To answer a specific question.
4. To evaluate what you are reading.
5. To apply what you are reading.
6. To be entertained.

Using the Clues in Your Textbooks

There are special sections found in nearly all textbooks and technical
materials (in fact, in almost all books except novels) that contain
a wealth of information and can help you glean more from your
reading. Becoming familiar with this data will enrich your reading
experience and often make it easier. Here’s what to look for:
 Chapter 3 ■ How to Read and Remember 47

The first page after the title page is usually the table of contents—a
chapter-by-chapter list of the book’s contents. Some are surprisingly
detailed, listing every major point or topic covered in each chapter.
The first prose section (after the title page, table of contents, and,
perhaps, an acknowledgments page) is the preface, usually a descrip-
tion of the information you will find in the book. Authors may also
use the preface to point out unique aspects of their books.
The introduction may be in place of or in addition to the preface
and may be written by the author or some “name” the author has
recruited to lend additional prestige to his or her work. Most intro-
ductions are an even more detailed overview of the book—chapter-
by-chapter summaries are often included to give the reader a feel
for the material to be covered.
Footnotes may be found throughout the text (a slightly elevated
24
number following a sentence or quote, e.g., “jim dandy” ) and either
explained at the bottom of the page on which they appear or in a
special section at the back of the text. Footnotes may be used to cite
sources of direct quotes or ideas and/or to further explain a point, or
to add information outside of the text. You may make it a habit to
ferret out sources cited in this way for further reading.
If a text tends to use an alarmingly large number of terms with which
you may not be familiar, the considerate author will include a
glossary—essentially an abridged dictionary that defines all such
terms.
The bibliography, usually at the end of the book, may include the
source material the author used to research the textbook, a list of
“recommended reading,” or both. It is usually organized alphabeti-
cally by subject, making it easy for you to find more information on a
specific topic.
48 How to Study

Appendices containing supplementary data or examples relating to

subject matter covered in the text may also appear in the back of the
book.
The last thing in a book is usually the index, an alphabetical listing
that references, by page number, every mention of a particular name,
subject, and topic in the text.
Making it a habit to utilize all of these tools in your textbooks can only
make your studying easier.

Find Other Textbooks if Necessary

Few textbooks are written by what most of us would even remotely
call professional writers. While the authors might well be experts,
even legends, in their particular fields, writing in jargon-free, easy-to-
grasp prose is probably not their strong suit. You will occasionally be
assigned a textbook that is so obtuse you aren’t sure whether to read
it front to back, upside down, or inside out.
If you find a particular chapter, section, or entire textbook as tough
to read as getting your baby brother to do you a favor, get to the
library or a bookstore and find another book covering the same sub-
ject area that you can understand. You might even consider asking
your teacher or professor for recommendations. She will probably
make your job of finding a readable text a lot easier. You may even
score some brownie points for your seeming initiative (as long as you
don’t wonder aloud what caused her to select that torturous text in
the first place!).
“Ron,” I hear you grumbling, “what happened to the ‘study smarter,
not harder’ bit? This can’t possibly be a timesaver. Heck, I’ll bet the
books don’t even cover the subject in the same way, let alone follow
the same sequence! I’ll be stuck slogging through two books.”
 Chapter 3 ■ How to Read and Remember 49

Possibly. But if you just don’t get it, maybe it’s because the author just
doesn’t know how to explain it. Maybe it’s not your fault! Too many
students have sweated, moaned, dropped classes, even changed
majors because they thought they were dumb, when it’s possible it’s
the darned textbook that’s dense, not you. So instead of continuing
to slog though the mire, find an expert who can actually write—
they’re out there—and learn what you need to. If the other text finally
helps you understand the subject, you’ll find the original textbook
much easier to fathom…presuming you need it at all.

Use the Clues in Each Chapter

Begin with a very quick overview of the assignment, looking for ques-
tions that you’d like answered. Consider the following elements of
your reading assignment before you begin your reading:
Chapter titles and boldfaced subheads announce the detail about the
main topic. And, in some textbooks, paragraph headings or boldfaced
“lead-ins” announce that the author is about to provide finer details.
So start each reading assignment by going through the chapter, begin-
ning to end, reading only the boldfaced heads and subheads.
Look for end-of-chapter summaries. Knowing what the author is
driving at will help you look for the important building blocks for his
conclusions while you’re reading.
Most textbooks, particularly those in the sciences, will have charts,
graphs, numerical tables, maps, and other illustrations. Be sure to
observe how they supplement the text and what points they empha-
size, and make note of these.
In some textbooks, you’ll discover that key terms and information are
highlighted within the body text. To find the definitions of these terms
may then be your purpose for reading.
50 How to Study

Some textbook publishers use a format in which key points are

emphasized by questions, either within the body of or at the end of
the chapter. If you read these questions before reading the chapter,
you’ll have a better idea of what material you need to pay closer
attention to.
If you begin your reading assignment by seeking out these heads,
subheads, and other purpose-finding elements of the chapter, you’ll
have completed your prereading step. I advise that you always
preread every assignment.

Three Ways to Read

Depending on what you’re trying to accomplish in a particular
reading assignment and the kind of book involved, there are three
different ways to read. Knowing when to use each will make any
assignment easier:

1. Quick reference reading focuses on seeking specific

information that addresses a particular question or concern
the reader might have.
2. Critical reading is used to discern ideas and concepts that
require a thorough analysis.
3. Aesthetic or pleasure reading is for sheer entertainment
or to appreciate an author’s style and ability.

The Importance of Prereading

The best way to begin any reading assignment is to skim the pages
to get an overall view of what information is included. Then read
the text more carefully and highlight it and/or take notes in your
notebook.
 Chapter 3 ■ How to Read and Remember 51

A brief digression: Most everyone I know confuses “skim” and “scan.”

Let me set the record straight. Skim is to read quickly and superficially.
Scan is to read carefully but for a specific item. So when you skim a
reading selection, you are reading it in its entirety, though you’re only
hitting the “highlights.” When you scan a selection, you are reading
it in detail but only until you find what you’re looking for. Scanning is
the fastest reading rate of all—although you are reading in detail, you
are not seeking to comprehend or remember anything that you see
until you find the bit of information you’re looking for.
You probably are assigned a lot of reading that can be accomplished
by skimming for facts. By establishing the questions you want
answered before you begin to read, you can quickly browse through
the material, extracting only the information you need.
Let’s say you’re reading a science book with the goal of identifying the
function of a cell’s nucleus. You can breeze through the section that
gives the parts of the cell. You can skim the description of what cells
do. You already know what you’re looking for—and there it is in the
section that talks about what each cell part does. Now you can start
to read.
By identifying the questions you wanted to answer (a.k.a. your
purpose) in advance, you would be able to skim the chapter and
answer your questions in a lot less time than it would have taken to
painstakingly read every word.
Skimming, or prereading, is a valuable step even if you aren’t seeking
specific facts. When skimming for a general overview, there’s a very
simple procedure to follow:

1. If there is a title or heading, rephrase it as a question. This will

be your purpose for reading.
2. Examine all the subheadings, illustrations, and graphics, as
these will help you identify the significant matter within the
text.
52 How to Study

3. Read thoroughly the introductory paragraphs, the summary,

and any questions at the chapter’s end.
4. Read the first sentence of every paragraph, which generally
contains the main point of the paragraph.
5. Evaluate what you have gained from this process: Can you
answer the questions at the end of the chapter? Could you
intelligently participate in a class discussion of the material?
6. Write a brief summary that encapsulates what you have
learned from your skimming.
7. Based on this evaluation, decide whether a more thorough
reading is required.

As a general rule, if you are reading textbook material word for word,
you probably are wasting quite a bit of your study time. Good read-
ers are able to discern what they should read in this manner and what
they can afford to skim. When trying to simply gather detail and facts,
skimming a text is a simple and very important shortcut that can save
you a lot of reading time. Even if a more in-depth reading is neces-
sary, you will find that by having gone through this process, you will
have developed the kind of skeletal framework that will make your
further reading faster, easier, and more meaningful. And if all you need
is “Just the facts, ma’am,” your ability to scan a selection, chapter,
or book will save you minutes, if not hours, every week.
Whether you’re skimming or scanning, you will have equipped your-
self with the ability to better digest whatever the author is trying to
communicate.

Seek Word Clues, Too

While the heads, subheads, first sentences, and other author-provided
hints we’ve talked about will help you get a quick read on what a
chapter is about, some of the words in that chapter will help you
concentrate on the important points and ignore the unimportant.
Knowing when to speed up, slow down, ignore, or really concentrate
will help you read both faster and more effectively.
 Chapter 3 ■ How to Read and Remember 53

When you see words such as “likewise,” “in addition,” “moreover,”

“furthermore,” and the like, you should know that nothing new is
being introduced. If you already know what’s going on, speed up or
skip what’s coming entirely.
On the other hand, when you see words like “on the other hand,”
“nevertheless,” “however,” “rather,” “but,” and their ilk, slow down—
you’re getting information that adds a new perspective or contradicts
what you’ve just read.
Lastly, watch out for “payoff ” words such as “to summarize,” “in
conclusion,” “therefore,” “consequently,” “thus”—especially if
you only have time to “hit the high points” of a chapter or you’re
reviewing for a test. Here’s where everything that went before is
happily tied up in a nice bow and ribbon, a present that enables
you to avoid having to unwrap the entire chapter.

Now Go Back for Detail

If a more thorough reading is required, turn back to the beginning.
Read one section (chapter, unit, whatever) at a time.
As you read, make sure you know what’s going on by asking yourself
if the passage is written to address one of these five questions:

1. Who? The paragraph focuses on a particular person or group

of people. The topic sentence tells you who this is.
2. When? The paragraph is primarily concerned with time. The
topic sentence may even begin with the word “when.”
3. Where? The paragraph is oriented around a particular place
or location. The topic sentence states where you are reading
about.
54 How to Study

4. Why? A paragraph that states reasons for some belief or hap-

pening usually addresses this question. The topic sentence
answers why something is true or why an event happened.
5. How? The paragraph identifies the way something works or
the means by which something is done. The topic sentence
explains the how of what is described.

Do not go on to the next chapter or section until you’ve completed

the following exercise:

1. Write definitions of any key terms you feel are essential to

understanding the topic.
2. Write questions and answers you feel clarify the topic.
3. Write any questions for which you don’t have answers—then
make sure you find them through rereading, further research,
or asking another student or your teacher.
4. Even if you still have unanswered questions, move on to the
next section and complete numbers one to three for that sec-
tion. (And so on, until your reading assignment is complete.)

The Challenge of Technical Texts

What about the unique challenges posed by highly technical texts—
physics, trigonometry, chemistry, calculus— you know, subjects that
three-fourths of all students avoid like the plague? These subjects
demand a logical, organized approach and a step-by-step reading
method. And they require a detection of the text’s organizational
devices.
Developing the skill to identify the basic sequence of the text will
enable you to follow the progression of thought, a progression that
is vital to your comprehension and retention.
 Chapter 3 ■ How to Read and Remember 55

Why? In most technical writing, each concept is a like a building block

of understanding—if you don’t understand a particular section or
concept, you won’t be able to understand the next section, either.
Most technical books are saturated with ideas, terms, formulas, and
theories. The chapters are dense with information, compressing a
great wealth of ideas into a small space. They demand to be read very
carefully.
In order to get as much as possible from such reading assignments,
you can take advantage of some devices to make sense of the organ-
ization. Here are five basics to watch for:

1. Definitions and terms.

2. Examples.
3. Classifications and listings.
4. Use of contrast.
5. Cause-effect relationships.

In reading any specialized text, you must begin at the beginning—

understanding the jargon particular to that discipline. Familiar, every-
day words have very precise definitions in technical writing. Everyday
words can have a variety of meanings, some of them even contradic-
tory, depending on the context in which they’re used.
In contrast, in the sciences, terminology has fixed and specific mean-
ings. For example, the definition of elasticity (the ability of a solid
to regain its shape after a deforming force has been applied) is the
same in Los Angeles or Las Palmas. Such exact terminology enables
scientists to communicate with the precision their discipline requires.
Definitions may vary in length. One term may require a one-sentence
definition; others merit entire paragraphs. Some may even need a
whole chapter to accurately communicate the definition.
56 How to Study

Look for key words that indicate specific mathematical operations. You
need to add when you see words such as “increased by,” “combined,”
“together,” “sum,” or “total of ”; subtract when you see “decreased
by,” “minus,” “less,” “difference”; multiply when you see “product,”
“increased,” “by a factor of,” and “times”; and divide when you see
“per,” “ratio,” “quotient,” or “percent.”
Another communication tool is the example. Authors use examples
to bridge abstract principles to concrete illustrations. These examples
are essential to your ability to comprehend intricate and complicated
theories.
Unlike other writing, technical writing places a very high premium on
brevity. Economizing words is the key to covering a large volume of
knowledge in a relatively small space. Few technical texts or articles
include anecdotal matter or chatty stories on the author’s experiences.
This fact challenges the reader to pay particular attention to the
examples that are included. Why? Technical writing often is filled
with new or foreign ideas—many of which are not readily digestible.
They are difficult in part because they are abstract. Examples work
to clarify these concepts, hopefully in terms that are more easily
understood.
A third tool frequently utilized in texts is classification and listings.
Classifying is the process by which common subjects are categorized
under a general heading. Especially in technical writing, authors use
classification to categorize extensive lists of detail.
A fourth tool used in communicating difficult information is that of
comparing and contrasting. Texts use this tool to bring complicated
material into focus by offering a similar or opposing picture. Through
comparison, a text relates a concept to one that has been previously
defined—or to one a reader may readily understand. Through con-
trast, the text concentrates on the differences and distinctions
between two ideas. By focusing on distinguishing features, these ideas
become clearer as one idea is held up against another.
 Chapter 3 ■ How to Read and Remember 57

A final tool that texts employ to communicate is the cause-effect

relationship. This device is best defined in the context of science,
where it is the fundamental quest of most scientific research. Science
begins with the observation of the effect—what is happening? It is
snowing. The next step is to conduct research into the cause: Why is
it snowing? Detailing this cause-effect relationship is often the essence
of scientific and technical writing.
Cause-effect relationships may be written in many ways. The effect
may be stated first, followed by the cause. An effect may be the result
of several connected causes— a causal chain. And a cause may have
numerous effects.
In your reading, it is vital that you recognize this relationship and its
significance.

Read with a Plan

More than any other type of writing, highly specialized technical
writing must be read with a plan. You can’t approach your reading
assignment merely with the goal of completing it. Such mindless
reading will leave you confused and frustrated, drowning in an ocean
of theories, concepts, terms, and examples.
Your plan should incorporate the following guidelines:

1. Learn the terms that are essential to understanding the

concepts presented. Knowing the precise definitions that
the author uses will enable you to follow his chain of thought
through the text.
2. Determine the structure or organization of the text. Most
chapters have a definite pattern that forms the skeleton of the
material. A book may begin with a statement of a theory, give
examples, provide sample problems, then summarize. Often
this pattern can be discerned through a preview of the table
of contents or the titles and subtitles.
58 How to Study

3. Skim the chapter to get a sense of the author’s viewpoint.

Ask questions to define your purpose in reading. Use any
summaries or review questions to guide your reading.
4. Do a thorough analytical reading of the text. Do not
proceed from one section to the next until you have a clear
understanding of the section you are reading—the concepts
generally build upon each other. To proceed to a new section
without understanding the ones that precede it is, at best,
futile.
5. Immediately upon concluding your thorough reading, review!
Write a summary of the concepts and theories you need to
remember. Answer any questions raised when you skimmed
the text. Do the problems. If possible, apply the formulas.

Technical material is saturated with ideas. When reading it, you must
be convinced of one fact: Every individual word counts! You will want
to read such material with the utmost concentration—it is not meant
to be sped through.
Good readers know that such material demands a slow read that con-
centrates on achieving the greatest level of retention.

■ Every definition has to be digested.

■ Every formula must be committed to memory.
■ Every example needs to be considered.

To improve your reading of such technical material, you will want

to hone the skill of identifying the devices an author uses to commu-
nicate. In so doing, you will be able to connect the chain of thought
that occurs. When reading such texts—or attempting to work out
technical problems—try the following “tricks”:

■ Whenever you can, “translate” numbers and formulae into

words. To test your understanding, try to put your translation
into different words.
 Chapter 3 ■ How to Read and Remember 59

■ Even if you’re not particularly visual, pictures can often help.

You should try translating a particularly vexing math problem
into a drawing or diagram.
■ Before you even get down to solving a problem, is there any
way for you to estimate the answer or, at least, to estimate
the range within which the answer should fall (greater than 1,
but less than 10)? This is the easy way to at least make sure
you wind up in the right ballpark.
■ Play around. There are often different paths to the same
solution, or even equally valid solutions. If you find one, try to
find others. This is a great way to increase your understanding
of all the principles involved.
■ When you are checking your calculations, try working
backwards. I’ve found it an easier way to catch simple
mathematical errors.
■ Try to figure out what is being asked, what principles are
involved, what information is important, and what is not.
■ Teach someone else. Trying to explain mathematical concepts
to someone else will quickly pinpoint what you really know
or don’t know. It’s virtually impossible to get someone else—
especially someone who is slower than you at all this stuff—
to understand if you don’t!

Reading Foreign Language Texts

Foreign language texts should be approached the same way, especially
basic ones teaching vocabulary. If you haven’t mastered the words
you’re supposed to in the first section, you’ll have trouble reading the
story at the end of section three, even if you’ve learned all the words
in sections two and three. So take it one step at a time and make sure
you have mastered one concept, vocabulary list, lesson, and so forth,
before jumping ahead.
60 How to Study

Aesthetic (Pleasure) Reading

“To read a writer is for me not merely to get an idea of what he says,
but to go off with him, and travel in his company.”
—Andre Gide

Most fiction is an attempt to tell a story. There is a beginning, in which

characters and setting are introduced. There is a conflict or struggle
that advances the story to a climax—where the conflict is resolved.
A final denouement or “winding up” concludes the story. Your litera-
ture class will address these parts using terms that are often more
confusing than helpful. The following are brief definitions of some of
the more important ones:
Plot. The order or sequence of the story—how it proceeds from
opening through climax. Your ability to understand and appreciate
literature depends upon how well you follow the plot—the story.
Characterization. The personalities or characters central to the
story—the heroes, the heroines, the villains, and the supporting
characters. You will want to identify the main characters of the story
and their relationships to the struggle and to each other.
Theme. The controlling message or subject of the story; the moral or
idea that the author is using the plot and characters to communicate.
Setting. The time and place in which the story occurs. This is especially
important when reading a historical novel or one set in another culture.
Point of view. Who is telling the story? Is it one of the central
characters giving you flashbacks? Or is it a third-person narrator
offering commentary and observations on the characters, the setting,
and the plot?
The first step in reading literature is to familiarize yourself with these
concepts, then try to recognize them in each novel or short story you
read. As you begin your reading, approach it first from an aesthetic
standpoint: How does it make you feel? What do you think of the
characters? Do you like them? Hate them? Relate to them?
 Chapter 3 ■ How to Read and Remember 61

Second, make sure you know what’s going on—this involves the plot
and the development of the characters. On a chapter-by-chapter
basis, you may find it helpful to keep a sheet of paper on which you
can write a sentence or two on the plot development and note any
new characters introduced.

How Fast Can You Understand?

“When we read too fast or too slowly, we understand nothing.”
—Blaise Pascal

Are you worried that you read too slowly? You probably shouldn’t
be—less rapid readers are not necessarily less able. What counts
is what you comprehend and remember. And like anything else,
practice will probably increase your speed levels. If you must have a
ranking, read the 500-word selection below, adapted from Exploring
Feng Shui by Shawne Mitchell (New Page Books, 2004) from start
to finish, noting the elapsed time on your watch. Score yourself as
follows:

45 seconds or less very fast

46–60 seconds fast
61–90 seconds high average
91–119 seconds average
120–150 seconds slow
151 seconds or more very slow

The guiding philosophy of feng shui is that everything in the

universe, including every one of us, is made of the same basic
energy. This universal energy, known as chi (pronounced chee),
is alive and has intelligence. Because on this fundamental level
everything is in relationship with everything else, whenever
anything changes, everything else also changes as a result.
62 How to Study

Chi constantly ebbs and flows around and through us in

ever-shifting patterns and levels of intensity. Modern science
authenticated what the ancient Chinese art of feng shui has
recognized for more than 4,000 years through the discovery
that all matter and non-matter are composed of subatomic
particles of energy. Quantum physicists have since done
experiments that show that these infinitesimally small bits of
energy literally respond to thought, changing their behavior
depending on where and how researchers focus their attention.
This revelation affirms the power of feng shui.
Imagine that a bubble of energy surrounds your body and
extends 10 feet in every direction. As you move through the
world, people and objects unavoidably pass through this bubble.
Where your energy bubble intersects with the bubbles of
others, a sort of comingling process takes place in which your
energy responds to theirs and their energy responds to yours.
Intangible thoughts and feelings can be communicated through
these fields from person to person and by entering different
spaces.
If the man sitting next to you on the bus were angry, his energy
would feel “angry.” You could read his state of being through
your energy field even though you never held a conversation.
If you walked into a church or temple where people have been
praying for centuries, you likewise might pick up the energy
signature of “peace” and “devotion” embedded in its walls and
altars. The presence of anger and devotion would ripple into
and through your field. You might also become angry or peace-
ful just by being exposed and responding to the energy of these
emotions and thoughts.
Perhaps your energy bubble extends farther than 10 feet.
Perhaps it is unlimited in scope, because at the subatomic level
your personal energy is merely a drop in an entire sea of univer-
sal chi. In that case, every aspect of the world at large would
impact you to a measurable degree. Everyone and everything
on the planet in this scenario can be seen as interrelated and
interdependent.
 Chapter 3 ■ How to Read and Remember 63

Consider the potential that this vision holds: We are all con-
nected, part of the oneness of the universe. It is a point of
orientation on which mystics and scientists, faith and logic,
can agree. Although feng shui is not actually considered a
spiritual practice or religion, it is a subtle and intuitive art that
may ultimately enhance your spiritual beliefs. Furthermore, it
is clear that the principles of energy are operating in our lives
whether or not we are consciously attuned to them. Through
feng shui, we can purposefully regulate the flow of positive
energy in our environment and as a result enhance our lives.

What is the basic philosophy of feng shui? What is chi? Can you explain
the concept of an “energy bubble?” What is the practical application
of feng shui?
A good reader should be reading fast or very fast and have gotten at
least three of the four questions correct. (Look back at the selection
to find the answers.)

What Decreases Speed/Comprehension

■ Reading aloud or moving your lips when you read.
■ Reading mechanically—using your finger to follow words,
moving your head as you read.
■ Applying the wrong kind of reading to the material.
■ Lacking sufficient vocabulary.

To Increase Reading Speed

■ Focus your attention and concentration.
■ Eliminate outside distractions.
■ Provide for an uncluttered, comfortable environment.
64 How to Study

■ Don’t get hung up on single words or sentences, but do look up

(in the dictionary) key words that you must understand in
order to grasp an entire concept.
■ Try to grasp overall concepts rather than attempting to under-
stand every detail.
■ If you find yourself moving your lips when you read (vocal-
ization), practice reading with a pen or some other (nontoxic,
nonsugary) object in your mouth. If it falls out while you’re
reading, you know you have to keep working!
■ Work on building your vocabulary. You may be reading slowly
(and/or having trouble understanding what you read) because
your vocabulary is insufficient for your reading level.
■ Read more…and more often. Reading is a habit that improves
with practice.
■ Avoid rereading words or phrases. According to one recent
study, an average student reading at 250 words per minute
rereads 20 times per page. The slowest readers reread the
most.

To Increase Your Comprehension

■ Try to make the act of learning sequential— comprehension
is built by adding new knowledge to existing knowledge.
■ Review and rethink at designated points in your reading.
Test yourself to see if the importance of the material is
getting through.
■ If things don’t add up, discard your conclusions. Go back,
reread, and try to find an alternate conclusion.
■ Summarize what you’ve read, rephrasing it in your notes in
your own words.
 Chapter 3 ■ How to Read and Remember 65

Most importantly, read at the speed that’s comfortable for you.

Though I can read extremely fast, I choose to read novels much
more slowly so I can appreciate the author’s wordplay. Likewise, any
material that I find particularly difficult to grasp slows me right down.
I read newspapers, popular magazines, and the like very fast, seeking
to grasp the information but not worrying about every detail.
Should you take some sort of speed reading course, especially if your
current speed level is low?
Reading for speed has some merit—many people who are slow read-
ers read as little as possible, simply because they find it so tedious and
boring. But just reading faster is not the answer to becoming a good
reader.
I can’t see that such a course could particularly hurt you in any way.
I can also, however, recommend that you simply keep practicing read-
ing, which will increase your speed naturally.

Remembering What You Read

In a world where the ability to master and remember a growing
explosion of data is critical for individual success, too little attention
is paid to the dynamics of memory and systems for improving it.
Developing your memory is probably the most effective way to
increase your efficiency, in reading and virtually everything else.
There are some key factors that will help you remember more of what
you read:

■ Understanding. You will remember only what you understand.

When you read something and grasp the message, you have
begun the process of retention. The way to test this is to
rephrase the message in your own words. Can you summarize
the main idea? Unless you understand what is being said, you
won’t be able to decide whether to remember or discard it.
66 How to Study

■ Desire. You remember what you choose to remember. If you

do not want to retain some piece of information or don’t
believe you can, then you won’t! To remember the material,
you must want to remember it and be convinced that you
will remember it.
■ Overlearn. To ensure that you retain material, you need to
go beyond simply doing the assignment. To really remember
what you learn, you should learn material thoroughly, or
overlearn. This involves prereading the text, doing a critical
read, and having some definite means of review that reinforces
what you should have learned.
■ Systematize. It’s more difficult to remember random
thoughts or numbers than those organized in some pattern.
For example, which phone number is easier to remember:
538–6284 or 678–1234? Once you recognize the pattern in
the second number, it takes much less effort to remember
than the first. You should develop the ability to discern the
structure that exists and recall it when you try to remember.
Have a system to help you recall how information is organized
and connected.
■ Association. It’s helpful to attach or associate what you
are trying to recall to something you already have in your
memory. Mentally link new material to existing knowledge
so that you are giving this new thought some context in
your mind.

