Upper Level Study Tactics

[ithinkican]

Whatever I did for the prelims is definitely not going to work for the upper levels....

For prelims I would go through the material once. I would not go on to the next section until I completely understood the section I was working on and was able to do tons of exam questions on that particular topic. I usually finished all of the material with about 3-5 days to spare and then would spend these 3 to 5 days doing lots of problems. Every time I studied in this manner for prelims I passed.

For upper level exams people say “go through the material twice” which means absolutely nothing to me. I can read a newspaper twice but it is not going to mean I can regurgitate what was on page 11. Some people say “make note cards” but this doesn’t mean anything to me either. All of the topics seem important so I feel like I would have 11,000 note cards.

This is my plan. Continue reading through the papers with intensity and really think about what I am reading. Watch the TIA videos after each paper and do practice questions, finishing the material in early March. Once I finish all of this, then go back and take notes and make note cards. What are your thoughts on this approach? Is it wise to study a section at a time?

I welcome any advice. Thank you!!

[tude]

Do what works for you. I know that sounds cliche but seriously. Same thing doesn't work for everybody. With the new testing methods, you'll find uppers to be very different from lowers. Understand difficult concepts, memorize easy ones.

[JasonScandopolous]

Whatever I did for the prelims is definitely not going to work for the upper levels....

For prelims I would go through the material once. I would not go on to the next section until I completely understood the section I was working on and was able to do tons of exam questions on that particular topic. I usually finished all of the material with about 3-5 days to spare and then would spend these 3 to 5 days doing lots of problems. Every time I studied in this manner for prelims I passed.

For upper level exams people say “go through the material twice” which means absolutely nothing to me. I can read a newspaper twice but it is not going to mean I can regurgitate what was on page 11. Some people say “make note cards” but this doesn’t mean anything to me either. All of the topics seem important so I feel like I would have 11,000 note cards.

This is my plan. Continue reading through the papers with intensity and really think about what I am reading. Watch the TIA videos after each paper and do practice questions, finishing the material in early March. Once I finish all of this, then go back