Retention
Retention is the process by which we keep imprints of past experiences
in our minds, the “storage depot.” Subject to other actions of the
mind, what is retained can be recalled when needed. Things are
retained in the same order in which they are learned. So your study-
ing should build one fact, one idea, and one concept upon another.
 Chapter 3 ■ How to Read and Remember 67

Broad concepts can be retained more easily than details. Master the
generalities, and the details will fall into place.
If you think something is important, you will retain it more easily. So
convincing yourself that what you are studying is something you must
retain (and recall) increases your ability to add it to your long-term
memory bank.
Retention is primarily a product of what you understand. It has little
to do with how fast you read, how great an outline you can construct,
or how many fluorescent colors you use to highlight your textbooks.
Reading a text, grasping the message, and remembering it are the
fundamentals that make for high-level retention. Reading at a 1,000-
words-per-minute clip does not necessarily mean that you understand
what you’ve read or will remember any of it.
As you work toward improving your reading, realize that speed is
secondary to comprehension. If you can read an assignment faster
than anyone in class, but can’t give a one-paragraph synopsis of what
you just read, you’ve wasted your time. If you really get the author’s
message— even if it takes you an hour or two longer than some of
your friends—spending the time you need to actually understand
what you are reading will pay huge dividends in class and later in life.

Recall
This is the process by which we are able to bring forth those things
that we have retained. Recall is subject to strengthening through the
process of repetition. Recall is least effective immediately after a first
reading, which is why periodic review is so important. The dynamics
of our ability to recall are affected by several factors:

■ We most easily recall those things that are of interest to us.

■ Be selective in determining how much you need to recall. All
information is not of equal importance— focus your attention
on being able to recall the most important pieces of information.
68 How to Study

■ Allow yourself to react to what you’re studying. Associating

new information with what you already know will make it
easier to recall.
■ Repeat, either aloud or in your mind, what you want to
remember. Find new ways of saying those things that you
want to recall.
■ Try to recall broad concepts rather than isolated facts.
■ Use the new data you have managed to recall in a meaningful
way—it will help you recall it the next time.

Recognition
This is the ability to see new material, recognize it for what it is,
and understand what it means. Familiarity is the key aspect of
recognition—you will feel that you have “met” this information
before, associate it with other data or circumstances, then recall
the framework in which it logically fits.
If you’ve ever envied a friend’s seemingly wondrous ability to recall
facts, dates, and telephone numbers virtually at will, take solace that,
in most cases, this skill is a result of study and practice, not something
he was born with.
There are certain fundamental memory systems that, when mastered,
can significantly expand your capability. It is beyond the scope of this
book to teach you all of these techniques; but if you feel you need
help, I recommend Improve Your Memory, another book in my How to
Study Program. You’ll probably find a number of helpful titles at your
library as well.

Take Notes
Do you own the book you’re reading? Do you not care about pre-
serving it for posterity? Then use its margins for notes. Go beyond
mere highlighting to assign some ranking to the facts conveyed by
the text.
 Chapter 3 ■ How to Read and Remember 69

I used to use a little shorthand method to help me remember written

materials. I’d draw vertical lines close to the text to assign levels of
importance. One vertical line meant that the material should
be reviewed; two indicated that the facts were very important;
asterisks would signify “learn or fail” material. I’d insert question marks
for material that I wanted one of my more intelligent friends or a
teacher to explain to me further. I’d use circles to indicate the infor-
mation I was dead sure would show up on the next test.
Interestingly, I found that the very act of assigning relative weights of
importance to the text and keeping a lookout for test material helped
me remember because it heightened my attention.

Become an Active Reader

I urge you to quiz yourself on written material to ascertain how well
you retain it. If this doesn’t work, try asking the questions before you
read the material.
For instance, even though I have been an avid reader throughout
much of my academic life, I had some trouble with the reading
comprehension sections of standardized tests the first couple of times
I attempted them. Why? I think I had a tendency to rush through
these sections.
Then someone suggested to me that I read the questions before I read
the passage. Presto! Great scores in reading comprehension (765
points on my verbal SAT for all of you doubters!).
While you won’t always have such a ready-made list of questions,
there are other sources—the summaries at the beginnings of chap-
ters or the synopses in tables of contents. Pay attention to these.
This technique will train your mind to hone in on those important
details when they arise in the story. It would also be a good idea to
ask yourself these questions immediately after you finish the chapter.
It will help you decide whether you “got” the important points of the
chapter and help you retain the information longer.
70 How to Study

Understand, Don’t Memorize

Approach any text with the intent of understanding it rather than
memorizing it. Understanding is a key part of memorization. Don’t
stop the flow of information during your reading (other than to under-
line and take notes). Go back and memorize later.

Organize the Material

Our minds crave order. Optical illusions work because the mind is
bent on imposing order on every piece of information coming in from
the senses. As you read, think of ways to organize the material to help
your mind absorb it.
I always liked diagrams with single words and short phrases connected
with arrows to show cause-and-effect relationships. Or I would use
a special mark (a triangle) to highlight in texts the reasons things
occurred.

Develop Good Reading Habits

It’s difficult for anyone to remember what he read at 3 a.m. or while
waiting to go on the biggest date of his life. Set aside quiet time when
you’re at your best. Are you a morning person? Then wake up early
to do your reading. Do you get going at 6 p.m.? Then get your read-
ing done before heading out to dinner.
Don’t forget to use your dictionary to look up terms you don’t
understand.

Why We Forget
As you think about the elements of developing good memory, you
can use them to address why you forget. The root of poor memory
is usually found in one of these areas:
 Chapter 3 ■ How to Read and Remember 71

■ We fail to make the material meaningful.

■ We did not learn prerequisite material.
■ We fail to grasp what is to be remembered.
■ We do not have the desire to remember.
■ We allow apathy or boredom to dictate how we learn.
■ We have no set habit for learning.
■ We are disorganized and inefficient in our use of study time.
■ We do not use the knowledge we have gained.

All of us are inundated with information every day, bombarded with

facts, concepts, and opinions. We are capable of absorbing some
information simply because the media drench us with it. In order to
retain most information, we have to make a concerted effort to do
so. We must make this same effort with the material we read.

In Case You Forgot

Each time you attempt to read something that you must recall, use
this six-step process to ensure you’ll remember:

1. Evaluate the material and define your purpose for reading.

Identify your interest level and get a sense of how difficult the
material is.
2. Choose appropriate reading techniques for the purpose of
your reading.
3. Identify the important facts. Remember what you need
to. Identify associations that connect the details you must
recall.
4. Take notes. Use your own words to write a synopsis of the
main ideas. Use an outline, diagram, or concept tree to show
relationships and patterns. Your notes provide an important
backup to your memory. Writing down key points will further
reinforce your ability to remember.
72 How to Study

5. Review. Quiz yourself on those things you must remember.

Develop some system by which you review notes at least
three times before you are required to recall. The first review
should be shortly after you’ve read the material, the second a
few days later, and the final one just before you are expected
to recall. This process will help you avoid cram sessions.
6. Implement. Find opportunities to use the knowledge you
have gained. Study groups and class discussions are invaluable
opportunities to implement what you’ve learned.

Build Your Own Library

“The reading of all good books is like conversation
with the finest men of past centuries.”
—Rene Descartes

If you are ever to become an active, avid reader, access to books will
do much to cultivate the habit. I suggest you “build” your own library.
Your selections can and should reflect your own tastes and interests,
but try to make them wide and varied. Include some of the classics,
contemporary fiction, poetry, and biography.
Save your high school and college texts—you’ll be amazed at how
some of the material retains its relevance. And try to read a good
newspaper every day to keep current and informed.
Your local librarian can refer you to any number of lists of the “great
books,” most of which are available in inexpensive paperback editions.
You may want to put some of these on your to-buy list, especially if
you’re planning a summer reading program. In Improve Your Reading,
I have included my own lists of “great” authors and books. You may
want to consult them as well.
 Chapter 3 ■ How to Read and Remember 73

Reading the classics—ancient and contemporary—will probably make

you a better reader; it will certainly make you more well-read. That
is the extra bonus for establishing such a reading program—an appre-
ciation of certain authors, certain books, and certain cultural events
is what separates the cultured from the merely educated and the
undereducated.

Read On
Insofar as one can in a single chapter, I’ve tried to sum up the
essentials of reading. It is not a finite science, but rather a skill and
appreciation that one can develop over time. Good grade school train-
ing is essential. And for those of you who have been able to identify
problem areas, there are always remedial classes.
This page intentionally left blank
 Chapter 4

How to Organize
Your TIme

“Those who make the worst use of their time

are the first to complain of its brevity.”
—Jean de la Bruyere

W e all have problems with time. We can’t control it—

we can’t slow it down or speed it up. We can’t save it
up—all we can do is decide how we’re going to spend it.
We invariably need more of it…and don’t know where to find it. Then
we wonder where the heck it all went.
I’m sure many of you reading this are struggling with sometimes
overwhelming responsibilities and commitments. Some of you may
be so burned out that you’ve just given up. Those of you who aren’t
probably figure it’s your fault—if you just worked harder, spent more
time on your papers and assignments, wired yourself online 24/7—
then everything would work out just fine.

75
76 How to Study

So you resign yourselves to caffeine-fueled all-nighters, cramming

for tests, and forgetting about time-consuming activities like eating
and sleeping. Trying to do everything—even when there’s too much
to do—without acquiring the skills to control your time, is an approach
that will surely lead to frustration and failure.
Whether you’re a book author typing as fast as you can to meet a
publisher’s deadline; a student juggling five classes and a part-time
job; or a parent working, attending classes, and raising a family; a
simple, easy-to-follow time-management system is crucial to your
success. And despite your natural inclination to proclaim that you just
don’t have the time to spend scheduling, listing, and recording, it’s
actually the best way to give yourself more time.

Why Do All This?

An organizational or time-management system that fits your needs
can help you get more work done in less time. Whether your prior-
ity is more free time, improved grades, a less frantic life—or all of the
above—learning how to organize your life and your studies can help
you reach your objective, because an effective time-management
system:

1. Helps you put first things first. Have you ever spent an
evening doing a time-consuming assignment for an easy class,
only to find that you hadn’t spent enough time studying for a
crucial test in a more difficult one?
2. Helps you learn how long everything really takes. One
of the important components of this system is estimating how
long each task will take you and tracking how long you actually
spend doing it. Once you’ve inculcated this concept into your
life, you’ll finally discover where all that time you’ve been
“losing” has been going.
 Chapter 4 ■ How to Organize Your TIme 77

3. Reduces your tendency to procrastinate. Once you have

a realistic idea of the specific things you must accomplish and
know that you have allocated sufficient time to do so, you’re
less likely to get frustrated and put them off.
4. Helps you avoid time traps. Time traps are the fires you
have to put out before you can turn to tasks like studying.
Time management is like a fire-prevention approach rather
than a fire-fighting one: It allows you to go about your work
systematically instead of moving from crisis to crisis or whim
to whim.
5. Helps you anticipate opportunities. In addition to helping
you balance study time with other time demands, effective
time management can help make the time you do spend
studying more productive.
6. Gives you freedom and control. Contrary to many students’
fears, time management is liberating, not restrictive. A certain
control over part of your day allows you to be flexible with the
rest of your day.
7. Helps you avoid time conflicts. Simply having all of your
activities, assignments, appointments, errands, and reminders
written down in one place helps ensure that two or three
things don’t get scheduled at once. If time conflicts do arise,
you will notice them well in advance and be able to rearrange
things accordingly.
8. Helps you avoid feeling guilty. It is much easier to forget
about studying if you’ve already allotted the time for it.
Without a plan to finish the work you are doing, you may
feel like it’s “hanging over your head”—even when you’re not
working on it.
78 How to Study

9. Helps you evaluate your progress. If you know you have

to read an average of 75 pages a week to keep up in your
business management class, and you’ve only read 60 pages
this week, you don’t need a calculator to figure out that you
are slightly behind. And it’s easy enough to schedule a little
more time to read next week so you can catch up.
10. Helps you see the big picture. Effective time management
provides you with a bird’s-eye view of the semester. Instead
of being caught off guard when the busy times come, you will
be able to plan ahead—weeks ahead—when you have big tests
or assignments due in more than one class.
11. Helps you see the bigger picture. Planning ahead and
plotting your course early allows you to see how classes fit
with your overall school career.
12. Helps you learn how to study smarter, not harder. It may
well be possible that you will be so organized, so prioritized, so
in control of your time, that you can spend less time studying,
get better grades, and have more time for other things—
extracurricular activities, hobbies, whatever.

Time management is not magic, though it can appear magical.

There May Not Be Enough

Time for Everything
When I asked one busy student if she wished she had more time,
she joked, “I’m glad there are only 24 hours in a day. Any more and
I wouldn’t have an excuse for not getting everything done!”
Let me give you the good news: There is a way that you can accom-
plish more in less time. And it doesn’t take more effort. You can plan
ahead and make conscious choices about how your time will be spent
and how much time you will spend on each task. You can have more
control over your time, rather than always running out of it.
 Chapter 4 ■ How to Organize Your TIme 79

Now the bad news: The first step to managing your time should be
deciding just what is important…and what isn’t. Difficult as it may be,
sometimes it’s necessary for us to recognize that we truly can’t do it
all, to slice from our busy schedules those activities that aren’t that
meaningful to us so we can devote more energy to those that are.

But There Is Enough Time to Plan

Even after paring down our commitments, most of us are still chal-
lenged to accomplish everything we need to. What with classes, study
time, work obligations, extracurricular activities, and a social life, it’s
not easy fitting it all in.
The organizational plan that I outline in this book is designed partic-
ularly for students. Whether you’re in high school, college, or graduate
school, a “traditional” student or one who’s chosen to return to school
after being out in the “real world” for a while, you’ll find that this is a
manageable program that will work for you.
This program allows for flexibility. In fact, I encourage you to adapt
any of my recommendations to your own unique needs. That means
it will work for you whether you are living in a dorm, sharing accom-
modations with a roommate, or living with a spouse and children.
The purpose of this chapter is to help you make choices about what
is important to you, set goals for yourself, organize and schedule your
time, and develop the motivation and self-discipline to follow your
schedule and reach those goals.
Wouldn’t it be nice to actually have some extra time...instead of
always wondering where it all went? To feel that you’re exerting some
control over your schedule, your schoolwork, your life…instead of
caroming from appointment to appointment, class to class, assign-
ment to assignment, like some crazed billiard ball?
It can happen.
80 How to Study

Identify the Starting Line

You can’t race off to your ultimate goal until you figure out where
your starting line is. So the first step necessary to overhaul your
current routine is to identify that routine in detail. There are two ways
to go about this, and I suggest you do both.
The first is to use the chart on the next page to assess how much time
you actually have available for studying. If it’s clearly not enough, then
you’d better reassess how much time you’re spending in each of the
other areas. You may have to cut your part-time work hours, quit a
club, even change your schedule to reduce your commute. Of course,
if you’re spending two hours a day on “grooming” or six hours eating,
the solution may be a little more obvious.
You should create a second chart yourself. Write down, in 15-minute
increments, how you spend your time right now. While keeping
track of your activities for a day or two might be sufficient for some
of you, I recommend you chart them for an entire week, including
the weekend.
This is especially important if, like many people, you have huge
pockets of time that seemingly disappear, but in reality are devoted
to things like “resting” after you wake up, putting on makeup or
shaving, reading the paper, waiting for transportation, or driving to
and from school or work. Could you use an extra hour or two a day,
either for studying or for fun? Make better use of such “dead” time
and you’ll find all the time you need.
 Chapter 4 ■ How to Organize Your TIme 81

Where Does Your Time Go?

Hrs./Day Days/Wk Hrs./Wk

Meals _______ 7 _______
(including prep
and cleanup)
Sleeping _______ 7 _______
(including naps)
Grooming _______ 7 _______
Commuting _______ 5? _______
Errands _______ 7 _______
Extracurricular _______ _______ _______
activities
Part- or full- _______ _______ _______
time job
In class _______ _______ _______
Entertainment* _______ _______ _______

*Hanging with friends, going out, watching TV, reading for pleasure, etc.

Fill in the first column, multiply by the second, then total the third
column. There are 168 hours in a week (24 x 7). How many do
you currently have left for studying? Note: Any answer that
contains a minus is a bad sign.
82 How to Study

Learn how to do multiple tasks at the same time: listen to a book

on tape while you’re working around the house; practice vocabulary
or math drills while you’re driving; or have your kids, parents, or room-
mates quiz you for an upcoming test while you are doing the dishes,
vacuuming, or dusting. And always carry your calendar, notebook(s),
pens, and a textbook with you—you can get a phenomenal amount
of reading or studying done while in line at the bank, the library, the
supermarket, or on a bus or train.
Strategy tip: Identify those items on your daily calendar, whatever
their priority, that can be completed in 15 minutes or less. These are
the ideal tasks to tackle during that “dead” time.

Collect What You Need

As you begin your planning session, make sure you have all the infor-
mation and materials you need to make a quality plan. Gather your
class syllabuses; work schedule; dates of important family events,
vacations, trips, or other personal commitments (doctor appoint-
ments, birthday parties, etc.); and a calendar of any extracurricular
events in which you plan to participate.
There are only two items you need to become the most organized
person you know: a long-term planning calendar that can be tacked
onto a wall and a daily calendar you can carry with you.
Keeping track of your day-to-day activities—classes, appointments,
regular daily homework assignments, and daily or weekly quizzes—
will be dealt with later in this chapter. For now, I want to talk about
the projects—term papers, theses, studying for midterm and final
exams, etc.—that require completion over a long period of time—
weeks, maybe even months.
 Chapter 4 ■ How to Organize Your TIme 83

Your Long-Term Planning Calendar

It’s not necessary for you to construct your own calendar, though
it’s certainly the least expensive alternative. There are ready-made
wall and desk calendars available in a variety of formats for your
convenience, including magnetic and erasable. Your local art supply,
stationery, or bookstore will have a selection of them. I suggest at
least a three-month calendar. You could certainly use a six-month or
even a yearly calendar.
You will not be filling this calendar with a great deal of detail, so the
spaces in which you will write do not have to be humongous. This
calendar is the overview of your schedule, a kind of “life-at-a-glance”
summary of those items and appointments occurring more than one
week in the future. (If they are happening this week, they will be in
your daily calendar, but I’m ahead of myself.)
So start by entering the date for every major test, when papers and
projects are due, future appointments (yes, this isn’t just for school-
work), and anything else that you must remember. I have reproduced
a single month from a typical calendar on page 94. Notice that there
is little detail. It’s a snapshot, remember?

Your Daily Calendar

This is the most essential tool you can utilize, and one you absolutely
must. Find a format that works for you. I prefer one like that repro-
duced on pages 96–97, with Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday on a
left-hand sheet and Thursday through Sunday on a right. Whether in
a notebook or spiral-bound, this format gives you the entire week
at a glance and more than enough room to write in great detail. I find
that reason enough to avoid those appointment books that give
you one day per page. You may get a lot more room to write, but
you’ll find yourself doing a lot of flipping around just to see what’s
happening tomorrow or the next day.
84 How to Study

In the filled-in calendar on pages 96–97, our student—let’s call her

Lindsay—did a pretty good job. She didn’t just jot down homework
assignments. First, she prioritized them—those As, Bs, and Cs to the
left of each entry.
Next, she estimated the amount of time each would take (in the “T”
for “Time” column) and how long it actually took (in the “A” for
“Actual” column). She used minutes, but you certainly can use
fractions of an hour if you find it easier. Whatever total time you
wind up allocating should approximate the time you actually have
available. If you find yourself habitually spending more time on
assignments than you have projected, consider adding a “safety
margin” to your estimates. Then total all the estimates and make sure
you haven’t scheduled yourself till 4 a.m.!
Finally, Lindsay included more than just homework assignments—
she jotted reminders to herself about grocery shopping, phone calls
she had to make, band practice, and a host of other things.
There are also assigned projects that are not due this week—an
English paper, an upcoming quiz in geometry, a bigger test in history.
Lindsay scheduled time to choose a topic for her English paper, get
the teacher’s approval, and even begin preliminary research. She also
planned time to study for both geometry and history.
The dates when future projects are due and future tests scheduled
actually are recorded twice—once in her daily calendar, and again in
her long-term calendar. But the steps necessary to write her paper
and the time she needs to allocate for studying are only on her daily
calendar. (This is not a hard-and-fast rule. You can certainly include
steps necessary for future projects on your long-term planning calen-
dar, too. I prefer not to muddle it up with too much detail.)
Unfortunately, Lindsay isn’t doing the greatest job projecting how long
her homework will actually take her. Geometry always takes her
longer than she thinks it will, and her biology lab report clearly was
more complicated than she expected. She scheduled five total hours
 Chapter 4 ■ How to Organize Your TIme 85

for band rehearsal…but spent eight, which is probably why she failed
to do any preliminary research for her English paper. And it’s not clear
whether she’s scheduled “make-up time” during the next week.
If you set up and use your daily calendar this way, you will quickly
discover it is your life. You will always carry it with you, and you will
die a horrible death if you ever misplace it or, heaven forbid, lose it.
Leave your long-term planning calendar on your wall or desk at home,
and carry your daily calendar with you— everywhere. Whenever new
projects, appointments, meetings, etc., are scheduled, add them
immediately to your daily calendar. Then transfer key dates to your
long-term planning calendar.
Remember: If it’s a simple task that will definitely be accomplished
within a week or an event or appointment that is occurring that
week—read pages 201–274, study for quiz, proofread a paper—
it belongs in your daily calendar.
If, however, it’s a task that is complicated—requiring further break-
down into specific steps—and/or one that will require more than
a week to complete—the final due date should be entered on your
long-term calendar, then the individual steps should be added to your
daily calendar.

Make Your First Appointment…

with Yourself
For any time-management system to work, it has to be used contin-
ually. Before you go on, make an appointment with yourself for the
end of the week—Sunday night is perfect—to sit down and plan for
the following week. You don’t have to spend a lot of time—half an
hour is probably all it will take to review your commitments for the
week and schedule the necessary study time.
86 How to Study

Despite its brevity, this may just be the best time you spend all week,
because you will reap the benefits of it throughout the week and
beyond!
First, identify anything you need to do this week that is not yet
written in on your daily calendar. Look at your long-term calendar
to determine what tasks need to be completed this week for all of
your major school projects. Add any additional tasks that must be
done—from sending a birthday present to your sister to attending
your monthly volunteer meeting to completing homework that may
have just been assigned.
Remember to break any long-term or difficult projects into small,
“bite-size” tasks that can be included on your schedule. As Henry
Ford said, “Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.”
Hence, the assembly line.
Once you have created your list, you can move on to the next step—
putting your tasks in order of importance.

Prioritize Your Tasks

When you sit down to study without a plan, you just dive into the
first project that comes to mind. The problem with this approach
has been discussed earlier: There is little guarantee that the first thing
that comes to mind is the most important.
If you find yourself forgetting to transfer data back and forth from
your long-term calendar to your daily calendar (or vice versa), or you
simply need even more help keeping the most important tasks in mind,
a Priority Task Sheet is another tool you can use. Its sole purpose is
to help you arrange your tasks in order of importance (not to record
them—that’s the job of your calendar). That way, even if you find
yourself without enough time for everything, you can at least finish
the most important assignments. You can’t effectively deal with
today’s priorities if you still have to contend with yesterday’s…or last
week’s!
 Chapter 4 ■ How to Organize Your TIme 87

First, ask yourself this question: “If I only got a few things done this
week, what would I want them to be?” Mark these high-priority tasks
with an “H” or an “A.” After you have identified the “urgent” items,
consider those tasks that are least important—items that could wait
until the following week to be done, if necessary. (This may include
tasks you consider very important but that don’t have to be completed
this week.) These are low-priority items, at least for this week—mark
them with an “L” or a “C.”
All the other items fit somewhere between the critical tasks and the
low-priority ones. Review the remaining items. If you’re sure none
of them are particularly low or high priority, mark them with an
“M,” for middle priority, or a “B.”
Strategy tip: If you push aside the same low-priority item day after
day, week after week, at some point you should just stop and decide
whether it’s something you need to do at all! This is a strategic way
to make a task or problem “disappear.” In the business world, some
managers purposefully avoid confronting a number of problems, wait-
ing to see if they will simply solve themselves through benign neglect.
If it works in business, it can work in school. (But if you find yourself
consistently moving “B” or even “A” priorities from day to day, reassess
your system. Something’s broken.)
A completed Priority Task Sheet is on page 95. A blank Priority Task
Sheet you can photocopy is on page 98.
Have you been taking the time to estimate how long each task
will take, and adjusting your projections when it’s clear certain tasks
invariably take longer than you think? Terrific! Here’s a way to use
such estimating as a great motivator: Instead of writing down how
long a task will take, write down the time you intend to finish it.
What’s the difference? It has now become a goal. It may put just the
slightest amount of pressure on you, making you try just a little harder
to finish on time.
88 How to Study

You can take this goal-setting technique further. Write down the
times you expect to finish each page of a 10-page reading assignment,
or each one of the 20 math problems you have to complete. Setting
such small time goals is a great motivator and a fantastic way to max-
imize your concentration and minimize daydreaming.

And Keep in Mind…

Besides the importance of the task and the available time you have to
complete it, other factors will determine how you fit everything you
have to do into the time available. Some factors will be beyond your
control—your work schedule, appointments with professors, coun-
selors, or doctors. But there are plenty of factors you do control and
should consider as you put together your calendar each week.
Schedule enough time for each task—time to “warm up” and get
the task accomplished, but, particularly when working on long-term
projects, not so much time that you “burn out.” Every individual is
different, but most students study best in blocks of 30–45 minutes,
depending on the subject.
Don’t overdo it. Plan your study time in blocks, breaking up work time
with short leisure activities. (It’s helpful to add these to your sched-
ule as well.) For example, you’ve set aside three hours on Wednesday
afternoon for that research assignment. Schedule a 15-minute walk
to the ice cream shop somewhere in the middle of that study block.
You’ll find that these breaks help you think more clearly and creatively
when you get back to studying.
Even if you tend to like longer blocks of study time, be careful about
scheduling study “marathons”—a six- or eight-hour stretch rather
than a series of one- or two-hour sessions. The longer the period
you schedule, the more likely you’ll have to fight the demons of
procrastination and daydreaming. Convincing yourself that you are
 Chapter 4 ■ How to Organize Your TIme 89

really studying your heart out, you’ll also find it easier to justify
time-wasting distractions, scheduling longer breaks, and, before long,
quitting before you should.
Finally, remember Parkinson’s Law: “Work expands so as to fill the
time available for its completion.” In other words, if you fail to sched-
ule a one-hour block for a project that should take an hour, you will
probably be surprised to find (eureka!) that it somehow takes two or
three!
Strategy tip: Get into the habit of getting ready for the next day before
you go to bed the night before. Believe me, it’s an absolutely fantas-
tic feeling to start the day completely organized…especially if you
oversleep!

Using These Tools Effectively

There are thinkers, and there are doers.
And there are those who think a lot about doing.
Once you have discovered habits and patterns of study that work
for you, continue to use and hone them. Be flexible enough to add
techniques you learn from others and alter schedules that circum-
stances have made obsolete.
Plan according to your schedule, your goals, and your aptitudes, not
some ephemeral “standard.” Allocate the time you expect a project
to take you, not the time it might take someone else or how long
your teacher says it should take. Try to be realistic and honest with
yourself when determining those things that require more effort or
those that come easier to you.
90 How to Study

Whenever possible, schedule pleasurable activities after study time,

not before. They will then act as incentives, not distractions.
Monitor your progress at reasonable periods and make changes where
necessary. This is your study regimen— you conceived it, you can
change it. If you find that you are consistently allotting more time
than necessary to a specific chore, change your future schedule
accordingly.
As assignments are entered on your calendar, make sure you also
enter items needed—texts; other books you have to buy, borrow,
or get from the library; and materials such as drawing pads, magic
markers, and graph paper.
You may decide that color-coding your calendar—say, red for
assignments that must be accomplished that week, blue for steps in
longer-term assignments, yellow for personal time and appointments,
green for classes—makes it easier for you to tell at a glance what
you need to do and when you need to do it.
Adapt these tools for your own use. Try anything you think may
work—use it if it does, discard it if it doesn’t.
Do your least favorite chores (study assignments, projects, whatever)
first—you’ll feel better having gotten them out of the way! And plan
how to accomplish them as meticulously as possible. That will get
rid of them even faster.
Accomplish one task before going on to the next one—don’t skip
around.
If you see that you are moving along faster than you anticipated on
one task or project sequence, there is absolutely nothing wrong with
continuing onto the next part of that assignment or the next project
step.
If you’re behind, don’t panic. Just reorganize your schedule and find
the time you need to make up.
 Chapter 4 ■ How to Organize Your TIme 91

Write things down. Not having to remember all these items will
free up space in your brain for the things you need to concentrate
on or do have to remember.
Learn to manage distractions. As a time management axiom puts it,
“Don’t respond to the urgent and forget the important.” Some things
you do can be picked up or dropped at any time. Beware of these
time-consuming and complicated tasks that, once begun, demand to
be completed. Interrupting at any point might mean starting all over
again. What a waste of time that would be!
If you’re writing and you have a brainstorm just as the phone rings
(and you know it’s from that person you’ve been waiting to hear from
all week), take a minute to at least jot down your ideas before you
stop.
Nothing can be as counterproductive as losing your concentration,
especially at critical times. Learn to ward off those enemies that
would alter your course, and you will find your journey much
smoother.
One way to guard against these mental intrusions is to know your
own study clock and plan accordingly. Each of us is predisposed to
function most efficiently at specific times of day (or night). Find out
what sort of study clock you are on and schedule your work during
this period.
Beware of uninvited guests and all phone calls: Unless you are ready
for a break, they’ll only throw you off schedule. More subtle enemies
include the sudden desire to sharpen every pencil in the house, an
unheard-of urge to clean your room, an offer to do your sister’s
homework— anything to avoid your own work. If you find yourself
doing anything but your work, either take a break then and there, or
pull yourself together and get down to work. Self-discipline, too, is a
learned habit that gets easier with practice.
92 How to Study

The simple act of saying no (to others or to yourself) will help insu-
late you from these unnecessary (and postponable) interruptions.
Remember, what you are seeking to achieve is not just time—but
quality time. Put your “Do not disturb” sign up and stick to your guns,
no matter what the temptation.
And if your schedule involves working with others, you need to take
their sense of time into account—you may find you have to schedule
“waiting time” for a chronically late friend…and always bring a
book along.

A Special Note for Commuters

If you live at home (as opposed to being housed on campus), there
are some special pressures with which you need to contend.
Your commute to school will probably be longer than if you could
roll out of bed and walk to class. It will certainly require more
wakefulness, even if you just have to stumble to a subway or bus
(but especially if you have to drive!). It’s especially important that
you minimize travel time, planning enough to maximize your use of
the campus facilities without scheduling a trip home in between.
While nobody likes walking to class in rain, sleet, or snow—except,
perhaps, future postal employees—it is invariably easier to walk a
few tree-lined blocks than drive a few miles in inclement weather.
Take weather problems into account when scheduling your commute.
The very act of living at home—whether as a child or one “married
with children”—brings with it responsibilities to others you could
minimize living in a dorm. Be ready to allocate time to these respon-
sibilities and include them in your schedule. They’re as inevitable if
you live at home as meatloaf on Tuesdays.
 Chapter 4 ■ How to Organize Your TIme 93

The Most Important 15 Minutes of Your Day

Set aside 15 minutes every day to go over your daily and weekly
priorities. While many businesspeople like to make this the first 15
minutes of their day, I recommend making it the last 15 minutes of
your day. Why? Three great reasons:
1. Your ideas will be fresher. It’s easier to analyze at the end
of the day what you’ve accomplished...and haven’t.
2. It’s a great way to end the day. Even if your “study day”
ends at 11 p.m., you’ll feel fully prepared for the next day and
ready to relax, anxiety-free.
3. You’ll get off to a great start the next morning. If you
use the morning to plan, it’s easy to turn a 15-minute planning
session into an hour of aimless “thinking.” While others are
fumbling for a cup of coffee, you’re off and running!
 Long-term Calendar (Filled-in Sample)

94
MONTH: January

How to Study
MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Gorbachev French vocab
rough paper due quiz
mom visit ➺

8 9 10 11 12 13 14
English midterm Geometry midterm History midterm

15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Lacrosse tourney
➺ ➺

22 23 24 25 26 27 28
First 2 parts of
French project due
French vocab quiz Lacrosse tourney ➺
➺
29 30 31
 Chapter 4 ■ How to Organize Your TIme 95

Priority Task Sheet (Filled-in Sample)

Schedule
Priority Tasks This Week

Priority
Rating
Week of 3/28 through 4/3

Sociology paper
H *Library search
M *Outline
L *Rough draft

Math assignments
H *Chapter 4
M *Chapter 5
M *Study for test
96 How to Study

Daily Calendar (Filled-in Sample)

January

20 Monday T A Notes
A Geometry probs 24
42 odd 40 60 pick up milk & eggs
A History Read Chap 3 30 40 Don t forget homework!
A Biology Finish lab report 60 25
Read CH. 8 30 25
C Choose English topic 20 15
Check with teacher 10 10

A Bring gym shorts tomorrow

B Call Cheryl right after sch.
A 7PM Band rehearsal 120 180

21 Tuesday T A Notes
C Health Redo chart due Fri 30 20
A Geometry 24-42 Even 40 70
B Spanish Essay rough draft 75 120 See Mr. Dawkins for
Thursday Appt.

B Band 6:30 120 150

22 Wednesday T A Notes
A Spanish Essay final draft 60 70
proof 30 30
A History Chap 4 30 45
B Biology Chap 9 30 45
probs p.112 50 30
 Chapter 4 ■ How to Organize Your TIme 97

Daily Calendar (Filled-in Sample)

January

23 Thursday T A Notes
A Finalize Health chart, proof 20 40

B research English paper 120 0 2:30 Mr. Dawkins

online @ Lib. office

Bring gym shorts!

Dr. Gevens 5PM

Band 6:30 60 150

24 Friday T A Notes
B Geometry probs 85-110 50 90
Jerry - Are u picking me
up tonight?
What time?
Bring PJs
Call: Rob 742-6891 Toothbrush
Jack 742-2222 Makeup
Ira 743-8181 CDs see list
Cheryl 777-7777

25 Saturday T A Notes
A Study for Geometry quiz 120 90
B Study for Hist. midterm 120 120
Feb 3
A Biology probs pp. 113-114 60 45

26 Sunday T A Notes
ENJOY!
Call mom!
Church 11AM
Brunch @ Amy s 2PM
98 How to Study

Priority Task Sheet

Schedule
Priority Tasks This Week

Priority
Rating
Week of through
Chapter 4 ■ How to Organize Your TIme 99

Daily Calendar

T A Notes

T A Notes

T A Notes
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 Chapter 5

How to Excel in Class

W
experience.
hatever your grade level, whatever your grades, what-
ever your major, whatever your ultimate career goal,
we all have one thing in common: the classroom

Most teachers utilize the classroom setting as an opportunity to

embellish and interpret material covered in the text and other assigned
readings. If you always complete your reading assignments before
class, you’ll be able to devote your classroom time to the new
material the teacher will undoubtedly cover.

You’ve Got to Have Class

Exactly how you’ll use the skills we’ll cover in this chapter will be influ-
enced by two factors: the type of classroom setup and the particular
methods and styles employed by each of your teachers.
Each of the following general class formats will require you to make
adjustments to accomplish your goals.

101
102 How to Study

Lectures: Podium Pleasantries

Pure lectures are quite common from the college level up, but exist
only rarely at the high school level. Lecture halls at larger colleges may
fill up with hundreds of students for some of the more popular courses
(or introductory classes, particularly in the sciences).
Primary emphases: listening; note taking.

Discussions: Time to Speak Your Mind

Also called tutorials and seminars, discussion groups are, again, com-
mon on the college level, often as adjuncts to courses boasting
particularly large enrollments. A typical weekly schedule for such a
course might consist of two lectures and one or more discussion
groups. Often led by graduate teaching assistants, these discussion
groups contain fewer students—usually no more than two dozen—
and give you the chance to discuss points made in the lecture and
material from assigned readings.
Such groups rarely follow a precise text or format and may wander
wildly from topic to topic, once again pointing out the need for a
general mastery of the course material, the “jumping off ” point for
discussion.
Primary emphases: asking/answering questions; analyzing concepts and
ideas; taking part in discussion.

Combination: The Best (or Worst) of Both

Some postsecondary courses are, for want of a better term, com-
bination classes—they combine the lecture and discussion formats
(the typical kind of precollege class you’re probably used to). The
teacher prepares a lesson plan of material he or she wants to cover in
a specific class. Through lecture, discussion, question and answer,
audiovisual presentation, or a combination of one or more such
devices, the material is covered.
 Chapter 5 ■ How to Excel in Class 103

Your preparation for this type of class will depend to a great extent
on the approach of each individual instructor. Such classes also occur
on the postsecondary level—college, graduate school, trade school—
when class size is too small for a formal lecture approach.
Primary emphases: note taking; listening; participation; asking and
answering questions.

Handson: Getting Your Hands Dirty

Classes such as science labs and various vocational education courses
(industrial arts, graphics, and so forth) occur at all levels from high
school up. They are concerned almost exclusively with doing some-
thing— completing a particular experiment, working on a project,
whatever. The teacher may demonstrate certain things before letting
the students work on their own, but the primary emphasis is on the
student carrying out his or her own projects while in class.
On the college level, science labs are usually overseen by graduate
assistants. Trade schools may use a combination of short lectures,
demonstrations, and handson workshops; you can’t become a good
auto mechanic just by reading a book on cleaning a distributor.
Primary emphasis: development and application of particular manual
and technical skills.

Exceptions to the Rule

Rarely can a single class be neatly pigeonholed into one of these
formats, though virtually all will be primarily one or another. It would
seem that size is a key factor in choosing a format, but you can’t
always assume, for example, that a large lecture course, filled with
200 or more students, will feature a professor standing behind a
rostrum reading from his prepared text. Or that a small class of
a dozen people will tend to be all discussion.
104 How to Study

During my college years, I had a religion teacher who, though his class
was one of the more popular on campus and regularly drew 300 or
more students to each session, rarely lectured at all. I never knew
what to expect when entering his classroom. One week it would
be a series of musical improvisations from a local jazz band, with a
variety of graduate assistants talking about out-of-body experiences.
Another session would consist entirely of the professor arguing
with a single student over one key topic...which had nothing to
do with that week’s (or any other week’s) assignment.
In another class of merely 20 students, the professor teaching us
physical chemistry would march in at the sound of the bell and, with-
out acknowledging anyone’s presence or saying a word, walk to the
blackboard and start writing equations. He would wordlessly work
his way across the massive board, until, some 20 or 30 minutes later,
he ran off the right side. Slowly, he would walk back to the left
side...and start writing all over again. He never asked questions.
Never asked for questions. In fact, I’m not sure I remember him
uttering anything for three solid months!

Know Your Teacher

You must know and understand the kind of teacher you’ve got and
his likes, dislikes, preferences, style, and what he expects you to get
out of the class. Depending on your analysis of your teacher’s habits,
goals, and tendencies, preparation may vary quite a bit, whatever the
topic or format of the class.
Take something as simple as asking questions during class, which
I encourage you to do whenever you don’t understand a key point.
Some teachers are very confident fielding questions at any time
during a lesson; others prefer questions to be held until the end of
the day’s lesson; still others discourage questions (or any interaction
for that matter) entirely. Learn when and how each one of your
teachers likes to field questions, then ask them accordingly.
 Chapter 5 ■ How to Excel in Class 105

No matter how ready a class is to enter into a free-wheeling dis-

cussion, some teachers fear losing control and veering away from
their very specific lesson plan. Such teachers may well encourage
discussion but always try to steer it into a predetermined path (their
lesson plan). Other teachers thrive on chaos, in which case you
can never be sure what’s going to happen.
Approaching a class with the former type of teacher should lead you
to participate as much as possible in the class discussion, but warn
you to stay within whatever boundaries she has obviously set.
Getting ready for a class taught by the latter kind of teacher requires
much more than just reading the text— there will be a lot of emphasis
on your understanding key concepts, interpretation, analysis, and
your ability to apply those lessons to cases never mentioned in your
text at all!
Some teachers’ lesson plans or lectures are, at worst, a review of
what’s in the text and, at best, a review plus some discussion of sticky
points or areas he feels may give you problems. Others use the text
or other assignments merely as a jumping-off point—their lectures or
lesson plans might cover numerous points that aren’t in your text at
all. Preparing for the latter kind of class will require much more than
rote memorization of facts and figures—you’ll have to be ready to
give examples, explain concepts in context, and more.
Most of your teachers and professors will probably have the same
goals: to teach you how to think, learn important facts and principles
of the specific subject they teach, and, perhaps, how to apply them
in your own way.
In math or science classes, your ability to apply what you’ve learned
to specific problems is paramount.
106 How to Study

Other classes, such as English, will require you to analyze and

interpret various works, but may emphasize the “correct” inter -
pretation, too.
Whatever situation you find yourself in—and you may well have
one or more of each of these “types”—you will need to adapt the
skills we will cover in this chapter to each.

Adapt to Your Teacher’s Style

All instructors (perhaps I should say all effective instructors) develop
a plan of attack for each class. They decide what points they will
make, how much time they will spend reviewing assignments and
previous lessons, what texts they will refer to, what anecdotes they
will use to provide comic relief or human interest, and how much time
they’ll allow for questions.
Building a note-taking strategy around each teacher’s typical “plan
of attack” for lectures is another key to academic success. Why do
some students just seem to know what’s important and what’s not?
How do they ferret out exactly the information that’s “test-worthy”
while not even glancing at the material that isn’t?
What these students innately know is that items discussed during
any lesson can be grouped into several categories:

■ Information not contained in the class text(s) or other

assigned reading.
■ Explanations of obscure material covered in the text but with
which students may have difficulty.
■ Demonstrations or examples to further explain a concept,
process, or subject.
■ Background information to put course material in context.
 Chapter 5 ■ How to Excel in Class 107

As you listen to your teacher, try to figure out which category his
remarks fall into. This will help you determine how detailed your notes
on that segment of the lecture should be.

How to Prepare for Any Class

In general, here’s how you should plan to prepare for any class before
you walk through the door and take your seat.

Complete All Assignments

Regardless of a particular teacher’s style or the classroom format
she is using, virtually every course you take will have a formal text
(or two or three or more) assigned to it. Though the way the text
explains or covers particular topics may differ substantially from your
teacher’s approach to the same material, your text is still the basis
of the course and a key ingredient in your studying. You must read it,
plus any other assigned books, before you get to class.
You may sometimes feel you can get away without reading assigned
books beforehand, especially in a lecture format where you know the
chance of being called on is slim to none. But fear of being questioned
on the material is certainly not the only reason I stress reading the
material that’s been assigned. You will be lost if the professor
decides—for the first time ever!—to spend the entire period asking
the students questions. I’ve had it happen. And it is not a pleasant
experience for the unprepared.
You’ll also find it harder to take clear and concise notes in class when
you don’t know what’s in the text— in which case you’ll be frantically
taking notes on material you could have underlined in your books the
night before. You’ll also find it difficult to evaluate the relative impor-
tance of the teacher’s remarks.
108 How to Study

If you’re heading for a discussion group, how can you participate

without your reading as a basis? I think the lousiest feeling in the world
is sitting in a classroom knowing that, sooner or later, you are going
to be called on and you don’t know the material.
Remember: Completing your reading assignment includes not just
reading the main text but any other books or articles assigned, plus
handouts that may have been previously passed out. It also means
completing any nonreading assignments—turning in a lab report,
preparing a list of topics, or being ready to present your oral report.
Needless to say, while doing your homework is important, turning it
in is an essential second step! My daughter, Lindsay, refused to use
any organizational system for a short time. As a result, in addition to
a host of missed appointments and forgotten assignments, she would
often forget to pack the homework she did do, or bring it to school
but forget to turn it in.
One simple change I made in her routine has made a world of
difference: She now has a bright red manila folder, marked
“HOMEWORK,” into which she puts every completed assignment
the instant it’s done. When she gets to class, she immediately pulls
out her folder to see if she has something to turn in. (She’s also given
up on her “nonorganizational” system, but that’s another story.)

Review Your Notes

Your teacher is probably going to start this lecture or discussion from
the point she left off last time. And you probably won’t remember
where that point was unless you check your notes.

Have Questions Ready

This is your chance to find the answers to the questions that are still
puzzling you. Review your questions before class. That way, you’ll
be able to check off the ones the teacher answers along the way and
only need to ask those left unanswered.
 Chapter 5 ■ How to Excel in Class 109

Prepare Your Attitude

Don’t discount the importance of the way you approach each class
mentally. Getting the most out of school in general and any class in
particular depends in good measure on how ready you are to really
take part in the process. It is not sufficient, even if you’re otherwise
well-prepared, to just sit back and absorb the information. Learning
requires your active participation every step of the way.

What to Do in Class
Keep in mind your own preferences and under what circumstances
you do best—refer back to the first two chapters and review your
skills lists. You’ll need to concentrate most on those courses in which
you do poorly.

Sit Near the Front

Minimize distractions by sitting as close to the instructor as you can.
The farther you sit from the teacher, the more difficult it is to listen.
Sitting toward the back of the room means more heads bobbing
around in front of you and more students staring out the window—
encouraging you to do the same.
Sitting up front has several benefits. You will make a terrific first
impression on the instructor—you might very well be the only student
sitting in the front row. He’ll see immediately that you have come to
class to listen and learn, not just take up space.
You’ll be able to hear the instructor’s voice, and the instructor will be
able to hear you when you ask and answer questions.
110 How to Study

Finally, being able to see the teacher clearly will help ensure that your
eyes don’t wander around the room and out the windows, taking your
brain with them.
So, if you have the option of picking your desk in class, sit right down
in front.

Avoid Distracting Classmates

The gum cracker. The doodler. The practical joker. The whisperer.
Even the perfume sprayer. Your classmates may be wonderful friends,
entertaining lunch companions, and ultimate weekend party animals,
but their quirks, idiosyncrasies, and personal hygiene habits can prove
distracting when you sit next to them in class.
Knuckle cracking, giggling, whispering, and note passing are just some
of the evils that can divert your attention in the middle of your math
professor’s discourse on quadratic equations. Avoid them.

Listen for Verbal Clues

Identifying noteworthy material means finding a way to separate the
wheat—that which you should write down— from the chaff—that
which you should ignore. How do you do that? By listening for verbal
clues and watching for the nonverbal ones.
Many teachers will invariably signal important material in the way
they present it—pausing (waiting for all the pens to rise), repeating
the same point (perhaps even one already made and repeated in your
textbook), slowing down their normally supersonic lecture speed,
speaking more loudly (or more softly), or even simply stating, “I think
the following is important.”
There are also numerous words and phrases that should signal note-
worthy material (and, at the same time, give you the clues you need
to logically organize your notes): “First of all,” “Most importantly,”
“Therefore,” “As a result,” “To summarize,” “On the other hand,”
“On the contrary,” “The following (number of) reasons (causes,
effects, decisions, facts, etc.).”
 Chapter 5 ■ How to Excel in Class 111

Such words and phrases give you the clues to not just write down the
material that follows, but also to put it in context—to make a list
(“First,” “The following reasons”); to establish a cause-and-effect
relationship (“Therefore,” “As a result”); to establish opposites or
alternatives (“On the other hand,” “On the contrary”); to signify a
conclusion (“To summarize,” “Therefore”); or to offer an explana-
tion or definition.

Watch for Nonverbal Clues

Studies have shown that only a fraction of communication is
conveyed in words alone. A great deal of the message we receive
when someone is speaking to us comes from body language, facial
expression, and tone of voice.
Most instructors will go off on tangents of varying relevance to the
subject matter. Some of these will be important, but, at least during
your first few lessons with that particular teacher, you won’t know
which.
Body language can be your clue. If the teacher begins looking out the
window or his eyes glaze over, he’s sending a clear signal: “This won’t
be on any test.”
On the other hand, if he turns to write something down on the
blackboard, makes eye contact with several students, and/or gestures
dramatically, he’s sending an equally obvious signal about the impor-
tance of the point he’s making.
Teachers like to see students take notes. It shows you are interested
in the topic and that you think enough of what is being said to write
it down. (And, if you’ve ever stood at the front of the room, you can
usually tell who’s taking notes and who’s writing a letter to a friend
in Iowa.)
112 How to Study

Ask Questions
No, don’t raise your hand to ask or answer a question every 90 seconds.
Being an active listener means asking yourself if you understand every-
thing that has been discussed. If the answer is no, ask the instructor
questions at an appropriate time or write down questions that you
must have answered to fully understand the subject.
Challenge yourself to draw conclusions from the things the instructor
is saying. Don’t just sit there letting your hand take notes. Let your
mind do something, too. Think about the subject matter—how it
relates to what you’ve been assigned to read and other facts to which
you’ve been exposed.

Learn How to be Selective

I’m sure you’ve observed in your classes that some people are
constantly taking notes. Others end up with two lines on one page.
Most of us fall in between.
The person who never stops taking notes is either writing a letter
to that friend in Iowa or has absolutely no idea what is or is not
important.
Taking concise, clear notes is first and foremost the practice of
discrimination—developing your ability to separate the essential
from the superfluous, to identify and retain key concepts, key facts,
and key ideas, and ignore the rest. In turn, this requires the ability
to listen to what your teacher is saying and copying down only what
you need to understand the concept. For some, that could mean a
single sentence. For others, a detailed example will be key.
Just remember: The quality of your notes usually has little to do
with their length—three key lines that reveal the core concepts of a
whole lecture are far more valuable than paragraphs of less important
data.
 Chapter 5 ■ How to Excel in Class 113

So why do some people keep trying to take verbatim notes, convinced

that the more pages they cover with scribbles the better students
they’re being? It’s probably a sign of insecurity—they may not have
read the material or have a clue about what’s being discussed, but at
least they’ll have complete notes!
Even if you find yourself wandering helplessly in the lecturer’s wake,
so unsure of what she’s saying that you can’t begin to separate the
important, noteworthy material from the nonessential verbiage, use
the techniques discussed in this chapter to organize and condense
your notes anyway.
If you really find yourself so lost that you are just wasting your time,
consider adding a review session to your schedule (to read or reread
the appropriate texts) and, if the lecture or class is available again at
another time, attend again. Yes it is, strictly speaking, a waste of your
precious study time, but not if it’s the only way to learn and under-
stand important material.

Take Notes on What You Don’t Know

You know the capital of Germany. You know the chemical formula for
salt. You know who’s the current U.S. Secretary of State. So why
waste time and space writing them down?
Frequently, your teachers will present material you already know in
order to set the stage for further discussion or to introduce material
that is more difficult. Don’t be so conditioned to automatically copy
down dates, vocabulary, terms, formulas, and names that you mind-
lessly take notes on information you already know. You’ll just be
wasting your time—both in class and later, when you review your
overly detailed notes.
114 How to Study

This is why some experts recommend that you bring your notes or
outline of your textbook reading to class and add your class notes to
them. I think it’s an effective way to easily organize all your notes for
that class.
Remember, taking effective notes requires five separate actions on
your part:

1. Listening actively.
2. Selecting pertinent information.
3. Condensing it.
4. Sorting/organizing it.
5. Interpreting it (later).

Develop Your Shorthand Skills

Here are five ways to streamline your note taking:
1. Eliminate vowels. As a sign that was ubiquitous in the
New York city subways used to proclaim, “If u cn rd ths,
u cn gt a gd jb.” (If you can read this, you can get a good job.)
And, we might add, “u cn b a btr stdnt.”
2. Use word beginnings (“rep” for representative, “Con” for
Congressperson) and other easy-to-remember abbreviations.
3. Stop putting periods after all abbreviations (they add up!)
4. Use standard symbols in place of words. The following list,
some of which you may recognize from math or logic courses,
may help you:
 Chapter 5 ■ How to Excel in Class 115

ª approximately
w/ with
w/o without
wh/ which
Æ resulting in
¨ as a result of/consequence of
+ and or also
* most importantly
cf compare; in comparison; in relation to
ff following
< less than
> more than
= the same as
Ø
increasing
Ø decreasing
esp especially
D change
«

it follows that
\ therefore
b/c because
116 How to Study

5. Create your own symbols and abbreviations based on your

needs and comfort level.

There are three specific symbols I think you’ll want to create—they’ll

be needed again and again:

W That’s my symbol for “What?” as in“What the heck does that

mean?”; “What did she say?”; or “What happened? I’m com-
pletely lost!” It denotes something that’s been missed—leave
space in your notes to fill in the missing part of the puzzle after
class.
M That’s my symbol for “My thought.” I want to separate my
thoughts during a lecture from the professor’s—put too many
of your own ideas (without noting they are yours) and your
notes begin to lose serious value!
T! My symbol for “Test!” as in “I’m betting the farm this point is
probably on the test, dummy, so don’t forget to review it!!!”

Feel free to use your own code for these important instances; you
certainly don’t have to use mine.
You may also want to create specific symbols or abbreviations for
each class. In chemistry, “TD” may stand for thermodynamics,
“K” for the Kinetic Theory of Gases (but don’t mix it up with the
“K” for Kelvin). In English, “Sh” is the Bard, “LB” is Lord Byron,
and “RP” are the Romantic Poets.
How do you keep everything straight? Create a list on the first page
of each class’s notebook or binder section for the abbreviations and
symbols you intend to use regularly through the semester.
Just be careful—in your fervor to adopt my shorthand system, don’t
abbreviate so much that your notes are absolutely unintelligible to
you almost as soon as you write them!
 Chapter 5 ■ How to Excel in Class 117

You may certainly choose to abbreviate less and write a little more.
Whatever system you develop, just make sure it serves the right
purpose: giving you the time to really listen to your instructors, rather
than just furiously scribbling down what they say.

The Cornell System

Here’s a well-known note-taking system many college students are
taught. If it works for you, use it.
Start by drawing a vertical line two to three inches from the left side
of your notebook paper. Take notes to the right of this line.
During the lecture: Take notes as you normally would—in paragraph
form, outline, or using your own shorthand.
After the lecture: Reread your notes and reduce them to the key
words that will help you recall the important points of the lecture.
Write those key words and phrases in the left-hand column. As you
get better at this, you will find that reviewing for a test will only
require studying the left-hand column—short and concise—not the
right.

Draw Your Way to Good Grades

The one problem with this whole note-taking system I’ve discussed
is that many people find it more difficult to remember words
rather than pictures, especially those who, on the “My Ideal Study
Environment” chart in Chapter 2, claimed they received information
best visually rather than orally.
Mapping is another way to take notes that stresses a more visual
style—drawing or diagramming your notes rather than just writing
them down.
118 How to Study

Let me show you how to map the first few pages of this chapter as
an example. Start with a clean sheet of paper and, boxed or circled
in the center, write the main topic.
After deciding on the first major topic (“Utilizing skills depends on
class format”) and placing it on your map, add the detail:

Lectures (emphases: listening, note taking)

Discussions (emphases: asking/answering, analyzing, discussing)
Combination (emphases: as above)
Hands-on (emphasis: development/application of pertinent skills)

The second major topic (“Know your teacher”) and those that
follow take their place in the line or circle you’ve chosen in the
direction you’ve chosen. I’ve completed a map containing four
major topics on the following page.

Active Participation: A “Grade A” Approach

In many nonlecture classes, you will find that discussion, mostly
in the form of questions and answers, is actively encouraged. This
dialogue serves to both confirm your knowledge and comprehension
of specific subject matter and to identify those areas in which you
need work.
Whatever the format in which you find yourself, participate in any
discussion to the best of your ability. Most teachers consider class
participation a key ingredient in your semester grades. No matter how
many papers and tests you ace, if you never open your mouth in class,
you shouldn’t be surprised if you get less than an A.
If you’re having trouble following an argument or particular line of
thought, ask for a review or for clarification. Based on the professor’s
preferences and the class format, ask the questions you feel need
answers.
 Lectures (emphases: listening, note taking)
Discussions (emphases: asking/answering, analyzing, discussing)
Combination (emphases: as above)
Hands-on (emphasis: development/application pertinent skills)
Analyze habits
Relation of size to format not a given
Learn preferences
Control vs. chaos
Utilizing skills depends
on class format Review vs. new material
Goals differ by subject

Chapter 5
Review your notes How to excel in class Know your teacher

■
From reading and

How to Excel in Class

previous class Complete all assignments

Read all books before class

Failure affects participation
Failure affects note taking
Includes nontext reading
and nonreading assignments

119
120 How to Study

Be careful you don’t innocently distract yourself from practicing your

now-excellent note-taking skills by starting to analyze something
you don’t understand or, worse, creating mental arguments because
you disagree with something your teacher or a classmate said. Taking
the time to mentally frame an elaborate question is equally distract-
ing. All three cause the same problem: You’re not listening!
Finally, listen closely to the words of your classmates— you’ll often
find their comments, attitudes, and opinions as helpful and insightful
as your instructor’s.
What if you’re shy or just get numb whenever you’re called on? Ask
a question rather than taking part in the discussion—it’s easier and,
over time, may help you break the ice and jump into the discussion.
If you really can’t open your mouth without running a fever, consider
taking a public speaking course.
Most importantly, prepare and practice. Fear of standing in front of
a class or even participating from the safety of your seat is, for many
of you, really a symptom of lack of confidence.
And lack of confidence stems from lack of preparation. The more
prepared you are—if you know the material backwards and
forwards—the more likely you will be able to, even want to, raise
your hand and “strut your stuff.” Practicing with friends, parents, or
relatives may also help.
If you are having trouble with oral reports, they are covered sepa-
rately in Chapter 7. I think you’ll find that the hints I’ve included there
will eliminate a lot of the fear such talks seem to engender.

What to Do After Class

As soon as possible after your class, review your notes, fill in the
“blanks,” mark down questions you need to research in your text or
ask during the next class, and remember to mark any new assign-
ments on your weekly calendar.
 Chapter 5 ■ How to Excel in Class 121

I tend to discourage recopying your notes as a general practice, since

I believe it’s more important to work on taking good notes the first
time around and not waste the time it takes to recopy. But if you tend
to write fast and illegibly, it might also be a good time to rewrite your
notes so they’re readable, taking the opportunity to summarize as you
go. The better your notes, the better your chance of capturing and
recalling the pertinent material.
It is not easy for most high school students to do so, but in college,
where you have a greater say in scheduling your classes, I recommend
“one period on, one off ”—an open period, even a half hour, after each
class to review that class’s notes and prepare for the next one.
If you find yourself unable to take full advantage of such in-between
time, schedule as little time between classes as you can.

“Sleeping in” Isn’t an Option

Even if you diligently apply all of the tips in this chapter, it will all be
moot if you regularly miss class. So don’t! It’s especially important to
attend all classes near semester’s end. Teachers sometimes use the
last week to review the entire semester’s work (what a great way to
minimize your own review time!), clarify specific topics they feel
might still be fuzzy, and/or answer questions. Students invariably ask
about the final exam during this period, and some teachers virtually
outline what’s going to be on the test!
If you must miss a class, find that verbatim note taker who hasn’t
followed my advice and borrow her notes. That way, you get to
decide what’s important enough to copy down. (Some professors
might even lend you their notes. It’s worth asking!)
This page intentionally left blank
 Chapter 6

How to Conduct
Your Research

S tart any research project by working with the broadest out-

lines or topics (and the broadest resources) and slowly narrow
your focus, getting more and more specific in topic and
sources as you go along.
Encyclopedic entries are usually the most comprehensive and con-
cise you will find. They cover so much territory and are so (relatively)
up to date that they are an ideal “big picture” resource.
And don’t forget to seek out a subject-specific encyclopedia. It seems
there is such a tome on anything you can think of, to wit: Encyclopedia
of Christmas, Charlie Chan Film Encyclopedia, Encyclopedia of
Paleontology, Encyclopedia of the Renaissance, Dictionary of Theology,
A History of Women’s Writing in France, Encyclopedia of Deserts,
Encyclopedia of the Solar System, Encyclopedia of Human Nutrition,
Encyclopedia of Smoking and Tobacco, Historical Encyclopedia of
Nursing, and the Oxford Companion to Food.

123
124 How to Study

If you are writing a paper about a historical or contemporary

figure, also consider skimming a biographical dictionary or, even
better, one of the specific volumes in the Who’s Who series, which
ranges from Who’s Who in Art and Who’s Who in American Jewry
to Who’s Who in Vietnam and Who’s Who in Theatre.
Needless to say, new CD-ROMs and reference websites appear
almost hourly. These many current resources should make it in-
creasingly easy to choose a good topic, establish a reasonable thesis,
and gather enough information to construct an initial outline, with-
out having to do any further research.
But completing an A+ paper will still require you to turn to other
sources for more detailed information. You need to read books
written by experts in the field you’re researching, as well as magazine
and newspaper articles about every aspect of your subject.
Why stop there? Pamphlets, anthologies, brochures, government
documents, films, and videos are just some other possible sources of
information for your paper.

Evaluating Resources
You may find so many potential resources that you won’t have time
to read them all. Concentrate on those that have been published most
recently or written by the most respected sources. However, don’t
limit yourself too much—gather information from a wide range of
sources. Otherwise, you may learn only one side of the story.
There are two types of resources: primary and secondary.
 Chapter 6 ■ How to Conduct Your Research 125

Primary resources are those written by people who actually witnessed

or participated in an event. When you read a scientist’s report about
an experiment he has conducted, you are consulting a primary
resource.
Secondary resources are those written by people who were not
actually present at an event, but have studied the subject. When you
read a book about the 1950s written by someone who was born in
1960, you are learning from a secondary resource.
Primary resources are likely to be more reliable sources of infor -
mation. But depending upon your subject, there may not be any
primary resources available to you.

Where to Look for Materials

How do you find out whether anyone has written a magazine or
newspaper article about your topic? How do you know if there
are any government documents or pamphlets that might be of
help? How do you locate those written-by-the-experts reference
books?
You look in your library’s publication indexes, which list all of the
articles, books, and other materials that have been published and/or
are available in your library. Most are arranged alphabetically by
subject:

1. The card catalog. This is a list of all the books in your

library. (Although many libraries now store it on computer,
it’s still often called a card catalog because it used to be kept
on index cards.) Books are indexed in three different ways:
by subject, by author, and by title.
126 How to Study

2. Book catalogs. The best-known are Books in Print,

Forthcoming Books, and the Cumulative Book Index.
3. Newspaper indexes. Several large-city newspapers provide
an indexed list of all articles they have published. Your library
may even have past issues of one or more available on
microfiche.
4. Periodical indexes. To find out if any magazine articles
have been published on your subject, go to a periodical index.
The Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature, which indexes
articles published in the most popular American magazines,
may be one with which you’re already familiar.
5. Vertical file. Here’s where you’ll find pamphlets and
brochures.
6. Guide to U.S. Government Publications, American
Statistical Index, and Congressional Information
Service Index. These are all useful for locating government
publications.
7. Computer databases. Widely used indexes are available,
covering American and world history, art, biology, philosophy,
religion, psychology, engineering, and much more.
8. The Internet. Most magazines, newspapers, encyclopedias,
government organizations, and so forth have websites that
can be a starting point for your search. They often have links
to other sites where you can find full-length articles and
stories, biographic information, and the like.

Set aside solid blocks of time for your research. And remember:
It’s better to schedule a handful of extended trips to the library than
15 or 20 brief visits, better to do a solid few hours online than 10
minutes here and 15 minutes there.
 Chapter 6 ■ How to Conduct Your Research 127

How Libraries Are Organized

To provide organization and facilitate access, most small and academic
libraries utilize the Dewey decimal classification system, which uses
numbers from 000 through 999 to classify all material by subject
matter. It begins by organizing all books into 10 major groupings.
Given the millions of books available in major libraries, just dividing
them into these 10 groups would still make it quite difficult to find
a specific title. So each of the 10 major groupings is further divided
into 10, and each of these now 100 groups is assigned to more
specific subjects within each large group. For example, within the
philosophy classification (100), 150 is psychology and 170 is ethics.
Within the history classification (900), 910 is travel and 930 is ancient
history.

000–099 General
100–199 Philosophy
200–299 Religion
300–399 Social Sciences
400–499 Language
500–599 Natural Science and Mathematics
600–699 Technology
700–799 Fine Arts
800–899 Literature
900–999 General Geography and History
128 How to Study

There is even further subdivision. Mathematics is given its own

number in the 500 series—510. But specific subjects within mathe-
matics are further classified: 511 is arithmetic, 512 is algebra, and
so on.
Finally, to simplify your task even more, the last two digits in the
Dewey code signify the type of book:

01 Philosophy of
02 Outlines of
03 Dictionary of
04 Essays about
05 Periodicals on
06 Society transactions and proceedings
07 Study or teaching of
08 Collections
09 History of

If your library doesn’t use the Dewey system, it probably is organized

according to the Library of Congress system, which uses letters
instead of numbers to denote major categories:

A General works (encyclopedias and other reference)

B Philosophy, Psychology, and Religion
C History: Auxiliary sciences (archeology, genealogy, etc.)
D History General, non-American
E American history (general)
F American history (local)
G Geography/Anthropology
 Chapter 6 ■ How to Conduct Your Research 129

H Social sciences (sociology, business, economics)

J Political sciences
K Law
L Education
M Music
N Fine arts (art and architecture)
P Language/Literature
Q Sciences
R Medicine
S Agriculture
T Technology
U Military science
V Naval science
Z Bibliography/Library science

Using Online Resources

There’s so much material on the Internet, it’s easy to be over-
whelmed. While it can be extremely helpful to have access to some
obscure websites that have just the material you need, especially
when a book or two you want to take notes from has disappeared
from the library, I am still convinced that most of you will waste too
much time if the majority of your research is done online. I can attest
from far too much personal experience that it is ridiculously easy to
get sidetracked when doing research online. “Wow, I didn’t know
there were that many cool sites about bungee jumping. I’d better
check them out…right now!”
130 How to Study

Be careful about the following two things:

While much of the “basic” information on most research-oriented
websites is not going to radically change from day to day, that is
certainly not true of all sites. Just as the identical keyword search
may yield radically different results if run on two separate days (or on
two different search engines), you may find material you need deleted
the next time you look for it. So if you find something really good,
download it, save it to your hard drive, or print a hard copy.
Online bookstores (amazon.com, bn.com and, if you’re Canadian,
chapters.indigo.ca) will list many books even before they’re published,
and almost always before your local library has ordered, cataloged,
and shelved them. Amazon’s recently added feature of including
searchable pages from many titles—from a table of contents and
a short excerpt to 50 pages of text or more—should help you get
a feel for whether the book or a portion of it is pertinent to your
topic.
Amazon in particular offers a “People who bought this book also
bought” feature, which is a good way to locate related resources
(especially since none of the online bookstores make searches by
subject easy or accurate).

An Approach to Online Research

I am indebted to Robin Rowland, author of The Creative Guide to
Research (Career Press, 2001) for the following suggestions on how
to maximize your time online:

■ Long before a paper is due, choose four search engines—one

a metasearch engine (which searches other search engines),
the other three regular. Robin’s recommendations: Copernic
(meta), Google, Hotbot, AltaVista, Northern Light, Dogpile
(meta).
 Chapter 6 ■ How to Conduct Your Research 131

■ When beginning your research, use the meta engine first.

■ Learn each engine’s advanced features—you’ll find things
faster and easier.
■ Print out the FAQ pages for each search engine and create
your own manual.
■ Choose three search engines with different strengths to
maximize your search abilities.
■ Consider using a specialized search engine, such as Beaucoup,
if you are unable to find what you want or have found too
much information.
■ Learn Boolean searches.

There’s no room in this book to list even a smattering of pertinent

Internet sites. Wherever you go online, just remember:

■ Some of the sites are informative and well-organized; some

are quirky and skimpy.
■ Some are well-researched and trustworthy; some are the
rantings of a mad person. Just because something is on your
computer screen doesn’t mean it’s true.
■ Some provide unbiased information with no ulterior motive;
some slant their information to sell you on their cause.
Some are offering information just to entice you to buy
something.
■ Some are easy to use; some require you to search through
listings to find what you need.
■ Some supply information; some link you to other sites; some
are simply listings of sites.
■ Some may be gone when you look for them again.
■ Some are free; some cost a bit…some cost a lot. Be sure to
check out the cost before using a site where you have to pay.
132 How to Study

Despite the immensity and importance of the Internet’s resources,

brick-and-mortar libraries are certainly not dinosaurs. Just because
you can visit nearly any library in the world without leaving your
computer screen is no reason to avoid becoming intimately familiar
with your local or school library. You will find that doing some things
online is not always as interesting, efficient, or fun as doing them
“in person.”
 Chapter 7

How to Write
Terrific Papers

R eading this chapter will not make you such a good writer that
you can quit school and start visiting bookstores to preen in
front of the window displays featuring your latest bestseller.
But there is absolutely no reason to fear a written paper or oral
report, once you know the simple steps to take and rules to follow
to complete it satisfactorily. Once you realize that 90 percent of
preparing a paper has nothing to do with writing…or even being
able to write. And once you’re confident that preparing papers by
following my suggestions will probably get you a grade or two higher
than you’ve gotten before…even if you think you are the world’s
poorest excuse for a writer.
Doing a research paper requires a lot of work. But the payoff is great,
too. You will learn, for example:

■ How to track down information about any subject.

■ How to sort through that information and come to a
conclusion about your subject.
■ How to prepare an organized, indepth report.
■ How to communicate your ideas clearly and effectively.

133
134 How to Study

Your teacher really didn’t ask you to write a research paper just to
make your life miserable. Of all the things you’ll learn in school, the
skills you acquire as you produce your research paper will be among
the most valuable.

Five Fundamental Rules

Let’s start with the fundamental rules that need to be emblazoned on
your mind:

1. Always follow your teacher’s directions to the letter.

2. Always hand in your paper on time.
3. Always hand in a clean and clear copy of your paper.
4. Always keep at least one copy of every paper you write.
5. Never allow a single spelling or grammatical error in any paper
you write.

How Long Should It Be?

Your teacher’s directions may include:
A general subject area from which topics should be chosen—
“some aspect of Herbert Hoover’s presidency,” “a Civil War battle,”
“one of Newton’s Laws,” or “a short story by a 20th-century Russian
writer.”

■ Specific requirements regarding format.

■ Suggested length.
■ Preferred methods for including footnotes and documenting
works consulted (or cited).
■ Other specific instructions.
 Chapter 7 ■ How to Write Terrific Papers 135

Whatever his or her directions, follow them to the letter. Some high
school teachers may forgive you your trespasses, but I have known
college professors who simply refused to accept a paper that was not
prepared as they instructed—and gave the poor student an F for it
(without even reading it).
At some point, you’ll undoubtedly run into a teacher or professor
who gives few or no instructions at all. You ask, “How long should
the paper be?” She says, “As long as it takes.” Use your common
sense. If you’re in middle or high school, I doubt she is seeking a
50-page thesis. Likewise, if you’re in college, it’s unlikely your pro-
fessor thinks a three-page paper is “As long as it takes.” Use previous
assignments as a guide.
If you are unsure of a specific requirement or if the suggested area
of topics is unclear, it is your responsibility to talk to your teacher
and clarify whatever points are confusing you.
It is not a bad idea to choose two or three topics you’d like to write
about and seek preliminary approval, especially if the assignment
seems particularly vague.

So Then My Dog Chewed the Paper . . .

There is certainly no reason, short of catastrophic illness or life-
threatening emergency, for you to ever be late with an assignment.
Again, some teachers will refuse to accept a paper that is late. At
best, they will mark you down for your lateness, perhaps turning
an A into a B…or worse. In the case of extenuating circumstances
(e.g., extended illness, death in the family, and so on), let your teacher
know immediately and arrange for an extension.
136 How to Study

What’s That Jelly Stain Worth?

Teachers have to read a lot of papers and shouldn’t be faulted if, after
hundreds of pages, they come upon your wrinkled, coffee-stained,
pencil-written report and get a bit discouraged. Nor should you
be surprised if you get a lower grade than the content might merit
just because the presentation was so poor.
Granted, the content is what the teacher is looking for, and he should
be grading you on what you write. But presentation is important.
Teachers are only human (really!), and you can’t fault them for trying
to teach you to take pride in your work. So follow these suggestions:

■ Never handwrite your paper.

■ If you’re using a computer, check the toner cartridge of your
printer to ensure your printed pages are crisp and clear.
■ Unless otherwise instructed, always double-space your paper.
Leave adequate margins all around.
■ Use a simple typeface that is clear and easy to read; avoid
those that are too big—stretching a 5-page paper to 10—
or too small and hard to read.
■ Never use a fancy italic, gothic, modern, or other ornate or
hard-to-read typeface for the entire paper.

Use Your Old Papers as Maps

There should be a number of helpful messages on your returned
papers, which is why it’s so important to retain them. What did your
teacher have to say? Are her comments applicable to the paper you’re
writing now—poor grammar, lack of organization, lack of research,
 Chapter 7 ■ How to Write Terrific Papers 137

bad transitions between paragraphs, misspellings? The more such

comments—and, one would expect, the lower the grade—the more
extensive the “map” your teacher has given you for your next paper,
showing you right where to “locate” your A+.
If you got a low grade on a previous paper but there weren’t any
comments, ask the teacher why you got such a poor grade. You may
get the comments you need to make the next paper better and show
the teacher you actually care, which could also help your grade the
next time around.
Many employers merrily use resumes and cover letters with gram-
matical and/or spelling errors for wastebasket hoops practice. Don’t
expect your teachers to be any more forgiving—there are definitely
a few out there who will award an F without even noticing that the
rest of the paper is great. Guess it’s just too bad you misspelled
“Constantinople” or left a participle twisting slowly in the wind.

The Fry Paper-Writing System

The more complex a task or the longer you need to complete it, the
more important your organization becomes. By breaking down any
paper-writing project into a series of manageable steps, you’ll start to
feel less chaotic, hectic, and afraid right away.
Here are the steps that, with some minor variations along the way,
are common to virtually any written report or paper:

1. Research potential topics.

2. Finalize topic.
3. Carry out initial research.
4. Prepare general outline.
5. Do detailed research.
138 How to Study

6. Prepare detailed outline (from note cards).

7. Write first draft.
8. Do additional research (if necessary).
9. Write second draft.
10. Prepare final bibliography.
11. Spellcheck and proofread entire paper.
12. Have someone else proofread.
13. Produce final draft.
14. Proofread one last time.
15. Turn it in and collect your A+.

Create a Work Schedule

Doing all these tasks efficiently and effectively requires careful
timing and planning. This may not be the only assignment—or even
the only paper—you have to finish in a short amount of time.
So get out your calendar and mark the date your paper is due. How
many weeks till then? Four? Six? Ten? Plan to spend from one-half
to three-quarters of your time on research, the rest on writing.
Block out set periods of time during each week to work on your paper.
Try to schedule large chunks of time—at least two or three hours, if
possible—rather than many short periods. Otherwise, you’ll spend
too much time trying to remember where you left off and repeat steps
unnecessarily.
 Chapter 7 ■ How to Write Terrific Papers 139

As you plan your work schedule, set deadlines for completing the
general steps of your paper-writing process. For example:

Week 1: Decide on the topic and “angle” of your paper;

make a list of reference materials.
Weeks 2–4: Read reference materials; take notes.
Week 5: Do detailed outline; write first draft.
Weeks 6–7: Edit paper; prepare bibliography.
Week 8: Proofread paper; print final copy.

Of course, I can’t tell you exactly how much time to set aside for each
step, because I don’t know any of the specifics about your paper—
how long it’s supposed to be, how complex the topic—or how fast
you work. I can tell you that you should plan on consulting and/or
taking notes from at least six different sources. (Your teacher or
subject may demand more; I doubt you’ll need fewer.) And plan on
writing two or three drafts of your paper before you consider it
final.
Refer to your work schedule often, and adjust your pace if you find
yourself lagging.
The more time you have to complete a project, the easier it is to
procrastinate about dealing with it, even to putting off identifying
the steps and working them into your regular schedule. If you find
yourself leaving such long-term projects to the last week, schedule
the projects furthest away—the term paper due in three months, the
oral exam 10 weeks from now—first. Then, trick yourself—schedule
the completion date at least seven days prior to the actual due date,
giving yourself a one-week cushion for life’s inevitable surprises.
(Just try to forget you’ve used this trick. Otherwise, you’ll be like the
perennial latecomer who sets his watch 15 minutes fast in an effort
to finally get somewhere on time. Except that he always reminds
himself to add 15 minutes to the time on his wrist, defeating the
whole purpose.)
140 How to Study

Steps 1 & 2: Consider and Choose

Topic Options
In some cases, your teacher will assign your topic. In others, she will
assign a general area of study, but you will have the freedom to pick
a specific topic.
There are some pitfalls you must avoid. Let’s say you need to write
a 15-page paper for your history class and decide your topic will be
“The Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.”
Can you really cover a topic that broad—four terms— in 15 pages?
No, you can’t. You could write volumes on the subject (people have)
and still have plenty left to say!
Instead, you need to focus on a particular, limited aspect of such
a broad subject or attack it from a specific angle. How about
“Why FDR Tried to Pack the Supreme Court”? That would work
for a middle school or high school paper.
Remember, your job is to prepare an in-depth report about your
subject. Be sure you can do that in the number of pages your teacher
has requested.
Choose a subject that’s too limited, and you might run out of things
to say on the second page of your paper. You might be able to write
a couple of pages on “How FDR Contracted Polio,” but you won’t fill
10 or 15 pages…even with really wide margins.
If you can’t find a single book on your supposed topic, rethink it! While
there’s nothing wrong with choosing a topic that can be researched
via magazine articles, the newspaper, the Internet, and the like, why
make your research so difficult if you don’t have to?
 Chapter 7 ■ How to Write Terrific Papers 141

Pick a topic that’s too obscure, and you may find that little or no
information has been written about it. In that case, you will have to
conduct your own experiments, interview your own research
subjects, and come up with your own original data. I’m guessing
that you have neither the time, desire, nor experience to take such
a start-from-scratch approach.
Don’t bite off more than you can chew, but make sure there’s some-
thing to gnaw on! And make sure that there are enough different
sources of material—different authors, different books, different
points of view—so you can get a well-rounded view of your subject
(and not be forced, for lack of other material, to find ways to make
somebody else’s points sound like your own).
Taking all of the above into consideration, do a little brainstorming
now about possible topics for your paper. Don’t stop with the first
idea—come up with several different possibilities. Put this book down
until you have a list of three or four potential topics.
How about trying to get papers for two or more classes out of the
same research? You may not be able to simply produce one paper for
two classes, but with a little extra research—not what you would
need to do for an entirely different paper—you may well utilize a good
portion of the first paper as the basis for a second. What a great way
to maximize your library time!
If you are having trouble choosing a topic for your next paper, here
are two books that will help:

10,000 Ideas for Term Papers, Projects, Reports and Speeches:

Intriguing, Original Research Topics for Every Student’s Need,
5th Edition, by Kathryn Lamm (Arco, 1998).
1001 Ideas for English Papers: Term Papers, Projects, Reports, and
Speeches by Walter James Miller (Hungry Minds, Inc., 1994).
142 How to Study

Step 3: Begin Initial Library Research

Got your list? Then get thee to a library. You need to do a little
advance research. Scan your library’s card-catalog index and the
Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature or other publication indexes.
See how many books and articles have been written about each topic
on your “possibilities” list. Next, read a short background article or
encyclopedia entry about each topic.
Alternatively, spend a little time online. Are there specific websites
devoted to your topic? Lucky you! Or does a keyword search result
in 10,424 matches, none of which have a thing to do with your
topic?
With any luck at all, you should be left with at least one topic that
looks like a good research subject. If two or more topics passed your
preliminary research test, pick the one that interests you most. You’re
going to spend a lot of time learning about your subject. There’s
no rule that says you can’t enjoy it!

Develop a Temporary Thesis

Once you have chosen the topic for your paper, you must develop
a temporary thesis. (The word “thesis” is a relative of “hypothesis”
and means about the same thing—the central argument you will
attempt to prove or disprove in your paper. A thesis is not the
same thing as a topic. Your topic is what you study; your thesis is the
conclusion you draw from that study.)
A “thesis statement” sums up the main point of your paper. It’s
generally just a sentence or two.
 Chapter 7 ■ How to Write Terrific Papers 143

Note that I said temporary thesis. It may not wind up being your final
thesis. Because you haven’t completed all your research yet, you can
only come up with a “best guess” thesis at this point.
If a temporary thesis doesn’t spring easily to mind— and it probably
won’t—sit back and do some more brainstorming. Ask yourself
questions like:

■ What’s special or unusual about ______? (Fill in the

blank with your topic.)
■ How is ______ related to events in the past?
■ What impact has ______ made on society?
■ What do I want the world to know about ______?
■ What questions do I have about ______?

You may discover during this preliminary research phase that your
temporary thesis just won’t fly. You may have to revise it, perhaps
even settling on a thesis that’s the exact opposite of your original!
In fact, you may have to revise your thesis several times during the
course of your research.

Step 4: Create a Temporary Outline

Once you have developed your temporary thesis, think about how
you might approach the subject in your paper. Jot down the various
issues you plan to investigate. Then come up with a brief, temporary
outline of your paper, showing the order in which you might discuss
those issues.
144 How to Study

Step 5: Do Detailed Research

We’ve already reviewed library and online resources and how to take
advantage of them. Now, let’s talk about exactly how you’ll keep track
of all the resources and information you’ll gather for your paper.
There are two steps involved. First, you’ll create bibliography cards
for each source you want to review. Then, you’ll transfer all the infor-
mation from your bibliography cards to a single list—your working
bibliography.
This two-step method has been around since someone wrote the first
research paper, and with good reason: It works! It helps you conduct
your research in an organized, efficient manner and makes preparing
your final bibliography easier.
To create your working bibliography, you’ll need a supply of 3 ⫻ 5
index cards. You’ll also use index cards when you take notes for your
paper, so buy a big batch now. About 300 cards ought to suffice.
While you’re at it, pick up one of those little file boxes designed
to hold the cards. Put your name, address, and phone number on
the file. If you lose it, some kind stranger can (and hopefully will)
return it.
Start a systematic search for any materials that might have informa-
tion related to your paper. When you find a book, article, or other
resource that looks promising, take out a blank note card. On the front
of the card, write down the following information:
In the upper right-hand corner of the card: Write the library call
number (Dewey decimal number or Library of Congress number), if
there is one, or the complete URL. Add any other detail that will help
you locate the material on the library shelves (e.g., Science Reading
Room, Reference Room, Microfiche Periodicals Room). And make
sure to write down the complete website address.
 Chapter 7 ■ How to Write Terrific Papers 145

On the main part of the card: Write the author’s name, if given—
last name first, followed by first name, then middle name or initial.
Then the title of the article, if applicable, in quotation marks. Then
the name of the book, magazine, newspaper, website, or other
publication— underlined. (If you’ve already written the complete URL
in the right-hand corner of the card, you do not need to duplicate it.)
Add any details you will need if you have to find the book or article
again, such as:

■ Date of publication.
■ Edition—e.g., “third (1990) edition” for a book; “morning
edition” for a newspaper.
■ Volume and/or issue number.
■ Page numbers on which the article or information appears.

Again, it is essential to write down the exact and complete URL, not
just that of the main website. Navigating a complex site to find
that short quote you wrote down can waste a lot of time.
In the upper left-hand corner of the card: Number it. The
first card you write will be #1, the second, #2, and so on. If you
happen to mess up and skip a number somewhere along the line,
don’t worry. It’s only important that you assign a different number to
each card.
Do this for each potential source of information you find, and put only
one resource on each card. And leave some room on the card—you’ll
be adding more information later.
146 How to Study

Citing Online Information

Because students are increasingly using online sources, the Modern
Language Association (MLA) and American Psychological Association
(APA), which publish style guides for research papers, have integrated
electronic citations into their latest editions.
The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers by Joseph Gibaldi
(for high school and undergraduate college students) is now available
in a seventh edition (2009). The MLA Style Manual and Guide to
Scholarly Publishing, 3rd Ed. (2008), also by Gibaldi, is for graduate
students, scholars, and professional writers. The Publication Manual
of the APA, 6th Ed. (2009) is not available for free online, but detailed
examples can be found at a number of addresses.
Another good source to consult is Research and Documentation in
the Electronic Age by Diana Hacker (Bedford/St. Martins, 2004),
which details citations using both styles.
Here is a sample online citation:
Furfaro, John P. and Maury B. Josephson. “Reasonable
Accommodation to Disability Act.” New York Law Journal.
http://homepages.go.com/~atlanticcity/040299 c4.htm
(2 April 1999)
 Chapter 7 ■ How to Write Terrific Papers 147

Sample Bibliography Card for a Book

1 315.6
Main Reading Room
Spechler, Jay W.
Reasonable Accommodation: Profitable Compliance
with the Americans with Disabilities Act
(see esp. pp. 54–61)
Computer Card Catalog
College Library

Sample Bibliography Card for a Magazine Article

2 www.timeinc.com/pub/2003/index.html

Smolowe, Jill
“Noble Aims, Mixed Results”
Time
(July 31, 2003; pp. 54–55)

Sample Bibliography Card for a Newspaper Article

3 www.nytimes/index/404/5.html

Wade, Betsy
“Disabled Access to Inns at Issue”
The New York Times
(April 14, 2004, section 5, page 4)
148 How to Study

Getting Ready to Take Notes

Your bibliography cards serve as the map for your information
treasure hunt. Get out a stack of five or six cards and locate the
materials listed on those cards. Set up camp at a secluded desk or
table and get to work.
When you write your paper, you’ll get all the information you need
from your notes, rather than from the original sources. Therefore,
it’s vital that you take careful and complete notes. What sort of
information should you put in your notes? Anything related to your
subject, and especially to your thesis. This includes:

1. General background information (names, dates, historical data).

2. Research statistics.
3. Quotes by experts.
4. Definitions of technical terms.

You may be used to keeping your notes in a three-ring binder or

notepad. I’m going to show you a better way— recording all of your
notes on index cards.
Let’s say that you have found a reference book that contains some
information about your subject. Before you begin taking notes, get
out the bibliography card for that book.
Check that all of the information on your card is correct. Is the title
exactly as printed on the book? Is the author’s name spelled correctly?
Add any other information you’ll need to include in your final bibliog-
raphy. (For more information on exactly what you need to include,
be sure to refer to the newest edition of Improve Your Writing.
It includes details on bibliographic and source note formats.)
 Chapter 7 ■ How to Write Terrific Papers 149

Note-taking Guidelines
Once your bibliography card is finished, set it aside. Get out some
blank index cards and start taking notes from your reference source.
Follow these guidelines:

■ Write one thought, idea, quote, or fact on each

card…and only one. If you encounter a very long quote or
string of data, you can write on both the front and back of a
card, if necessary. But never carry over a note to a second card.
What if you can’t fit the piece of information on one card?
Break it into two or more smaller pieces, then put each on a
separate card.
■ Write in your own words. Summarize key points about
a paragraph or section or restate the material in your own
words. Avoid copying things word for word.
■ Put quotation marks around any material copied
verbatim. It’s okay to include in your paper a sentence or
paragraph written by someone else to emphasize a particular
point (providing you do so on a limited basis). But you must
copy such statements exactly as written in the original—every
word, every comma, every period. You also must always
put such direct quotes within quotation marks in your paper
and credit the author.

Add Detail to Your Note Cards

As you finish each note card, do the following:

■ In the upper left-hand corner of the card, write down the

resource number of the corresponding bibliography card (from
its left-hand corner). This will remind you where you got the
information.
150 How to Study

■ Below the resource number, write the page number(s) on

which the information appeared.
■ Get out your preliminary outline. Under which outline
topic heading does the information on your card seem to fit?
Under your “I” heading? Under “III”? Jot the appropriate
Roman numeral in the upper right-hand corner of your note
card. (You can use capital letters or even regular numbers if
you prefer—just match whatever you used on your outline.)
If you’re not sure where the information fits into your
outline, put an asterisk (*) instead of a topic letter. Later,
when you do a more detailed outline, you can try to fit these
“miscellaneous” note cards into specific areas.
■ Next to the topic letter, jot down a one- or two-word
“headline” that describes the information on the card.
■ When you have finished taking notes from a particular
resource, put a check mark on the bibliography card. This
will let you know that you’re done with that resource, at least
for now.

Be sure that you transfer information accurately to your note cards.

Double-check names, dates, and other statistics. As with your
bibliography cards, it’s not really important that you put each of these
elements in the exact places I’ve outlined here. You just need to
be consistent. Always put the page number in the same place, in
the same manner. Ditto with the resource number, the topic heading,
and the headline.

Add Your Personal Notes

Throughout your note-taking process, you may want to create some
“personal” note cards—your own thoughts, ideas, or impressions
about your subject or your thesis.
 Chapter 7 ■ How to Write Terrific Papers 151

Write each thought on a separate note card, just as you did informa-
tion taken from other resources. Assign your note card a topic head-
ing and mini-headline, too. In the space where you would normally
put the number of the resource, put your own initials or some other
symbol. (I use “M” for “My Thought.”) This will remind you that you
were the source of the information or thought.

Step 6: Prepare a Detailed Outline

Your research is done.
Which means that at least one-half of your paper— perhaps as much
as three-quarters of it—is done, even though you’ve yet to write one
word of the first draft.
It’s time to organize your data. You need to decide if your temporary
thesis is still on target, determine how you will organize your paper,
and create a detailed outline.
This is where the notecard system really pays off. Your note cards
give you a great tool for organizing your paper. Get out all of your
note cards, and then:

1. Group together all of the cards that share the same outline
topic number or letter (in the right-hand corner of each card).
2. Put those different groups in order, according to your
temporary outline.
3. Within each topic group, sort the cards further. Group the
cards that share the same “headline” (the two-word title in
the upper right corner).
4. Go through your miscellaneous and personal cards, the ones
you marked with an asterisk or your own symbol. Can you
fit any of them into your existing topic groups? If so, replace
the asterisk with the topic number or letter. If not, put the
card at the very back of your stack.
152 How to Study

Your note cards now should be organized according to your prelimi-

nary outline. Take a few minutes to read through your note cards,
beginning at the front of the stack and moving through to the back.
What you are reading is a rough sketch of your paper—the information
you collected in the order you (temporarily) plan to present it.
Does that order still make sense? Or would another arrangement
work better? Here are some of the different organizational approaches
you might consider for your paper:

1. Chronological. Discusses events in the order in which they

happened (by time of occurrence).
2. Spatial. Presents information in geographical or physical
order (from north to south, top to bottom, left to right, inside
to outside, and so forth).
3. Numerical/Alphabetical. An obvious way to organize a
paper on “The Ten Commandments” or “The Three Men
I Admire Most,” for example.
4. Major division. For topics that logically divide into obvious
parts.
5. How to…grow an orchid, write a better paper, etc. Like this
book, organizes material from “what to do first” to “what to
do last.”
6. Problem/solution (a.k.a. cause/effect). Presents a series
of problems and possible solutions, why something happened,
or predicts what might happen as a result of a particular
cause.
7. Effect/cause. Discusses a condition, problem, or effect and
works backward to what might have caused it.
 Chapter 7 ■ How to Write Terrific Papers 153

8. Compare/contrast. Discusses similarities and differences

between people, things, or events. May also be used when
you want to discuss advantages and disadvantages of a
method, experiment, treatment, approach, etc.
9. Order of importance. Discusses the most important aspects
of an issue first and continues through to the least important,
or vice versa. (A slight variation of this is organizing your
paper from the known to the unknown.)
10. Pro/con. Arguments for and against a position, question,
decision, approach, method, etc.

The first four sequences are considered “natural,” in that the

organization is virtually demanded by the subject. The other
sequences are “logical,” in that the order is chosen and imposed
by you, the writer.
Note that in many cases the actual order you choose is also
reversible—you can move forward or backward in time, consider
cause and effect or effect and cause, etc. So you actually have a
dozen and a half potential ways to organize your material!
Your subject and thesis may determine which organizational approach
will work best. If you have a choice of more than one, use the one
with which you’re most comfortable or that you feel will be easiest
for you to write. (Nobody says you have to choose the hardest
way!) Keep in mind that you can use a blend of two approaches.
For example, you might mention events in chronological order and
then discuss the cause/effect of each.
If necessary, revise your general outline according to the organiza-
tional decision you have made. Next, go through each group of cards
that share the same topic number or letter. Rearrange them so that
they, too, follow the organizational pattern you chose.
154 How to Study

After you sort all the cards that have been assigned a specific topic
heading (I, II, III or A, B, C), review the cards that are marked with
an asterisk or your personal symbol. Try to figure out where they fit
in your stack of cards.
Don’t include a card if the information it contains just doesn’t seem
to fit anywhere. It’s possible that the data just isn’t relevant to your
revised thesis. Set it aside for now. You can try to include it again
later.
And while you’re setting aside inappropriate notes, don’t forget to
seek out “holes” in your paper—those areas that cry out for a more
up-to-date fact, a good example, or a stronger transition. No one
likes to discover the need to do a little more research, but if you’ve
noticed a problem, I guarantee your teacher will, too. Don’t let
a “black hole” turn a potentially great paper into one that’s merely
okay just because you don’t want to spend another hour online or
in the library.
Now flip through your note cards from front to back. See that?
You’ve created a detailed outline without even knowing it. The topic
numbers or letters on your note cards match the main topics of
your outline. And those headlines on your note cards are the
subtopics for your outline.
Simply transfer your notecard headlines to paper. They appear
on your outline in the same order as they appear in your stack
of cards.

Step 7: Write the First Draft

You may not have realized it, but you’ve already done a lot of the hard
work that goes into the writing stage. You have thought about
how your paper will flow, you have organized your notes, and
you have prepared a detailed outline. All that’s left is to transfer your
information and ideas from note cards to paper.
 Chapter 7 ■ How to Write Terrific Papers 155

Good writing takes concentration and thought. And concentration

and thought require quiet—and lots of it! You also need to have
plenty of desk space, so you can spread out your note cards in front
of you, your work area should be well-lit, and you should have a
dictionary and thesaurus close at hand. If possible, “write” directly
on to a computer, so you can add, delete, and rearrange your words
at the touch of a button.
Remember: At this point, your goal is to produce a rough draft—with
emphasis on the word “rough.” Your first draft isn’t supposed to be
perfect. It’s supposed to need revision. If you go into this thinking
you’re going to turn out a teacher-ready paper on your first try, you’re
doomed. That kind of performance pressure leads only to anxiety and
frustration.
The essence of good writing has little to do with grammar, spelling,
punctuation, and the like. The essence of good writing is good
thinking.
Your thoughts, ideas, and logic are the foundation of your paper.
And you need to build a house’s foundation before you worry about
hanging the front door. So, for now, just concentrate on getting
your thoughts on paper. Don’t worry about using exactly the “right”
word. Don’t worry about getting commas in all the right places. We’ll
take care of all that polishing later.
Your note cards helped you come up with a detailed outline. Now,
they’re going to help you plot out the actual paragraphs and sentences
of your paper:

1. Your note cards should be arranged in the same order as your

detailed outline. Take out all of the note cards labeled with the
number or letter of the first topic on your outline.
2. Out of that stack, take out all the cards marked with the same
“headline” as the first subheading in your outline.
156 How to Study

3. Look at the information on those cards. Think about how

the various pieces of information might fit together in a
paragraph.
4. Rearrange those cards so they fall in the order you have
determined is best for the paragraph.
5. Do this for each group of cards until you reach the end of
the deck.

Each paragraph in your paper is like a mini-essay. It should have a topic

sentence—a statement of the key point or fact you will discuss in
the paragraph—and contain the evidence to support it. This evidence
can come in different forms, such as quotes from experts, research
statistics, examples from research or from your own experience,
detailed descriptions, or other background information.
Stack up your paragraphs like bricks into your own “wall of evidence.”
Construct each paragraph carefully, and your readers will have no
choice but to agree with your final conclusion.
If paragraphs are the bricks, transitions—a sentence or phrase
that moves the reader from one thought to another—are the mortar
holding them together. Smooth transitions help readers move effort-
lessly from one thought to another.

Now Put It All on Paper

Double- or triple-space your draft—that will make it easier to edit
later. After you are finished with each note card, put a check mark
at the bottom.
If you decide that you won’t include information from a particular
card, don’t throw the card away—yet. Keep it in a separate stack. You
may decide to fit in that piece of information in another part of your
paper or change your mind after you read your rough draft and decide
to include the information where you had originally planned.
 Chapter 7 ■ How to Write Terrific Papers 157

You may, however, wind up with cards that just don’t fit. If you’re
convinced they have no place in your paper, don’t attempt to
shoehorn them in anyway. Put them aside. As Johnny Cochran
might proclaim, “If they blow the flow, those cards must go.”

What If You Get Stuck?

Got writer’s block already? Here are a few tricks to get you unstuck:

■ Pretend you’re writing to a good friend. Just tell him or her

everything you’ve learned about your subject and why you
believe your thesis is correct.
■ Use everyday language. Too many people get so hung up on
using fancy words and phrases that they forget that their goal
is to communicate. Simpler is better.
■ Just do it. Type something…anything. Once you have written
that first paragraph—even if it’s a really bad first paragraph—
your brain will start to generate spontaneous ideas.
■ Don’t edit yourself! As you write your rough draft, don’t
keep beating yourself up with negative thoughts, such as
“This sounds really stupid” or “I’m a terrible writer. Why
can’t I express that better?” Remember: Your goal is a rough
draft—it’s supposed to stink a bit.
■ Keep moving. If you get hung up in a particular section, don’t
sit there stewing over it for hours— or even for many minutes.
Just write a quick note about what you plan to cover in that
section, then go on to the next section. Force yourself to
make it all the way through your paper, with as few stops
as possible.
158 How to Study

Freewriting and Brainstorming

Focused freewriting and brainstorming are two methods used by
professional writers when the waters of creativity are dammed
up somewhere in their brains. While similar, there are a couple of
important differences between the two methods of getting started.
In both cases, set a brief time limit (perhaps 10 or 15 minutes), sum-
marize your main topic in a phrase or sentence to get your thoughts
moving, and do not edit or even review what you have written until
the time is up.
Brainstorming is writing down everything you can think of that relates
to the topic. It does not require that you work in any sequence or that
your notes be logical or even reasonable. Asking yourself questions
about the topic, no matter how strange, may help you generate new
ideas.
In focused freewriting, the emphasis is on writing…anything…with-
out worrying about whether what you put down is even vaguely
related to your topic. The key is just to start writing—a diary entry,
the biography of your dog, your thoughts about current rock videos—
and not to stop until the time is up.
Brainstorming is useful when you are ready to write but just can’t
get a handle on exactly where to begin. Freewriting is useful when
you can’t get your brain to work at all. Both methods will help you
start writing, which is all you are trying to do.

Document Your Sources

To avoid plagiarism, you must document the source when you put
any of the following in your paper:

■ Quotations taken from a published source.

■ Someone else’s theories or ideas.
■ Someone else’s sentences, phrases, or special expressions.
■ Facts, figures, and research data compiled by someone else.
■ Graphs, pictures, and charts designed by someone else.
 Chapter 7 ■ How to Write Terrific Papers 159

There are some exceptions. You don’t need to document the source
of a fact, theory, or expression that is common knowledge. And you
also do not need a source note when you use a phrase or expression
for which there is no known author.
To judge whether a statement needs a source note, ask yourself
whether readers would otherwise think that you had come up with
the information or idea all by yourself. If the answer is yes, you need
a source note. If you’re in doubt, include a source note anyway.

Footnotes
For many years, the preferred way to credit sources was the
footnote. Two other forms of documentation, endnotes and paren-
thetical notes, are popular now as well.
A footnote is a source note that appears at the bottom of a page
of text. You put a raised (superscript) number at the end of the
statement or fact you need to document, which tells your readers
to look at the bottom of the page for a note about the source of the
data.
What goes in a footnote? The same information that’s in the bibliog-
raphy listing. And the exact page number the information appears on.
In front of that source note, you put the same superscript number as
you put next to the statement or fact in your text.
There is no limit to the number of footnotes you may have in
your paper. Number each footnote consecutively, starting with the
number 1. For every footnote “flag” in your paper, be sure there is
a corresponding source note at the bottom of the page.
Like bibliography listings, different authorities cite different rules
for setting up footnotes. Ask your teacher whose rules you are to
follow.
160 How to Study

If your teacher doesn’t have a preference, you might as well

use the MLA rules, which I use as well. Also, be sure to refer to
Improve Your Writing for a more in-depth examination of source
documentation.
(The MLA guidelines are used primarily for papers in the arts and
humanities. If you are doing a paper for a physical or social science
class, check with your teacher or professor as to which style you
are to follow. Specific— and different—style sheets are used in
biology, chemistry, math, physics, engineering, psychology, and
so forth.)

Step 8: Do Additional Research

Did you discover any gaps in your research as you put together
your first draft? Raise some questions that you need additional
information to answer? If so, now’s the time to head for the library
for one last crack at the books.

Step 9: Write the Second Draft

The goal for this phase is to edit for meaning—improve the flow
of your paper, organize your thoughts better, clarify confusing
points, and strengthen weak arguments.
As you review your rough draft, ask yourself the following questions:

■ Do your thoughts move logically from one point to the next?

■ Is the meaning of every sentence and paragraph crystal clear?
■ Does every sentence make a point—or support one?
■ Do you move smoothly from one paragraph to the next?
Or do you jump randomly from one topic to another?
 Chapter 7 ■ How to Write Terrific Papers 161

■ Do you support your conclusions with solid evidence—

research data, examples, statistics?
■ Do you include a good mix of evidence—quotes from experts,
scientific data, personal experiences, historical examples?
■ Do you have a solid introduction and conclusion?
■ Did you write in your own words and style? Or have you
merely strung together phrases and quotes “borrowed” from
other authors?
■ Have you explained your subject thoroughly, or assumed that
readers have more knowledge about it than they actually
might? (Remember: You’re familiar with the topic now, but
just because something is now obvious to you doesn’t mean
your readers will know what you’re talking about.)
■ Have you convinced your readers that your thesis is valid?
■ Is there any information that, while correct and informative,
just doesn’t belong? Cut it out!
■ Have you maintained a consistent point of view (i.e., first,
second, or third person throughout)?
■ Does your last paragraph successfully summarize the entire
paper and effectively “close” your argument?

Mark any trouble spots with a colored pencil or pen. If you have
an idea on how to fix a section, jot it down on your rough draft. Now
sit down and begin to rewrite. Focus on all of those problem areas
you found. If necessary, add new information. Play with sentences,
paragraphs, even entire sections.
162 How to Study

Rework Your Opening and Closing Paragraphs

When you feel you have created a wonderful paper, examine your
opening and closing paragraphs. Take the time to go over these—again
and again—to make them the best you possibly can. More than
one “okay-not-great” paper has earned a better-than-expected
grade because of an “A+” introduction and conclusion.
Your paper’s opening paragraph is the most important of all. It sets
out what you will be arguing for or against (and why you chose that
side) and introduces the rest of the paper. If it’s well written, it
will seamlessly lead your teacher into the rest of the paper and earn
you points for solid organization. If it’s poorly written, it may not
matter what follows—your teacher may conclude you obviously
don’t know what you’re talking about and grade accordingly (while
spending less time than he might have otherwise on the rest of the
paper).
Think of the introduction and the conclusion as the bread in a
sandwich, with the information in between as the hamburger,
lettuce, tomato, and pickle. The main attraction may be what’s
between the slices, but you need the bread to even call it a sandwich.
Here are some ways to start off your paper with a little zing:

■ Say something that grabs attention.

■ Say something controversial.
■ Paint a picture of a scene.
■ Recreate an event.
■ Use a potent quote.
■ Ask a provocative question.

But don’t—absolutely do not—use a joke. The joke will be on you.

Most teachers have no sense of humor once they start grading
papers (presuming they did before).
 Chapter 7 ■ How to Write Terrific Papers 163

Check All Your Facts

When you finish editing for content and meaning, print or type a
clean copy of your paper, then double-check all of your facts for
accuracy:

■ Did you spell names, terms, and places correctly?

■ When you quoted dates and statistics, did you get your
numbers straight?
■ Do you have a source note (or preliminary source note) for
every fact, expression, or idea that is not your own?
■ If you quoted material from a source, did you quote that
source exactly, word for word, comma for comma, and did
you put the material in quotation marks?

Mark any corrections on your new draft. Again, use a colored pen
or pencil so you can easily spot corrections later.

Keep Rewriting
Now take an even closer look at your sentences and paragraphs.
Try to make them smoother, tighter, and easier to understand:

■ Use action verbs and the active voice: “Some apes in captivity
have survived for 30 or more years” is better than “Ages of
30 years or more have been enjoyed by some apes in captivity.”
■ Consider dropping constructions beginning with “there is
(was)” from your vocabulary: “There was a storm at sea”
is a tired and boring way to proclaim, “A storm raged.”
■ Is there too much fat? Seize every opportunity to make the
same point in fewer words.
164 How to Study

■ Are there places where phrasing or construction is awkward?

Try to rearrange the sentence or section so that it flows
better.
■ Did you use descriptive, colorful words? Did you tell your
reader, “The planes were damaged,” or paint a more colorful
and creative picture: “The planes were broken-down hulks of
rusted metal— bullet-ridden, neglected warbirds that could
barely limp down the runway”?
■ Consult a thesaurus for synonyms that work better than
the words you originally chose. But don’t get carried away
and use words so obscure that the average reader wouldn’t
know their meaning. When in doubt, opt for the familiar
word rather than the obscure, the shorter vs. the longer,
the tangible vs. the hypothetical, the direct word vs. the
roundabout phrase.
■ Have you overused cliches or slang expressions? Especially
in academic writing, neither are particularly appreciated.
Your paper may be “dead as a doornail” if you don’t “get the
lead out,” get rid of some of the “oldies but goodies,” and
make sure your paper is “neat as a pin.”
■ Have you overused particular words? Constantly using the
same words makes your writing boring. Check a thesaurus
for other possibilities.
■ How do the words sound? When you read your paper aloud,
does it flow like a rhythmic piece of music? Or plod along
like a funeral dirge?
 Chapter 7 ■ How to Write Terrific Papers 165

■ One of the best ways to give your writing a little “oomph”

is to vary your sentence structure. Use short sentences
occasionally. Even very short. Without subjects. Use simple
sentences, complex sentences (an independent clause and
one or more dependent clauses), and embedded sentences
(combining two clauses using relative pronouns rather than
conjunctions). And despite what Mrs. Dougherty taught you
in eighth grade, it really is okay to start sentences with “and”
or “but.” And to use sentence fragments for emphasis and
effect. Really.
■ Always remember the point of the paper: to communicate
your ideas as clearly and concisely as possible. So don’t get
lost in the details. If you have to choose between that
“perfect” word and the most organized paper imaginable,
opt for the latter.

Again, mark corrections on your draft with a colored pen or pencil.

No need to reprint your paper yet—unless it’s gotten so marked up
that it’s hard to read!

Step 10: Prepare Your Final Bibliography

Your bibliography should be at the end of your paper, on a separate
page or pages:

■ One inch from the top of the page: Center the title “Works
Cited” or “Works Consulted,” depending upon which type of
bibliography you’re doing.
■ Use the same margins as you did for the rest of your paper—
one inch all the way around.
■ Treat your bibliography pages as if they are a continuation
of the text of your paper and number them accordingly—
don’t start repaginating.
166 How to Study

■ List sources alphabetically, by the author’s last name. If no

author is given, list by the first word in the title of the work
(unless the first word is “A,” “An,” or “The,” in which case list
by the second word of the title).
■ The first line of each listing should be flush with the left mar-
gin. Indent all other lines five spaces from the left margin.
■ Double-space all listings and double-space between entries.
■ Abbreviate all months except May, June, and July.

Step 11: Check Your Spelling and Proofread

It’s time to rid your paper of any mistakes in grammar and spelling.
I’ve told you your thoughts are the most important element of
your paper. And they are. But it’s also true that glaring mistakes in
grammar and spelling will lead your teacher to believe that you are
either careless or downright ignorant—neither of which will bode
well for your final grade.
So get out your dictionary and a reference book on English usage
and grammar. Scour your paper, sentence by sentence, marking
corrections with your colored pen or pencil. Look for:

■ Misspelled words. Check every word. If you’re using a

spellchecking computer program, be careful of sound-alike
words. “There” might be spelled correctly, but not if you
meant to write “their.”
■ Incorrect punctuation. Review the rules for placement of
commas, quotation marks, periods, and other punctuation.
Make sure you follow those rules throughout your paper.
■ Incorrect sentence structure. Look for dangling participles,
split infinitives, sentences that end in prepositions, and other
various grammar no-no’s.
 Chapter 7 ■ How to Write Terrific Papers 167

Step 12: Have Someone Else Proofread

Reprint your paper, making all those corrections you marked during
the last step. Format the paper according to the teacher’s instructions.
Incorporate your final footnotes and bibliography.
Give your paper a title, one that’s as short and sweet as possible but
tells readers what they can expect to learn from your paper.
Find someone who is a good proofreader—a parent, relative, friend—
and ask him or her to proofread your paper before you put together
the final draft.

Steps 13–15: The Final Draft

Incorporate any changes or errors your proofreader may have caught.
Print the final draft. Proof it again—very carefully.
Here are a couple of tricks of the trade: 1) Read your paper aloud.
Go ahead—shout it from the rooftops! It’s amazing how easily you’ll
discover misplaced words, poor grammar, even a misspelling or two.
2) Read your paper backwards. This forces you to focus on each
individual word and is a sensational way to pick up misspellings.
Last step? Put your paper in a new manuscript binder or folder. Then,
turn it in—on time, of course!

Oral Reports
There are some key differences between writing a report and pre-
senting it orally, especially if you don’t want to make the mistake of
just reading your report in front of the class.
168 How to Study

If you’ve been assigned to give a talk for a class, it will probably fall
into one of the following categories:

■ Exposition: a straightforward statement of facts.

■ Argument: trying to change the opinions of at least a portion
of the audience.
■ Description: providing a visual picture to your listeners.
■ Narration: storytelling.

The most common forms of oral reports assigned in school will

be exposition and argument. You’ll find that you will research and
organize information for these types of speeches pretty much the way
you would a term paper.
A note of caution: If you’re preparing an argument, don’t convince
yourself you don’t have to research both sides of the topic just because
you’re only presenting one of them. You should be doubly prepared
with all the facts, as you might be challenged with questions or the
arguments of other speakers.
As you gather information for your report, making notes on index
cards as you did for your term paper, keep this in mind: In order for
you to be effective, you must use some different techniques when
you tell your story rather than write it. Here are a few:

■ Don’t make your topic too broad. This advice, offered

for preparing written reports as well, is even more important
when preparing a talk. Try giving an effective speech on
“Eleanor Roosevelt,” “Jane Austen’s novels,” or “The U.S.
military” in 15 minutes, frequently the amount of time
assigned for oral reports. These topics are more suited to a
series of books!
 Chapter 7 ■ How to Write Terrific Papers 169

“How Eleanor Roosevelt changed the role of First Lady,”

“The way the movie Clueless failed to meet the standards
set by Austen’s Emma,” or “The pros and cons of inoculating
all military personnel with the anthrax vaccine” are more
manageable topics. Narrowing the scope of your talk will
help you research and organize it more effectively.
■ Don’t overuse statistics. While they’re very important for
lending credibility to your position, too many will only weigh
down your speech and bore your audience.
■ Anecdotes add color and life to your talk. But use them
sparingly, because they can slow down your speech. Get to
the punch line before the yawns start.
■ Be careful with quotes. Unlike a term paper, a speech
allows you to establish yourself as an authority with less fear
of being accused of plagiarism. So you can present a lot more
facts without attribution. (But you’d better have the sources
in case you’re asked about your facts.) You can use quotes,
though, when they contain distinctive language or elicit an
emotion. Be sure to attribute the source.

I’ve found that trying to shuffle a bunch of papers in front of a class is

difficult. Note cards that fit in the palm of your hand are a lot easier
to use, but only if the notes on them are very short and to the point.
Then they act as “triggers” rather than verbatim cue cards. The
shorter the notes— and the more often you practice your report so
each note triggers the right information—the more effective your
report will be. (And the less you will have to look at them, making eye
contact with your class and teacher easier.)
170 How to Study

Here are ways to make oral reports more effective:

■ Pick out one person to talk to—preferably a friend, but any

animated and/or interested person will do—and direct your
talk at him or her.
■ Practice, practice, practice your presentation. Jangled nerves
are often the result of a lack of confidence. The more confident
you are that you know your material, the less nervous you will
be, and the better and more spontaneous your presentation
will be.
■ If you are like me and suffer from involuntary “shakes” at the
mere thought of standing in front of a roomful of people, make
sure you can use a lectern, desk, or something to cling to.

Take a deep breath before you go to the front of the class. And don’t
worry about pausing, even taking another deep breath or two, if you
lose your place or find your confidence slipping away.
If every trick in the world still doesn’t calm you down, consider taking
a public speaking course (Dale Carnegie, et al), joining the Toastmasters
Club, or seeking out similar extracurricular help.
 Chapter 8

How to Study for Tests

T hroughout your educational life—and, more than likely, the

rest of your life—testing will be an inevitable if sometimes
frightening and distressing reality. The sooner you learn
the techniques of preparing for, taking, and mastering tests, the bet-
ter off you’ll be.

What Do They Want to Know?

Many tests are as much a measure of the way you study— your
ability to organize a mountain of material—as they are a measure of
your knowledge of the material itself. This is especially true of any
test that purports to measure knowledge spread across the years and
your mastery of a broad spectrum of material—the SAT; GRE; bar
or medical exam; exams for nurses, CPAs, financial planners, etc.; and
others. Which means the better you study, the better your score will
probably be on such tests.

171
172 How to Study

Before you can decide how to study for a particular test, it’s impera-
tive that you know exactly what you’re being tested on. Preparing
for a weekly quiz is far different than preparing for a final exam.
And the biggest final of your life is child’s play compared to “monster
tests” like the oral exams I faced before they allowed me to graduate
college—which covered everything I was supposed to have learned
in four years.
Studying for a standardized test like the PSAT, SAT, ACT, or GRE is
also completely different—you can’t pull out your textbook and,
knowing what chapters are being included, just “bone up.”
The structure of the test is also of paramount importance, not nec-
essarily in terms of how you study, but how you tackle it once you
get your test book.

What Are You Afraid Of?

Tests are scary creatures. So before I start doling out test-taking
techniques, let’s tackle one of the key problems many of you will face:
test anxiety, a reaction characterized by sweaty palms, a blank mind,
and the urge to flee to Pago Pago on the next available cargo ship.
What does it mean when someone proclaims they don’t “test well?”
For many, it really means they don’t study well (or, at the very least,
prepare well). For others, it could mean they are easily distracted,
unprepared for the type of test they are confronting, or simply unpre-
pared mentally to take any test.
We all recognize the competitive nature of tests. Some of us rise to
the occasion when facing such a challenge. Others are thrown off
balance by the pressure. Both reactions probably have little to do
with one’s level of knowledge, relative intelligence, or amount of
preparation. The smartest students in your class may be the ones
most afraid of tests.
 Chapter 8 ■ How to Study for Tests 173

Believe Me, You’re Not Alone

Take heart—very few people look forward to a test; more of you
are afraid of tests than you’d think. But that doesn’t mean you have
to fear them.
Few people enter a testing site cool, calm, and ready for action. Most
of us have various butterflies gamboling in our stomachs, sweat glands
operating in overdrive, and a sincere desire to be somewhere else…
anywhere else.
The more pressure you put on yourself—the larger you allow a
test (and, of course, your hoped-for good scores) to loom in your
own mind—the less you are helping yourself. (And the bigger the
test really is, the more likely you are to keep reminding yourself of
its importance.)
Let’s face it: Your scores on some tests can have a major effect on
where you go to college, whether you go to graduate school, or
whether you get the job you want. But no matter how important
a test may be to your career, it is just as important to deemphasize
that test’s importance in your mind. This should have no effect on
your preparation—you should still study as if your life depended on a
superior score. It might!
Keeping the whole experience in perspective might also help: Twenty
years from now, nobody will remember, or care, what you scored
on any test—no matter how life-determining you feel that test is
right now.
Of course, you can make it easier to do all this by not going out of
your way—certainly before an especially big or important test—
to add more stress to an already stressful event. Two days before the
SAT is not the time to dump a boyfriend, move, change jobs, take
out a big loan, or create any other waves in your normally placid river
of life.
174 How to Study

With Friends Like These…

Some people thrive on their own misery and are jealous if you don’t
feed on it, too. They want to suck you into their gloom, whether you
really know or care what’s happening.
These Anxiety Professionals are the people to avoid when you’re
preparing for an exam. “Oh, I’ll never learn all this stuff!” they cry.
You might not win points with Miss Manners by saying, “If you’d shut
up and study, you might!” But you can have the pleasure of thinking
it—on your way to a quiet place to study alone.
Watch out for those “friends” who call you the night before the
exam to wail, “I just found out we have to know Chapter 12!” Don’t
fall into their trap. Instead of dialing 911, calmly remind them that the
printed sheet the professor passed out two weeks ago clearly says
that the test will cover Chapters 6 through 11. Then hang up, get
on with your life, and let them wring their hands all the way to the
bottom of the grading sheet. (Of course, if you don’t bother to check
what’s going to be on the test, a call like this will panic you...and waste
your time.)

How to Lower Your AQ (Anxiety Quotient)

To come to terms with the “importance” of a test, read the follow-
ing list. Knowing the answers to as many of these questions as
possible will help reduce your anxiety:

1. What material will the exam cover?

2. How many total points are possible?
3. What will this exam count for?
4. How much time will I have to take the exam?
5. Where will the exam be held?
 Chapter 8 ■ How to Study for Tests 175

6. What kinds of questions will be on the exam (matching,

multiple-choice, essay, true/false, and so forth)?
7. How many of each type of question will be on the exam?
8. How many points will be assigned to each question?
9. Will certain sections of the test count more than others?
10. Will it be an open-book exam?
11. What can I take in with me? Calculator? Candy bar?
Other material crucial to my success?
12. Will I be penalized for wrong answers?

Hit the Road, Jack

To shake off pretest anxiety, take a walk or a vigorous swim. In the
days before an exam, no matter how “big” it is, don’t study too hard
or too much, or you’ll walk into the exam with a fried brain.
You’ve already found that scheduling breaks during your study
routine makes it easier for you to focus on your books and complete
your assignments faster and with more concentration. Scheduling
breaks during test preparation has the same effect.
No matter what the time limits or pressures, don’t feel you cannot
afford such a brief respite. You may need it most when you’re
convinced you can least afford it, just as those who most need time-
management techniques “just don’t have the time” to learn them.

Relax Already
If your mind is a jumble of facts and figures, names and dates, you
may find it difficult to zero in on the specific details you need to recall,
even if you know all the material backwards and forwards. The adren-
aline rushing through your system may just make “instant retrieval”
impossible.
176 How to Study

The simplest relaxation technique is deep breathing. Lean back in your

chair, relax your muscles, and take three very deep breaths (count to
10 while you hold each one).
There are a variety of meditation techniques that may also work for
you. Each is based on a similar principle— focusing your mind on one
thing to the exclusion of everything else. While you’re concentrating
on the object of your meditation (even if the object is nothing, a non-
sense word, or a spot on the wall), your mind can’t be thinking about
anything else, which allows it to slow down a bit.
The next time you can’t focus, try sitting back, taking three deep
breaths, and concentrating for a minute or two on the word “Ron.”
When you’re done, you should be in a far more relaxed state and
ready to tackle any test.

Preparing for Great Test Scores

Some rites of preparation are pertinent to any test, from a weekly
quiz to the SAT, and everything in between.

Plan Ahead
I admit it. When I was a student, even in college, my attention span
tended to be bounded by weekends. Tell me in October that there’d
be a big test the first week of December and I’d remember, oh, around
November 30th.
Of such habits are cramming, crib sheets, and failing marks made.
The key to avoiding all of these unpleasantries is regular, periodic
review. The more often you review, the less often you will have to
pull all-nighters the week of the test. You already will have stayed on
top of the material, written down and asked questions that arose from
your reviews, and gone over class and textbook notes to make sure
you understand everything. Your last-minute review will be relatively
leisurely and organized, not feverish and harried.
 Chapter 8 ■ How to Study for Tests 177

Use Two Alarm Clocks

Doing poorly on a test is discouraging. Failing a test you felt ready for
is depressing. Missing the test entirely is devastating. It’s imperative
that you know when and where all tests are scheduled and allow
ample time to get to them.
If you’re still in high school, getting to a particular test shouldn’t
be too hard—it will probably be held during your regular class period
in your normal classroom. But in college, tests may be scheduled
at hours different than the normal class period…and at entirely
different sites.
Likewise, major tests like the PSAT and SAT may not even be held
at your school. In such cases, make sure you allow enough time to
drive to, or be driven to, wherever you have to be—especially if you’re
not quite sure how to get there!
As soon as you know the time and location of a test, enter it on your
weekly calendar. Whether in high school, college, or grad school, most
schools set aside a week, two, or even more for final exams. This
exam period is usually clearly marked in your college handbook,
announced in class (usually on the first day), and printed on your class
syllabus.
If you have an upcoming exam early in the morning and you are afraid
you won’t be in shape for it, do a bit of subterfuge on your body and
brain—get up early for several days before the exam, have a good
breakfast, and do homework or review your notes. This will help
jump-start your brain and get it used to the idea of solving equations
or thinking seriously about Shakespeare at an earlier-than-usual hour.
178 How to Study

Make Optional Assignments Mandatory

Sometimes, in addition to your regular reading and other assignments,
the teacher will assign optional reading at the beginning of a course.
These books, articles, and monographs may never be discussed in any
class—but material from them may be included on a test, especially
a final exam. If you have neglected to add this supplementary read-
ing to your regular calendar, but wish to read them before the test,
make sure you allow enough time to buy or find these books. A lot of
other students may have also left such reading to the last minute, and
you may be unable to find the material you need if you wait too long.

Pens, Pencils...a Candy Bar

Lastly, bring to the test whatever materials you need, from pens and
pencils to calculators. I also recommend— especially for a long test
like the SAT or ACT—that you have a candy bar, hard candies,
granola bar, or some other “quick energy” snack to munch when you
need to give yourself a figurative slap in the face.
Although many testing booklets will include room for notes, it may
not be sufficient for your purposes. If you are asked to write three,
five, or even more essay questions, you will want a lot of scratch paper
to outline and organize your thoughts before you put pen to paper.
Likewise, a particularly complex math test may quickly use up every
square inch of margin, so bring along a separate writing tablet or even
a stack of scrap paper. There are few situations in which their use
won’t be allowed.

If You Didn’t Listen Before...

Review, review, review. If you don’t follow my advice for periodic
review, set aside the time to review and study a week or two before
the test. Most colleges—and many high schools—offer a reading or
study period, usually the week before midterms or finals, when no
classes are offered. Library hours are often extended. Take advan-
tage of this time.
 Chapter 8 ■ How to Study for Tests 179

The more material you need to review, the more important it is

to clear your schedule. A four-, five- or six-course load covering
20, 40, or more books, lectures and discussions, papers, and projects
will easily generate hundreds of pages of notes. Reviewing, under-
standing, and studying them will require your full-time effort for a
week, even two. So make sure all other end-of-term work, especially
major projects and papers, are out of the way.

Organize Your Material

1. Gather all the material you have been using for the course:
books, workbooks, handouts, notes, homework, and previous
tests and papers.
2. Compare the contents with the material you will be tested
on and ask yourself: What exactly do I need to review for
this test?
3. Select the material for review. Reducing the pile of books and
papers will be a psychological aid—it’ll seem as if you have
more than enough time and energy to study for the test.
4. Photocopy and complete the Pretest Organizer at the end of
this chapter. Consider carefully the “Material to be covered”
section. Be specific. The more detailed you are, the better
job you’ll do reviewing all the areas that you should know.
This exercise will help you quantify what you need to do.
5. As you review the material and conclude that you know it for
the test, put a bold check mark on the “Review” line.
6. Hot tip: Make a crib sheet as if you were going to cheat on
the test, which, of course, you are not. Use it for last-minute
review. And if you are lucky enough to get an open-book test,
thank me!
180 How to Study

Allocate the Time You Need

Consider these questions when figuring out the time you need to
allocate to study for a particular test:

■ How much time do I usually spend studying for this

type of exam? What have been the results? If you usually
spend three hours and you consistently get Ds, perhaps you
need to reassess the time you’re spending or, more accurately,
misspending.
■ What grade do I have going for me now? If it’s a solid B
and you’re convinced you can’t get an A, you may decide to
devote less time to this test and more to a subject in which
you have a better shot at a top grade. If you have a C+ and a
good grade on the exam would give you a solid B, you may
decide to devote more time to this subject.
■ What special studying do I have to do? It’s one thing to
review notes and practice with a study group, but if you need
to sit in a language lab and listen to hours of tapes or run the
slower group of gerbils through the alphabet once more,
plan accordingly.
■ Organize the materials you need to study, pace
yourself, and check to see how much material you
have covered in the first hour of review. How does this
compare to what you have left to study? Not every hour will
be equally productive, but you should be able to project the
time you need based on what you are able to accomplish in
an hour.

Why Cramming Doesn’t Work

We’ve all done it at one time or another, with one excuse or another—
waited until the last minute and then tried to cram a week’s or
month’s or entire semester’s worth of work into a single night
or weekend. Did it work for you? Didn’t think so.
 Chapter 8 ■ How to Study for Tests 181

The reality is that cramming works—on one level—for a small minor-

ity of students. Somehow, they’re able to shove more “stuff ” into
short-term memory than the rest of us and actually remember it, at
least for 24 hours. After those 24 hours? Gone with the wind. Which
means if they managed to do well on a weekly quiz, all that cramming
didn’t do them a bit of good for the upcoming midterm or final.
The rest of us don’t even get that smidgen of good news—after a
night of no sleep and too much coffee, we’re lucky if we remember
where the test is the next morning. A couple of hours later, trying to
stay awake long enough to make it back to bed, we not only haven’t
learned anything, we haven’t even done very well on the test we
crammed for!
That’s probably the best reason of all not to cram—it just doesn’t
work!

How to Cram Anyway

Nevertheless, despite your resolve, best intentions, and firm con-
viction that cramming is a losing proposition, you may well find
yourself—though hopefully not too often— in the position of need-
ing to do something the night before a test you haven’t studied for
at all. If so, here’s some advice that will make your night of cramming
at least marginally successful:
Be realistic about what you can do. You absolutely cannot
master an entire semester’s worth of work in a single night, especially
if your class attendance has been sporadic (or nonexistent) and you’ve
skimmed two books out of a syllabus of two dozen. The more infor-
mation you try to cram in, the less effective you will be.
Being realistic means soberly assessing your situation— you’re hang-
ing by your thumbs and are just trying to avoid falling into the boiling
oil. Avoiding the oil, saving the damsel in distress, and inheriting the
kingdom (“acing” the test) is a bit too much to ask for, no matter
whom your Fairy Godmother is.
182 How to Study

Be selective and study in depth. The more classes you’ve

managed to miss, the more selective you need to be in organizing your
cram session. You can’t study it all. So you must identify—as best
you can—what topics you are sure will be on the test. Then study
only those. It’s better in this case to know a lot about a little rather
than a little about a lot. You may get lucky and pick the three topics
the three essays cover!
Massage your memory. Use every memory technique you’ve
learned (and the additional ones in Improve Your Memory) to maximize
what you’re able to retain in your short-term memory.
Know when to give up. When you can’t remember your name or
focus on the book in front of you, give up and get some sleep.
Consider an early morning rather than a late-night cram, espe-
cially if you’re a “morning” person. I’ve found it more effective to
go to bed and get up early rather than go to bed late and get up
exhausted.
Spend the first few minutes of the test writing down whatever
you remember but are afraid you’ll forget.

When in Doubt, Ask

Yes, there are teachers who test you on the most mundane details of
their course, requiring you to review every book, every note, every
scribble.
I don’t think most teachers work that way. You will more than likely
be tested on some subset of the course— those particular topics or
problems or facts or figures the teacher believes most important.
How do you know what those are? To put it bluntly, how do you
know what’s going to be on the test?
Teachers give many clues. In general, the more often you see or hear
the same material, the more important it probably is and the more
likely it is that it will show up on a test.
 Chapter 8 ■ How to Study for Tests 183

A fact or topic need not be repeated in order to scream “Learn me!”

Just as you learned to watch a teacher’s body language and listen
for verbal clues to identify noteworthy topics, you’ll learn to identify
topics the teacher indicates— nonverbally—are the most important.
Your teacher’s attitude toward note taking may tip you off, as well.
If he or she requires you to take detailed notes—even wants them
turned in (sometimes in high school, rarely in college)—I’d figure that
your class notes are far and away more important than the
textbook(s). Study accordingly.
Have you saved earlier tests and quizzes from that class? Returned
exams, especially if they contain a lot of comments from your teacher,
should give you an excellent indication of where to concentrate your
study time.
Is it wrong to ask the teacher what kind of test to expect? Absolutely
not. Will he or she always tell you? Absolutely not. If you have access
to old exams written by the same teacher, especially if they cover the
same material you’re going to be tested on, use them for review.
Don’t expect the same questions to appear again. No teacher is
that accommodating. But the way the test is prepared, the kinds
of questions employed, and the mix of questions (100 true/false,
50 multiple-choice, and one—count ’em—one essay) will give a much
better idea of what to expect on your test.
And see if you can find anyone who had this teacher last year or last
semester. Can they give you any advice, tips, hints, or warnings?
Some teachers love one type of question. Some are true/false freaks;
others push the multiple-choice/short answer combo. If old tests,
former students, the teacher’s own comments on the test coming
up, and your own experience tell you this is true, you might as well
study for that kind of test. You still have to know the material, of
course. It’s just that you may need to remind yourself that you’re going
to have to deal with it in a particular fashion.
184 How to Study

The best teachers use a combination of test questions to find out

what you know. Frankly, some of them hate grading essay questions,
so they rarely use them. Why do other teachers choose essay
questions?

1. They are quicker and easier to prepare.

2. They may be preferred when a group is small and the test
will not be reused.
3. They are used to explore students’ attitudes rather than
measure their achievements.
4. They are used to encourage and reward the development
of the students’ skill in writing.
5. They are suitable when it’s important for the students to
explain or describe.
6. They are more suitable to some material. You’re likely to have
more essay questions in English and history than you are in
the sciences.

Some teachers prefer objective questions because:

1. They are preferred when the group is large and the test
may be reused.
2. They are more efficient when highly reliable test scores
must be obtained quickly.
3. They are more suitable for covering a larger amount of
content in the same amount of time.
4. They are easier for the teacher to give an impartial grade.
Every student has to write down “C” to get number
22 correct.
5. They are easier for some teachers to create.
6. They may be used when students need to demonstrate
or show.
 Chapter 8 ■ How to Study for Tests 185

Never Study “Everything”

Once you’ve discovered the type of test facing you, you need to
figure out what’s going to be on it (and hence, what you need
to study). Remember, it’s rarely, if ever, “everything.”
At most, do a cursory review of material you are convinced is simply
not important enough to be included on an upcoming test. This will
automatically give you more time to concentrate on those areas
you’re sure will be included.
Then create a “To Study” sheet for each test. On it, list specific books
to review, notes to recheck, and topics, principles, ideas, and concepts
to go over. This method will minimize procrastination, logically organ-
ize your studying, and give you ongoing “jolts” of accomplishment as
you complete each item.

Test Yourself
Just as you have made it a habit to write down questions as you study
your texts, why not try to construct your own tests? The harder you
make them, the better prepared and more confident you will be when
you confront the real test.
Practice tests offer some real advantages, whether you’re studying
for a weekly quiz, the SAT, or your bar exam. In fact, the longer and
more “standardized” the test, the more important it is to be familiar
with its structure, rules, and traps.
First and foremost, familiarization with whatever type of test you’re
taking is vitally important, as it enables you to strategically study the
material (prioritize) and strategically attack the test (organize).
Familiarization breeds comfort and being comfortable—relaxed—is
a key component to doing well.
186 How to Study

Familiarization also breeds organization, allowing you to concentrate

on the test itself and not on its structure. This gives you more time
to actually take the test rather than figure it out. It also reduces the
effect of whatever time restraints the test imposes on you.
Last but not least, taking practice tests is a highly effective way to
study and remember the material.

Test-Day Rules and Reminders

If the test is not simply during a regular class period, make sure
to arrive at the test site early. Based on your preferences (from
Chapter 2), sit where you like.
Be careful, however. There may be some variations you have to take
into account. In a test where there are 200 or 300 people in a room,
there is a distinct advantage to sitting up front: You can hear the
instructions and the answers to questions better, and you generally
get the test first (and turn it in last).

Take the Time to Skim the Test

If you have permission to go all the way through it, do so before
you even start testing. Give yourself an overview of what lies ahead.
That way you can spot the easier sections and get an idea of the point
values assigned to each section.
I know students who look through the entire test and break it down
into time segments before they read any question or write a single
answer—allocating 20 minutes for section one, 40 for section two,
and so forth. Even on multiple-choice tests, they count the total
number of questions, divide by the time allotted, and set “goals” on
what time they should reach question 10, question 25, and so on.
 Chapter 8 ■ How to Study for Tests 187

Know the Ground Rules

Will you be penalized for guessing? The teacher may inform you that
you will earn two points for every correct answer, but lose one point
for every incorrect one. This will certainly affect whether you guess
or skip the question—or, at the very least, how many potential
answers you feel you need to eliminate before the odds of guessing
are in your favor. (As far as the SAT is concerned, there isn’t a penalty
for guessing, so don’t leave an answer blank!)
In the case of a standardized test like the SAT, ACT, or GRE, read
the instructions on a previous test before you go to the test site.
(There are numerous books that include “actual tests” in their prep
books.) Then just skim the instructions in your booklet or on the com-
puter to make sure nothing has changed. It will save you minutes—
time that is precious indeed during any such test.
Are the questions or sections weighted? Some tests may have two,
three, or more sections, some of which count for very little—10 or
15 percent of your final score. One part, usually a major essay, may
be more heavily weighted—50 percent or more of your grade. Let
this influence the amount of time and energy you devote to each
section.
Beware of time. Again, if questions or sections are weighted, you
will want to allow extra time for those that count for 90 percent of
the score and whip through the 10-percent section as the teacher is
collecting booklets.

Draw Your Way to a Good Score

Throughout a test, don’t miss an opportunity to draw a picture for
yourself if it helps you understand the question or figure out the right
answer. If the question deals with any sort of cause-and-effect that
has several steps in it, draw or write down those steps very quickly,
using abbreviated words or symbols. This may help you see missing
pieces, understand relationships between parts, and select the right
answer.
188 How to Study

Discriminate and Eliminate

There is usually nothing wrong with guessing, unless, of course, you
know wrong answers will be penalized. Even then, the question is
how often to guess (and on what basis).
If there’s no penalty for wrong answers, you should never leave an
answer blank. But you should also do everything you can to increase
your odds of getting it right. If every multiple-choice question gives
you four possible answers, you have a 25-percent chance of being
right (and, of course, a 75-percent chance of being wrong) each time
you have to guess.
But if you can eliminate a single answer—one you are reasonably
certain cannot be right—your chances of being correct increase to
33 percent.
And, of course, if you can get down to a choice between two
answers, it’s just like flipping a coin: 50-50. In the long run, you will
guess as many right as wrong. Even if there is a penalty for guessing,
I would probably pick one answer if I had managed to reduce the
odds to 50-50.
Presuming that you’ve managed to eliminate one or more answers,
but are still unsure of the correct answer and have no particular
way to eliminate any others, here are some real insider tips to make
your “guesses” more educated:

■ If two answers sound alike, choose neither.

■ The most “obvious” answer to a difficult question is probably
wrong, but an answer that is close to it is probably right.
■ If the answers that are left to a mathematical question cover
a broad range, eliminate the extremes and choose a number
in the middle.
■ If two quantities are very close, choose one of them.
 Chapter 8 ■ How to Study for Tests 189

■ If two numbers differ only by a decimal point (and the others

aren’t close), choose one of them. (Example: 2.3, 40, 1.5, 6,
15; I’d go with 1.5 or 15. If I could at least figure out from the
question where the decimal point should go, even better!)
■ If two answers to a mathematical problem look alike—either
formulas or shapes—choose one of them.

Remember: This is not the way to ace a test—these are just some
tried-and-true ways to increase your guessing power when you have
absolutely nothing else to go on.

Should You Ever Change a Guess?

How valid was your first guess? It was probably pretty darned good
(presuming you had some basis for guessing in the first place). So good
that you should only change it if:

■ It really was just a wild guess and, upon further thought, you
conclude that answer actually should be eliminated (in which
case your next guess is, at least, not quite so wild).
■ You remembered something that changed the odds of your
guess completely (or the answer to a later question helped
you figure out the answer to this one!).
■ You miscalculated on a math problem.
■ You misread the question and didn’t notice a “not,” “always,”
or other important qualifier.

What if you eliminate four of the five answers and are convinced that
the one that’s left—your supposedly “right” answer—is flat-out
wrong? Eliminate it and start your analysis again with the other
four answers.
190 How to Study

If you do guess at any of the objective questions and expect that your
test paper will be returned to you, place a little dot or other symbol
beside them. That way you will be able to assess how successful your
guessing was.
If there is time during a test for you to come back to questions and
think about them one more time, go ahead and cross out the answers
you know aren’t correct. That will simply save you time. You will
ignore the answers that are struck out and concentrate on the ones
that remain. A small point, but it can save you several seconds per
question.
When you think you have finished a whole section, double-check
to make sure you really have. Look on the answer sheet or in the
blue book to make sure all the questions have been answered.

You Will Follow the Instructions!

Read and understand the directions. If you’re supposed to check off
every correct answer to each question in a multiple-choice test—and
you’re assuming only one answer to each question is correct—you’re
going to miss a lot of answers!
If you’re to pick one essay question out of three, or two out of
five, you will almost certainly run out of time if you try to answer
every one. Even if you do manage to complete all five, the teacher
will probably only grade the first two. Because you allocated so
much time to the other three, it’s highly doubtful your first two
answers will be detailed and polished enough to earn a good grade.
If there are pertinent facts or formulas you’re afraid you’ll forget, write
them down somewhere in your test booklet before you do anything
else. It won’t take much time, and it could save you some serious
memory jogs later.
 Chapter 8 ■ How to Study for Tests 191

Whom Are You Impressing on Your Way Out?

Leave time at the end to recheck your answers, and don’t make a habit
of leaving tests early. There is little to be gained from supposedly
impressing the teacher and other students with how smart you (think
you) are by being first to finish. Take the time to make sure you’ve
done your best. If you are completely satisfied with your answers
to all of the questions, it’s fine to leave, even if you are first. But in
general, slowing down will help you avoid careless mistakes.
Likewise, don’t worry about what everybody else is doing. Even if
you’re the last person left, who cares? Everybody else could have
failed, no matter how early and confidently they strode from the
room! So take all the time you need and do the best you can.

16 Tips for “Acing” Multiple-Choice Tests

1. Read the question in full before you look at any of the
answers. Come up with your own answer before examining
any of the choices.
2. Be careful you don’t read too much into questions. Don’t try
to second-guess the test preparer and look for patterns or
tricks that aren’t really there.
3. Underline the key words in a reading selection.
4. A positive choice is more likely to be correct than a negative
one.
5. Don’t go against your first impulse unless you are sure you
were wrong. (Sometimes you’re so smart you scare yourself.)
6. Check for negatives and other words that are there to throw
you off. (“Which of the following is not....”)
192 How to Study

7. The answer is usually wrong if it contains “all,” “always,”

“never,” or “none.” I repeat, usually.
8. The answer contains a great chance of being right if it has
“sometimes,” “probably,” or “some.”
9. When you don’t know the right answer, seek out the wrong
ones.
10. Don’t eliminate an answer unless you actually know what
every word means.
11. Don’t seek out answer patterns. Just because answer “C”
has appeared three times in a row doesn’t mean “C” isn’t the
correct answer to the fourth question. Trust your knowledge.
12. Read every answer before you pick one. A sneaky test-maker
will place a decoy answer that’s almost right first, tempting
you before you’ve even considered the other choices.
13. On a standardized test, consider transferring all the answers
from one section to the answer sheet at the same time. This
can save time. Just be careful: Make sure you’re putting each
answer in the right place.
14. The longest and/or most complicated answer to a question
is often correct—the test-maker has been forced to add
qualifying clauses or phrases to make that answer complete
and unequivocal.
15. Be suspicious of choices that seem obvious to a two-year-old.
Why would the teacher give you such a gimme? Maybe she’s
not, that trickster!
16. Don’t give up on a question that, after one reading, seems
hopelessly confusing or hard. Looking at it from another angle,
restating it in your own words, or drawing a picture may help
you understand it after all.
 Chapter 8 ■ How to Study for Tests 193

Multiple-Choice Strategy
There are three ways to attack a multiple-choice test:

1. Start at the first question and keep going, question by

question, until you reach the end, never leaving a question
until you have either answered it fully or made an educated
guess.
2. Answer every easy question—the ones you know the
answers to without any thinking at all or those requiring the
simplest calculations—first, then go back and do the harder
ones.
3. Answer the hardest questions first, then go back and do the
easy ones.

None of these three options is inherently right or wrong. Each may

work for different individuals. (And I’m assuming that these three
approaches are all in the context of the test format. Weighted sections
may well affect your strategy.)
The first approach is, in one sense, the quickest, in that no time is
wasted reading through the whole test trying to pick out either the
easiest or hardest questions. Presuming you do not allow yourself to
get stumped by a single question so that you spend an inordinate
amount of time on it, it is probably the method most of you employ.
The second approach ensures that you will maximize your right
answers—you’re putting those you are certain of down first. It
may also, presuming that you knock off these easy ones relatively
quickly, give you the most time to work on those that you find
particularly vexing.
194 How to Study

Many experts recommend this method because they maintain that

answering so many questions one after another gives you immediate
confidence to tackle the questions you’re not sure about. If you find
that you agree, then by all means use this strategy. However, you may
consider just noting easy ones as you preread the test. This takes less
time and, to me, delivers the same “confidence boost.”
The last approach is actually the one I used. In fact, I made it a point
to do the very hardest questions first, then work my way “down”
the difficulty ladder. (Which means I often worked backwards, since
many test-makers and teachers make their tests progressively more
difficult.)
It may sound strange to you, so let me explain the psychology.
I figured if time pressure starts getting to me at the end of the test,
I would rather be in a position to answer the easiest questions—and
a lot of them—in the limited time left, rather than ones I really had
to think about. After all, by the end of the test, my mind was simply
not working as well as it was at the beginning!
That’s the major benefit of the third approach: When I was most
“up,” most awake, most alert, I tackled questions that required the
most analysis, thinking, and interpretation. When I was most tired—
near the end—I was answering the questions that were virtually
“gimmes.”
At the same time, I was also giving myself a real shot of confidence.
As soon as I finished the first hard question, I already felt better.
When I finished all of the hard ones, everything was downhill.
I would always, however, try to ensure adequate time to at least
put down an answer for every question. Better to get one question
wrong and complete three other answers than get one right and leave
three blank. It is not the approach for everybody, but it may be right
for you.
 Chapter 8 ■ How to Study for Tests 195

Don’t fall into the “answer daze,” that blank stare some students get
when they can’t think of an answer—for 10 minutes. Do something.
Better to move on and get that one question wrong than waste
invaluable time doing nothing.

All or None?
Some teachers have fallen in love with “all of the above” and “none
of the above.” You can’t take one of their tests without those phrases
appearing in every other question.
“All of the above” is often the right answer if it is an option. Hope that
you see it as a potential answer to every question because it gives you
a much better chance to do better on the test than your mastery of the
material (or lack thereof) might normally warrant. Why? Because you
don’t have to be really sure that “all of the above” is correct to choose
it. All you have to be is pretty sure that two answers are correct (and
equally sure the others are not necessarily wrong). As long as you
believe there is more than one correct answer, then “all of the above”
must be the right choice!
Likewise, you don’t have to be convinced that “none of the above” is
the right answer, just reasonably sure that none of the other answers
is absolutely correct.

Reading Comprehension Questions

This is the portion of the test where you find a short essay followed
by several questions. You are supposed to find the answers to those
questions in the essay. Unlike the multiple-choice questions, where
the answer is actually right in front of you, the answers to the essay
questions may well be hidden in one fashion or another.
196 How to Study

Here’s the method I recommend for answering comprehension

questions:

1. Read the questions before you read the selection. They will
alert you to what you’re looking for and affect the way you read
the passage. If dates are asked for, circle all dates in the passage
as you read. If you’re looking for facts rather than conclusions,
it will, again, change the way you read the passage.
2. When you first read the question, before you look at the
answers, decide what you think the answer is. If your answer
is one of the choices, bingo!
3. If the correct answer is not obvious to you, slowly read the
essay, keeping in mind the questions you’ve just read. Don’t
underline too much, but do underline conjunctions that
alter the direction of the sentence: “however,” “although,”
“nevertheless,” “yet,” and so forth. Because of this shift,
there is a good chance that this sentence will figure in one
of the questions.
For example: “John Smith was the kind of writer who
preferred writing over editing, while his wife Lois was inter-
ested in the latter over the former,” might provide the answer
to the question: “Did Lois Smith prefer writing or editing?”
A careless glance back at the text will cause you to select
“writing” as the answer.
4. Read the questions again. Then go back and forth, finding
out the answer to the first one, the second one, and so forth.
Don’t skip around unless the first question is an absolute
stumper. If you jump around too much, you’ll get confused
again and you won’t answer any of the questions very
completely or even correctly.
 Chapter 8 ■ How to Study for Tests 197

50–50 Odds Aren’t Bad. True or False?

What can you do to increase your scores on true/false tests? Be more
inclined to guess if you have to. After all, I encouraged you to guess
on a multiple-choice test if you could eliminate enough wrong answers
to get down to two, one of which is correct. Well, you’re already
there! So, unless you are being penalized for guessing, guess away!
Even if you are being penalized, you may want to take a shot if
you have the faintest clue of the correct answer.
In fact, your odds are often better than 50-50. Most test preparers
tend to include more “true” statements than false. So if you really
don’t have any way to determine the truth of a statement, presume
it is true. If there is a specific detail in the statement—“There are
206 bones in the adult human body”—it may also tend to be true.
Remember: For a statement to be true, every part of that statement
must be true. Be careful of statements whose parts are true (or at
least may be true), linked in such a way that the whole statement
becomes false. Example: “Since many birds can fly, they use stones
to grind their food.” Many birds do fly, and birds do swallow stones to
grind their food, but a causal relationship (the word “since”) between
the two clauses makes the whole statement false.
The longer and/or more complicated a statement in a true/false test,
the less likely it’s true, since every clause of it must be true (and there
are so many chances for a single part of it to be false).
Be careful of double negatives: A statement claiming that something
is “not uncommon” actually means that it is common.
198 How to Study

Few broad, general statements are true without exception. So always

be on your guard when you see the words “all,” “always,” “no,”
“never,” “everyone,” “best,” “worst,” “none,” “nobody,” or other
absolutes. As long as you can think of a single example that proves
such a statement false, then it’s false. But be wary: there are state-
ments containing such absolutes that are true; they are just rare.
“All U.S. presidents (and/or vice presidents) have been men” is,
unfortunately, all too true.
Likewise, words like “sometimes,” “often,” “frequently,” “generally,”
“usually,” “much,” “may,” “probably,” “might,” and “ordinarily” make
more modest claims and thus usually indicate “true” statements.
Strategy tip: It’s easier for a teacher to add something that makes
a statement false than the other way around. So when you read it,
look for anything that will make the whole statement false. If you
can’t find it, assume it is true.

Mastering Multiple-Choice Math

If you can avoid a calculation, it will save you time. For example,
figure out the answer to the following problem without actually
doing the math:

281 ⫻ 243 ⫽
(A) 53,762
(B) 113,428
(C) 67,283
(D) 489,593
 Chapter 8 ■ How to Study for Tests 199

By performing one simple task, you can eliminate two of the possible
answers. Multiply the last digits in each number (1 ⫻ 3). The answer
must end in 3. So (A) and (B) have been eliminated...that fast!
Now, eyeball (C) and (D). Can you find the right answer quickly?
Here you are doing educated guessing, known in math circles as
“guesstimating.” Look: 281 ⫻ 100 is 28,100. You should be able to
do that without any tools. Therefore, (D) has to be wrong. You are
left with (C).
Should you do the actual math to double-check your answer?
I wouldn’t. You are certain that (A) and (B) are wrong. Absolutely.
You know that (D) is much too high. Mark (C) as the answer and
move on.
Here are other ways to better your score on math tests:

■ Try to figure out what is being asked, what principles are

involved, what information is important, and what’s not. Don’t
let extraneous data throw you off track. Make sure you know
the kind of answer you’re seeking: Is it a speed, weight, angle,
exponent, square root?
■ Whenever you can, “translate” formulas and numbers into
words. Estimate the answer before you even begin the actual
calculation. At least you’ll know the size of the ballpark you’re
playing in!
■ Even if you’re not particularly visual, pictures can often help.
Try translating a particularly vexing math problem into a
drawing or diagram.
■ Play around. There are often different paths to the same
solution, or even equally valid solutions.
■ When you are checking your calculations, try working
backwards. I’ve found it an easier way to catch simple
arithmetical errors.
200 How to Study

■ Try to write down all of your calculations—neatly. You’ll be

less likely to make a mistake if you take your time, and if you
do make a mistake, it will be a lot easier to spot.
■ Show every step and formula, even if you would normally
skip a few. If you knew all of the principles and formulas but
miscalculated near the very beginning of your analysis, you
are not going to arrive at the correct answer. But many
enlightened math teachers will penalize you very little if
they can clearly see you knew your stuff and managed to
do everything right, with the exception of hitting the right
button on your calculator.
■ And if you are using a calculator, double-check your answer
immediately. The chances of hitting a wrong number are high;
the chances of hitting the same wrong number a second time
are not.

There Are No “Easy” Tests

Some people think “open-book” tests are the easiest of all. They pray
for them...at least until they see their first one.
These are the toughest tests of all, if only because even normally
“nice” teachers feel no compunction whatsoever about making such
tests as tough as a Marine drill instructor. Heck, you can use your book!
That’s like having a legal crib sheet, right? Worse yet, many open-
book tests are also take-home tests, meaning you can use your notes
(and any other books or tools you can think of).
 Chapter 8 ■ How to Study for Tests 201

Since you have to anticipate that there will be no easy questions,

no matter how well you know that material, you need to do some
preparation before you deal with this type of test.

■ Mark important pages by turning down corners, using paper

clips, or any other method that will help you quickly flip to
important charts, tables, summaries, or illustrations.
■ Write an index of the pages you’ve turned down so you know
where to look immediately for a specific chart, graph, table,
and so forth.
■ Summarize all important facts, formulas, etc., on a separate
sheet.
■ If you are also allowed to bring your notes or it’s a take-home
test, write a brief index to your notes (general topics only)
so you know where to find pertinent information.

First answer the questions for which you don’t need your text. Then
work on those questions on which you must rely fully on the book.
Be careful about quoting too freely from your text. Better to make
up a similar example than use the same one in your book. Better to
paraphrase your text than quote it directly, even if you use quotation
marks.
While a take-home test is, by definition, an open-book test, it is the
hardest of all. An open-book test in class simply can’t last longer than
the time allotted for the class. But you may be given a night or two,
or even a week or longer, to complete a take-home exam.
202 How to Study

Why are they so hard? You’re given so much time because teachers
expect that it will take you longer than the time available in class to
finish. You may have to go well beyond your text(s) and notes even
to get a handle on some of the questions, leading to some long nights.
Take any easy eight-hour tests lately? The longer you’re given, the
easier it is to procrastinate (“Heck, I’ve got another two nights!”),
and we know where that leads.
There are only two good aspects to balance the scales. You’ve
certainly been given the chance to “be all that you can be.” No excuse
for not doing a terrific job on a test with virtually no time limit. If you
tend to freeze during a normal exam, you should have far less
anxiety at home in comfortable surroundings.

Writing Prize-Winning Essays

You need to budget your time for an essay test just as you should for
any test—the mathematical calculations are just easier. Five questions
in 50 minutes? Doesn’t take an Einstein to figure out 10 minutes
per essay.
Or does it? In this example, allow seven or eight minutes per
essay, which will give you anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes to review,
proofread, and make corrections and additions to all your answers.
And if any of the questions are “weighted” more than the others,
adjust the time you spend on them accordingly.
When the time you’ve budgeted for the first question is up, immedi-
ately move on to the next, no matter how far you’ve gotten on the
first. You’ll have time at the end—if you follow my suggestion—to go
back and add more.
Most teachers will give you a better overall grade for five incomplete
but decent essays than for three excellent ones and two left blank.
 Chapter 8 ■ How to Study for Tests 203

Don’t ever, ever begin writing the answer to an essay question

without a little “homework” first, even if you’re the school’s prize-
winning journalist.
First, really look at the question. Are you sure you know what it’s
asking? Put it in your own words and compare it with your teacher’s.
Do they clearly mean the same thing? If not, you’ve misread it.
One way to avoid this problem is to paraphrase the question and make
it the first sentence of your essay. Even if you have misread
the teacher’s question, you have shown her how you interpreted it.
If you answer a slightly different question than the teacher intended,
you may still get full credit for a well-written essay.
But please don’t, intentionally or otherwise, misread the question
in such a way that you answer the question you’d like rather than
the one you’ve actually been given.
Make sure you understand the meaning of the “direction verbs.”
Don’t “describe” when you’ve been told to “compare and contrast.”
Don’t “explain” when you’re supposed to “argue.” See a list of the
most-used such verbs and what each is instructing you to do later in
this chapter.

A Foolproof Action Plan

Here’s a step-by-step way to answer any essay question:
Step 1: On a blank sheet of paper, write down all the facts, ideas,
concepts, and so forth, you feel should be included in your answer.
(If you don’t have extra paper, the back of your blue book or the test
itself will work just as well.)
Step 2: Organize them in the order in which they should appear. You
don’t have to rewrite your notes into a detailed outline—just number
each note according to where you want to place it in your essay.
204 How to Study

Step 3: Compose your first paragraph. It should summarize and

introduce the key points you will make in your essay. This is where
superior essay answers are made or unmade.
Step 4: Write your essay, with your penmanship as legible as
possible. Most teachers I’ve known do not attempt to decipher chicken
scratch masquerading as an essay and do not award high grades to
it either.
Step 5: Reread your essay and, if necessary, add points left out,
correct spelling, grammar, and so on. Also watch for a careless
omission that could cause serious damage—like leaving out a “not,”
for example, and making the point opposite the one you intended
to write.
If there is a particular fact you know is important and should
be included, but you just don’t remember it, guess. Otherwise, just
leave it out and do the best you can. If the rest of your essay is well
thought out and organized and clearly communicates all the other
points that should be included, I doubt most teachers will mark you
down too severely for such an omission.
Don’t set yourself up for a poor grade by making guesses you really
don’t have to. If you think something occurred in 1784, but are afraid
it could be 1794, just write “in the late 18th century.” You probably
will not be marked down for the latter phrase, but will lose a point
or two if you cite a wrong date.
Remember: Few teachers will be impressed by length. A well-
organized, well-constructed, specific answer will always get you
a better grade than writing down everything you know in the faint
hope that you will actually include something pertinent. Writing
a superior essay on the little you do know will usually earn you a
better grade than knowing a lot and presenting it poorly.
Start out right, with a brief, to-the-point first paragraph that doesn’t
meander or “pad.” End your essay with a clearly written and
organized paragraph that offers more than just a summation of
what you’ve already written.
 Chapter 8 ■ How to Study for Tests 205

Common Instructional Verbs on Essay Tests

Compare Examine two or more objects, ideas, people,

etc., and note similarities and differences.
Contrast Compare to highlight differences.
Similar to differentiate, distinguish.
Criticize Judge and discuss merits and faults.
Similar to critique.
Define Explain the nature or essential qualities.
Describe Convey appearance, nature, attributes, etc.
Discuss Consider or examine by argument, comment,
etc.; debate; explore solutions.
Enumerate List various events, things, descriptions,
ideas, etc.
Evaluate Appraise the worth of an idea, comment, etc.,
and justify your conclusion.
Explain Make the meaning of something clear, plain,
intelligible, and/or understandable.
Illustrate Use specific examples or analogies to explain.
Interpret Give the meaning of something by paraphrase,
by translation, or by an explanation based on
personal opinion.
Justify Defend a statement or conclusion.
Similar to support.
206 How to Study

Narrate Recount the occurrence of something, usually

by giving details of events in the order in which
they occurred. Similar to describe, but only
applicable to something that happens in time.
Outline Do a general sketch, account, or report,
indicating only the main features of a book,
subject, or project.
Prove Establish the truth or genuineness by
evidence or argument. Similar to show,
explain, demonstrate. (In math, verify validity
by mathematical demonstration.)
Relate Give an account of events and/or circum-
stances, usually to establish association,
connections, or relationships.
Review Survey a topic, occurrence, or idea, generally
but critically. Similar to describe, discuss,
illustrate, outline, summarize, trace. Some
test-makers may use these words virtually
interchangeably, although one can find
subtle differences in each.
State Present the facts concisely and clearly. May be
used interchangeably with name, list, indicate,
identify, enumerate, cite.
Summarize State in concise form, omitting examples and
details.
Trace Follow the course or history of an occurrence,
idea, etc.
 Chapter 8 ■ How to Study for Tests 207

Worry less about the specific words and more about the information.
Organize your answer to a fault and write to be understood, not
to impress. Better to use shorter sentences, paragraphs, and
words—and be clear and concise—than let the teacher fall into
a clausal nightmare from which he may never emerge (and neither
will your A!).
If you don’t have the faintest clue what the question means, ask.
If you still don’t have any idea of the answer—and I mean zilch—
leave it blank. Better to allocate more time to other parts of the
test and do a better job on those.
Take time at the end of the test to review not only your essay
answers, but your other answers as well. Make sure all words
and numbers are readable. Make sure you have matched the right
question to the right answer. Even make sure you didn’t miss a whole
section by turning over a page too quickly or not noticing that a
page was missing. Make sure you can’t, simply can’t, add anything
more to any of the essay answers.

What If Time Runs Out?

While you should have carefully allocated sufficient time to complete
each essay before you started working on the first, things happen.
You may find yourself with two minutes left and one full essay to
go. What do you do? As quickly as possible, write down every
piece of information you think should be included in your answer, and
number each point in the order in which you would have written it.
If you then have time to reorganize your notes into a clearer outline,
do so. Many teachers will give you at least partial credit (some very
near full credit) if your outline contains all the information the answer
was supposed to. It will at least show you knew a lot about the
subject and were capable of outlining a reasonable response.
208 How to Study

One of the reasons you may have left yourself with insufficient time
to answer one or more questions is you knew too darned much about
the previous question(s). And you wanted to make sure the teacher
knew you knew, so you wrote…and wrote…and wrote…until you
ran out of time.
Be careful—some teachers throw in a relatively general question
that, if you wanted to, you could write about until next Wednesday.
In that case, they aren’t testing your knowledge of the whole subject
as much as your ability to edit yourself, to organize, and summarize
the important points.

Standardized Tests
The various standardized tests used for college and graduate school
admissions—the PSAT, SAT, ACT, LSAT, GRE—require their own
pointers. These, like my oral exams at the end of four years of
college, are not specific to any course or even one grade. Rather,
they are attempting to assess your ability to apply mathematical
concepts, read and understand various passages, and demonstrate
language skills.
Despite their ephemeral nature, you can study for them by prac-
ticing. A solid review of English and math is essential. If you think
geometry is just for squares, you’d better change your tune!
Remember: As far as the PSAT and SAT are concerned, there is no
penalty for guessing, so don’t leave an answer blank!

Changes in the PSAT and SAT

Major changes in the SAT were introduced in 2005. It now consists
of three sections: Writing (multiple-choice questions about grammar
and usage and an essay); Critical Reading (formerly the “Verbal”
section); and Math.
 Chapter 8 ■ How to Study for Tests 209

The new Writing section takes 1 hour—35 minutes for multiple-

choice questions and 25 minutes to write an essay that requires
you to take a position on an issue and use examples to support it.
This section is marked (as the Verbal and Math sections still are)
on a scale from 200 to 800, so a perfect SAT score is now 2,400.
The SAT II: Writing Test was eliminated as of 2005.
The Critical Reading section now takes 70 minutes, broken down into
two 25-minute sections and one 20-minute section. Analogies have
been eliminated. Sentence-completion questions and long reading
passages remain. Short reading passages were added.
The Math section also consists of two 25-minute sections and
one 20-minute section. Quantitative comparison questions have
been eliminated, but more advanced topics from algebra II—such
as exponential growth, absolute value, and functional notation—
were added. Calculators are still permitted (though it is still possible
to solve every question without one).
As a result of these changes, the test now takes 3 hours and 45
minutes, 30 minutes longer than previous SAT exams.
Just to make sure everyone is confused, while some changes will
be made to the PSAT, typically taken as practice by sophomores and
juniors, it will include neither an essay nor advanced math. Go figure.

Put Me in, Coach

There are a variety of companies specializing in preparing students
for each of these tests—your school might even sponsor its own
course, and any bookstore will probably have shelves of preparation
guides.
210 How to Study

Should you take one of those SAT preparation courses? Is it worth

the money, the time, the effort, the bother? According to a past
study by the Educational Testing Service, which administers the SAT
for the College Board, coached students who took the test twice
or more increased their verbal score by 29 points, math by 40.
Uncoached students showed an increase of 21 points on the verbal
and 22 on math. These are the figures the College Board cites to claim
that coaching does not really help.
Nevertheless, given their importance, I would recommend investing
the time and money in any such reputable course—such as Stanley
Kaplan, Princeton Review, BAR/BRI—or, at the very least, buying
one of the major test-prep books.
Because these are, indeed, standardized tests, learning and utilizing
specific techniques pertinent to them and practicing on tests given
previously can significantly increase your scores, if only because
you will feel less anxious and have a better idea of what’s in store
for you.
There are students who achieve exceptional test scores on their SATs
and go on to compile barely adequate college records. These people
are said to “test well”: The testing environment doesn’t throw them
and they have sufficient prior experience to have an edge on the
rest of the competition. Others “choke” during such tests but wind
up at the top of the career pyramid.
You’ve probably been told for most of your life that your score on
the SAT will determine whether you are a raving success eating
in the finest restaurants or the busboy who cleans up afterwards.
How vital is the SAT to the college admissions process and, one
presumes, to the rest of your life? Depending on whom you listen to,
“very” or “not at all.”
 Chapter 8 ■ How to Study for Tests 211

According to Michele Hernandez, a former admissions officer at

Dartmouth (quoted in the January 10, 1999, New York Times Magazine),
“Deep down, admissions officers don’t want SAT scores to count that
much, but…they do.”Yet more than 300 colleges no longer even require
the SAT or ACT for admission, believing it’s more important that
they assess a student’s real level of learning and effort, not their “innate
ability.”
Though one method of predicting success, such tests are not, by
any means, perfect oracles. Nor are their conclusions inalienable.
Many people have succeeded in life without ever doing particularly
well on standardized tests.
Important Note: As of this writing, many standardized tests
are no longer offered “on paper,” only on computer (CAT—for
computer-adaptive testing format). Among the most important that
fall into this category are the GMAT (Graduate Management
Admissions Test), GRE (Graduate Record Exam), and TOEFL
(Test of English as a Foreign Language), along with a number of
specific licensing tests.
What does this mean to you? Tests available only in CAT format
require a different strategy because of two important factors:
You can’t return to a previous answer, and you can’t skip a question
and return to it later. Make sure you know if you are taking a
computer or written test and practice (and strategize) accordingly!
212 How to Study

A Special Note for Parents

Many parents take their children’s grades and test scores far too
seriously. Here’s my advice to them:

1. Don’t get overanxious about your child’s test scores. Too much
emphasis solely on grades can upset a child, especially one
already chafing under too much pressure.
2. Children who are afraid of failing are more likely to make
mistakes on tests. Help them feel confident about everything
they do.
3. Don’t judge your child by a single test score, no matter how
important the test. No test is a perfect measure of what a
child can do or what she has actually learned.
4. Talk to your child’s teacher as often as possible. Her assessment
will be a far better measure of how your child is doing than
any test, or even any series of tests.
5. Make sure your child attends school regularly. You can’t do
well on tests if you are rarely in class.
6. Make sure your child gets enough sleep, especially before a
big test. Tired eyes lead to tired grades.
7. Review test results with your child and show him what he can
learn from a graded exam paper. This is especially crucial in
math and the sciences, where a new concept builds upon the
previous ones.
8. Look at the wrong answers. Find out why she answered as
she did. This will identify times when your child knew the
right answer but didn’t fully understand the question.
9. Read and discuss any teacher comments on the test,
especially if your child received a poor grade.
 Chapter 8 ■ How to Study for Tests 213

Pretest Organizer

Class: _____________ Teacher: ____________________________

Test date: _________ Time: From: _______ To: ________
Place: ____________________________________________________

Special instructions to myself (e.g., take calculator, dictionary, etc.):

Materials I need to study for this test (check all needed):

_____ Book _____ DVDs/videos
_____ Workbook _____ Old tests
_____ Class notes _____ Other
_____ Handouts

Format of the test (write the number of T/F, essays, and so forth,
and total points for each section):
214 How to Study

Study group meetings (times, places):

1. ________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________
3. ________________________________________________________
4. ________________________________________________________
5. ________________________________________________________
6. ________________________________________________________
7. ________________________________________________________
8. ________________________________________________________

Material to be covered:
Indicate topics, sources, and amount of review (light or heavy)
required. Check when review is completed.

Topic Sources Review

_______________ _______________ _______________
_______________ _______________ _______________
_______________ _______________ _______________
_______________ _______________ _______________
_______________ _______________ _______________
_______________ _______________ _______________
_______________ _______________ _______________
_______________ _______________ _______________
 Chapter 8 ■ How to Study for Tests 215

After the test:

Grade I expected ________ Grade I received __________

What did I do that helped me?

What else should I have done?

This page intentionally left blank
 Epilogue

’m proud of you. You made it all the way through the book.

I
Here’s my final advice:

■ Reread How to Study, cover to cover. It’s similar to seeing

a movie for the second time—you always find something
you missed the first time around.
■ Practice what I preached. You had an excuse for flunking
before—you didn’t know how to study. Now you have
absolutely no excuse.
■ Buy, read, and put into practice whichever of the companion
volumes you need.
■ Write me a letter to tell me what helped, how much better
you’re doing in school, or to let me know what else I can
include to add to the value of the books.

217
218 How to Study

Send your letters to:

Ron Fry
c/o Career Press
P.O. Box 687
Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417

I promise I’ll try to respond if you ask, but please avoid calling
me—I’ll probably be on the road promoting How to Study! Good
studying!
 Index

15 minutes daily, setting aside for book elements

planning, 93 appendices, 48
80-20 Rule, 25 bibliography, 47
footnotes, 47
A glossary, 47
introduction, 47
action verbs, using in papers, 163
preface, 47
active listening, 112
books. See fiction elements;
active voice, using in papers, 163
textbooks
Amazon, searching, 130
boredom, fighting, 40
American Firsts example, 6–7
brainstorming, using with
Anxiety Quotient (AQ), lowering,
research papers, 158
174–175
breaks, taking, 29, 32, 39
appendices, explained, 48
de la Bruyere, Jean, 75
AQ (Anxiety Quotient), lowering,
174–175
argument, presenting in oral C
reports, 168 calendars
assignments color coding, 90
completing for classes, 107–108 daily, 83–85, 96–99
considering complexity of, 37 including research papers on,
“aural” students, preferences of, 138–139
28 long-term, 83, 94
card catalog, using for research,
B 125
CAT (computer-adaptive testing),
bibliographies
211
explained, 47
chapters
preparing for papers, 165–166
completing, 54
bibliography cards, using for
elements of, 49–50
papers, 144–147
formats of, 49–50
book catalogs, using for research,
reading headings in, 49
126

219
220 How to Study

chapters (continued) computer-adaptive testing (CAT),

reading summaries of, 49 211
using clues in, 49–50 concentration, maintaining, 91
See also reading; textbooks conclusion, writing for papers, 162
characterization, explained, 60 confidence, building, 120
class participation contrast, using in essays, 205
assessing, 11 Cornell note-taking system, using,
scoring, 11 117
classes courses, picking, 42
active participation in, 118–120 cramming for tests, 180–182
asking questions in, 104, 112 The Creative Guide to Research,
attending regularly, 121 130–132
avoiding distracting classmates, 110 crib sheets, making for tests, 179
completing assignments for, criticize, using in essays, 205
107–108
discussions, 102–103 D
excelling in, 119
days, planning ahead of time, 89
follow-up tasks, 120–121
de la Bruyere, Jean, 75
“Grade A” approach, 118–120
define, using in essays, 205
having questions ready for, 108
denouement, defined, 60
lectures, 102
Descartes, Rene, 72
listening for verbal clues, 110–111
describe, using in essays, 205
minimizing distractions in, 109
Dewey decimal system
picking, 42
history classification, 127
preparing attitude for, 109
mathematics classification, 128
preparing for, 107–109
philosophy classification, 127
reviewing notes for, 108
use by libraries, 127–128
seminars, 102–103
discuss, using in essays, 205
sitting near front in, 109–110
discussions, primary emphases,
taking notes in, 112–113
102–103
tutorials, 102–103
distractions
uncategorized, 103–104
managing while studying, 91–92
watching for nonverbal clues, 111
minimizing in classes, 111
classmates, listening to, 120
classroom, concentrating in, 29
commuters, time management for, E
92 Eliot, T. S., 1
compare, using in essays, 205 encyclopedias, using for research,
comprehension questions, answer- 123
ing on tests, 196 enumerate, using in essays, 205
comprehension skills, testing, 6–7 essay questions, appearance on
computer databases, using for tests, 184
research, 126 essay tests
computer skills action plan, 203–204
assessing, 10 guessing on, 204
scoring, 10 instructional verbs on, 205
 Index 221

paraphrasing questions on, 203 H

reviewing, 207
habits
running out of time on, 207–208
reinforcing good, 89
starting, 204
replacing bad with good, 16–17
taking, 202–207
Hacker, Diana, 146
explain, using in essays, 205
hands-on classes, primary
Exploring Feng Shui example,
emphases, 103
61–63
headings, rephrasing as questions,
extrinsic motivation, 21–22
51
Hernandez, Michele, 211
F homework assignments
facts, checking in research papers, doing and turning in, 108
163 including on calendar, 84
fiction elements How? question, answering, 54
characterization, 60
plot, 60 I
point of view, 60
illustrate, using in essays, 205
reading, 60
illustrations, examining, 51
setting, 60
index cards
theme, 60
adding detail to, 149–150
understanding, 61
creating for research papers, 149
footnotes
organizing, 151–154
explained, 47
reviewing, 154
including in papers, 159–160
using for bibliographies, 144–147
foreign language texts, reading, 59
using for oral reports, 168–169
forgetting, reasons for, 70–71
using to write first drafts, 155–156
freewriting, using with research
information, receiving, 29
papers, 158
instructional verbs, using in
Fry paper-writing system, 137–138
essays, 205–206
instructions, reading, 19
G instructors
Gibaldi, Joseph, 146 adapting to styles of, 106–107
Gide, Andre, 60 compiling “profiles” of, 20
glossary, explained, 47 considering reputations of, 43
GMAT (Graduate Management following instructions of, 19
Admissions Test), 211 knowing, 104–106
goal pyramid, constructing, 22–24 response to presentation, 20
goal-setting, 87–88 understanding goals of, 105–106
government publications, using for Internet, using for research, 126.
research, 126 See also online research
“Grade A” approach, following, interpret, using in essays, 205
118–120 interruptions, managing, 91–92
graphics, examining, 51 intrinsic motivation, 21–22
GRE (Graduate Record Exam), 211
222 How to Study

introduction motivators, using rewards as, 24

explained, 47 multiple-choice tests
writing for papers, 162 acing, 191–192
strategy, 193–195
J multitasking, 82
justify, using in essays, 205
N
K naps, taking, 40
narrate, using in essays, 206
key words, identifying in technical
newspaper indexes, using for
texts, 56. See also word clues
research, 126
kids, studying with, 40–41
note cards
adding detail to, 149–150
L creating for research papers, 149
Law of Diminishing Returns, 27 organizing, 151–154
lectures, primary emphases, reviewing, 154
102–103 using for bibliographies, 144–145,
libraries 147
Dewey decimal system, 127 using for oral reports, 168–169
organization of, 127–129 using to write first drafts, 155–156
studying at, 34 note taking, 71
library, building one’s own, 72–73 adapting to teachers’ styles, 106
Library of Congress system, in class, 10–11
128–129 in classes, 112–113
library research, beginning, Cornell system, 117
142–143 guidelines, 114
library skills in library, 11
evaluating, 9 M (My thought) symbol, 116
scoring, 9 mapping, 117–118
“listening” versus “seeing,” 28 online, 11
scoring skills, 11
M skills assessment, 10–11
streamlining, 114–117
math tests, multiple-choice,
T! (Test!) symbol, 116
198–200
from textbooks, 10
memorizing versus understanding,
on unknown information, 113–114
70
using diagrams, 117–118
Mitchell, Shawne, 61–63
using drawings, 117–118
MLA (Modern Language Associa-
using shorthand for, 114–117
tion), 146
using symbols in, 116
MLA guidelines, following, 160
W (What?) symbol, 116
motivation, intrinsic and extrinsic,
while reading, 68–69
21–22
notes, reviewing for classes, 108
 Index 223

O documenting sources, 158–159

doing additional research, 160
online information, citing in
editing for meaning, 160–165
papers, 146
evaluating resources, 124–125
online research, approach to,
final draft, 167
129–132. See also Internet
following instructions for, 134–135
oral reports
freewriting, 158
argument, 168
Fry paper-writing system, 137–138
avoiding overuse of statistics, 169
fundamental rules for, 134
description, 168
getting proofread, 167
exposition, 168
including footnotes in, 159–160
narration, 168
including topic sentences, 156
practicing, 170
note-taking guidelines, 149
preparing, 12
online resources, 129–130
using quotes, 169
organizing note cards, 151–154
organization
organizing paragraphs in, 155–156
80-20 Rule, 25
preparing bibliographies for,
making small changes, 24–25
165–166
maximizing “in-between” time, 26
preparing detailed outlines, 151–154
Pareto Principle, 25
preparing to take notes, 148
organizational plan. See time
presentation of, 136
management
primary versus secondary
outline, using in essays, 206
resources, 124–125
outlines
proofreading, 166
adding details to, 151–154
reviewing first drafts, 160
developing for research papers, 143
reviewing note cards, 154
reworking paragraphs, 162
P rewriting, 163–165
papers setting aside time for, 126
adding personal notes, 150–151 starting, 123
beginning library research, 142–143 substance and form of, 19–20
brainstorming, 158 turning in on time, 135
checking facts, 163 using action verbs, 163
checking spelling, 166 using active voice, 163
choosing topics for, 140–141 using descriptive words, 164
choosing search engines for, 130 using encyclopedias, 123
citing online information in, 146 using for future reference, 136–137
considering topics for, 140–141 varying sentence structure, 165
consulting Who’s Who series, 124 writing, 12
creating bibliography, 144–145 writing conclusions, 162
creating temporary outlines, 143 writing first drafts of, 154–160
creating work schedules for, writing introductions, 162
138–139 writing second drafts, 160–165
dealing with writer’s block, 157 See also research-paper sources
developing temporary thesis,
142–143
224 How to Study

paragraphs R
closing, 162
Reader’s Guide to Periodical
opening, 162
Literature, 142
organizing in papers, 155–156
reading
reworking in second drafts, 162
actively, 69
parents, advice about testing, 212
aesthetic, 50, 60–61
Pareto Principle, 25
asking questions before, 69
Parkinson’s Law, 89
components, 6
perfectionists, traits of, 26–27
comprehension, 6
periodical indexes, using for
critical, 50
research, 126
defining purpose for, 46, 51
plagiarism, avoiding in papers,
details, 53–54
158–159
developing good habits, 70
planning
fiction, 60
according to schedule, 89
five questions, 53–54
next day, 89
foreign language texts, 59
pleasurable activities, 90
How? question, 54
plot, explained, 60
introductory paragraphs, 52
point of view, explained, 60
memory systems, 68
preface, explained, 47
organizing material, 70
prereading, importance of, 50–52.
with a plan, 57–59
See also reading
pleasure, 50, 60–61
pressure, performing under, 31
purpose for, 46
Pretest Organizer, 213–215
recall, 6, 67–68
primary resources, using in
recognition, 68
research, 125
reference, 50
Priority Task Sheet
remembering, 65–66, 71–72
example, 95, 98
repetition for recall, 68
using, 86–87
retention, 7–8, 66–67
professors. See teachers
scoring pace of, 61
projects, including on calendar, 84
seeking word clues, 52–53
prove, using in essays, 206
skimming versus scanning, 51
The Publication Manual of the APA,
speed, 6
146
speed versus comprehension, 67
taking notes, 68–69
Q technical texts, 54–59
questionnaire “top-of-the-mind” recall, 6–7
evaluating answers to, 4 using clues in textbooks, 46–48
responding to, 2–3 ways of, 50
questions When? question, 53
asking in classes, 112 Where? question, 53
preparing for classes, 108 Who? question, 53
Why? question, 54
writing definitions of terms, 54
See also chapters; prereading
 Index 225

reading assignments editing for meaning, 160–165

completing for classes, 107–108 evaluating resources, 124–125
starting, 49–50 final draft, 167
reading factors following instructions for, 134–135
association, 66 freewriting, 158
desire, 66 Fry paper-writing system, 137–138
overlearning, 66 fundamental rules for, 134
systematizing, 66 getting proofread, 167
understanding, 65 including footnotes in, 159–160
reading skills including topic sentences, 156
scoring, 7 note-taking guidelines, 149
testing, 6–7 online resources, 129–130
reading speed organizing note cards, 151–154
decreasing, 63 organizing paragraphs in, 155–156
increasing, 63–64 preparing bibliographies for,
measuring, 61 165–166
scoring, 61 preparing detailed outlines, 151–154
testing, 61–63 preparing to take notes, 148
recall, process of, 67–68 presentation of, 136
relate, using in essays, 206 primary versus secondary
reports. See research papers resources, 124–125
Research and Documentation in the proofreading, 166
Electronic Age, 146 reviewing first drafts, 160
research papers reviewing note cards, 154
adding personal notes, 150–151 reworking paragraphs, 162
beginning library research, 142–143 rewriting, 163–165
brainstorming, 158 setting aside time for, 126
checking facts, 163 starting, 123
checking spelling, 166 substance and form of, 19–20
choosing topics for, 140–141 turning in on time, 135
choosing search engines for, 130 using action verbs, 163
citing online information in, 146 using active voice, 163
considering topics for, 140–141 using descriptive words, 164
consulting Who’s Who series, 124 using encyclopedias, 123
creating bibliography, 144–145 using for future reference, 136–137
creating temporary outlines, 143 varying sentence structure, 165
creating work schedules for, writing, 12
138–139 writing conclusions, 162
dealing with writer’s block, 157 writing first drafts of, 154–160
developing temporary thesis, writing introductions, 162
142–143 writing second drafts, 160–165
documenting sources, 158–159
doing additional research, 160
226 How to Study

research-paper sources sleep habits, considering, 36

book catalogs, 126 sources, documenting for research
card catalog, 125 papers, 158–159
computer databases, 126 spelling, checking in research
government publications, 126 papers, 166
Internet, 126 Spignesi, Stephen, 6–7
newspaper indexes, 126 standardized tests, taking,
periodical indexes, 126 208–211
vertical files, 126 state, using in essays, 206
retention, process of, 66–67 studies, staying focused on, 39
retention skills study breaks, taking, 29, 32, 39
scoring, 8 study clock, knowing, 91
testing, 7–8 study environment
review, using in essays, 206 creating, 28–32, 39
rewards, using as motivators, 24 evaluating, 38
Rowland, Robin, 130–132 study groups
organizing, 32–34
S participating in, 32–34
study habits
SAT
assessing, 4–5
changes in, 208–209
developing, 16–17
Critical Reading section, 208–209
study pace, setting, 43
Math section, 208–209
study schedule
preparation courses, 210
changing, 40
Writing section, 208–209
setting, 37
scanning versus skimming, 51–52
study sequence, identifying, 18
scores, evaluating for initial
“To Study” sheets, creating for
assessment, 13
tests, 185
search engines, choosing for
study skills
research, 130
evaluating, 2–5
secondary resources, using in
questionnaire, 2–3
research, research–project
questionnaire results, 4
sources, 125
study strategy, identifying, 18
“seeing” versus “listening,” 28
study strengths, determining, 42
self-testing, 185–186
study symbol, selecting, 39
seminars, primary emphases,
study time, scheduling, 88–89
102–103
studying
setting, explained, 60
charting time for, 80–81
shy students, tip for, 120
choosing times for, 36–37
Simenon, George, 27
considering sleep habits, 36
skimming
in empty classrooms, 35
versus scanning, 51–52
with friends, 35
tests, 186
 Index 227

at home, 35 teachers
at jobs, 35 adapting to styles of, 106–107
at library, 34 compiling “profiles” of, 20
as lifelong process, 17–19 considering reputations of, 43
with small kids, 40–41 following instructions of, 19
smarter, 15–16 knowing, 104–106
subheadings, examining, 51 response to presentation, 20
subject areas, evaluation of, 44 understanding goals of, 105–106
success, concentrating on, 43 technical texts
summarize, using in essays, 206 cause-effect relationships, 55–57
symbol, selecting for studying, 39 classifications, 55–56
comparing and contrasting, 55–56
T creating drawings, 59
definitions and terms, 55
table of contents, 47
estimating answers, 59
taking notes, 71
examples, 55–56
adapting to teachers’ styles, 106
focusing on retention, 58
in class, 10–11
key words, 56
in classes, 112–113
learning terms, 57
Cornell system, 117
listings, 55–56
guidelines, 114
organizational devices, 54–57
in library, 11
reading, 54–59
M (My thought) symbol, 116
reading analytically, 58
mapping, 117–118
reading thoroughly, 58
online, 11
reading with a plan, 57–59
scoring skills, 11
reviewing after reading, 58
skills assessment, 10–11
rewording content, 58
streamlining, 114–117
skimming chapters, 58
T! (Test!) symbol, 116
teaching others, 59
from textbooks, 10
tricks, 58–59
on unknown information, 113–114
working backwards, 59
using diagrams, 117–118
See also textbooks
using drawings, 117–118
term papers
using shorthand for, 114–117
adding personal notes, 150–151
using symbols in, 116
beginning library research, 142–143
W (What?) symbol, 116
brainstorming, 158
while reading, 68–69
checking facts, 163
tasks
checking spelling, 166
prioritizing, 86–90
choosing topics for, 140–141
scheduling time for, 88
choosing search engines for, 130
228 How to Study

term papers (continued) using active voice, 163

citing online information in, 146 using descriptive words, 164
considering topics for, 140–141 using encyclopedias, 123
consulting Who’s Who series, 124 using for future reference, 136–137
creating bibliography, 144–145 varying sentence structure, 165
creating temporary outlines, 143 writing, 12
creating work schedules for, writing conclusions, 162
138–139 writing first drafts of, 154–160
dealing with writer’s block, 157 writing introductions, 162
developing temporary thesis, writing second drafts, 160–165
142–143 See also research-paper sources
documenting sources, 158–159 test anxiety
doing additional research, 160 common experience of, 173
editing for meaning, 160–165 dealing with, 172
evaluating resources, 124–125 minimizing, 175
final draft, 167 protecting oneself from, 174
following instructions for, 134–135 relaxation techniques, 175–176
freewriting, 158 test day, rules and reminders,
Fry paper-writing system, 137–138 186–191
fundamental rules for, 134 Test of English as a Foreign
getting proofread, 167 Language (TOEFL), 211
including footnotes in, 159–160 test preparation, 12–13
including topic sentences, 156 testing oneself, 185–186
note-taking guidelines, 149 tests
online resources, 129–130 advice to parents, 212
organizing note cards, 151–154 “All of the above” option, 195
organizing paragraphs in, 155–156 allocating study time for, 180
preparing bibliographies for, asking teachers about, 182–184
165–166 avoiding cramming for, 180–182
preparing detailed outlines, 151–154 changing guesses, 189–190
preparing to take notes, 148 creating “To Study” sheets for, 185
presentation of, 136 discriminate and eliminate, 188–189
primary versus secondary drawing pictures during, 187
resources, 124–125 essay questions, 184
proofreading, 166 following instructions for, 190
reviewing first drafts, 160 guessing on, 188–189
reviewing note cards, 154 knowing rules for, 187
reworking paragraphs, 162 making crib sheet, 179
rewriting, 163–165 materials, 178
setting aside time for, 126 multiple-choice, 191–195
starting, 123 multiple-choice math, 198–200
substance and form of, 19–20 “None of the above” option, 195
turning in on time, 135 objective questions on, 184
using action verbs, 163
 Index 229

open-book, 200–201 handling distractions, 91

optional assignments, 178 identifying starting line, 80–82
organizing material, 179 limitation, 78–79
planning for, 176 long-term planning calendar, 83
practicing, 185 monitoring progress, 90
Pretest Organizer, 213–215 planning, 79, 89
reading comprehension questions, prioritizing tasks, 86–88
195–196 Priority Task Sheet, 86–87, 95, 98
rechecking answers, 191 of research projects, 126
reviewing for, 176–179 weekly planning, 85–86
skimming, 186 Where Does Your Time Go? chart,
standardized, 208–211 81
take-home, 201–202 time management skills
true/false, 197–198 assessing, 8
using two alarm clocks, 177 maximizing, 26
weighted sections, 187 tiredness, fighting, 40
writing essays, 202–207 TOEFL (Test of English as a
textbook elements Foreign Language), 211
appendices, 48 topic sentences, including in
bibliography, 47 papers, 156
footnotes, 47 “top-of-the-mind” recall, assessing,
glossary, 47 6–7
introduction, 47 trace, using in essays, 206
preface, 47 true/false tests, taking, 197–198
table of contents, 47 tutorials, primary emphases,
textbooks 102–103
finding alternatives, 48–49
using clues in, 46–48 U
See also technical texts
understanding versus memorizing,
theme, explained, 60
70
thesaurus, consulting for papers,
164
thesis statement, developing for V
papers, 142–143 verbs, using in essays, 205–206
time management vertical files, using for research,
15-minute daily planning, 93 126
benefits of, 76–78 “visual” students, preferences of,
charting available time, 80–82 28
collecting materials for, 82
for commuters, 92
daily calendar, 83–85
230 How to Study

W
When? question, answering, 53
Where Does Your Time Go? chart,
81
Where? question, answering, 53
Who? question, answering, 53
Who’s Who series, consulting for
research, 124
Why? question, answering, 54
word clues, seeking, 52–53. See
also key words
writer’s block, overcoming, 157
writing, essence of, 155
writing papers, 12
writing skills, scoring, 11
 About the Author
Ron Fry is a nationally known spokesperson for the improvement of
public education and an advocate for parents and students playing
an active role in strengthening personal education programs. Aside
from being the author of the vastly popular How to Study Program,
Fry has edited or written more than 30 different titles — resources
for optimum student success.

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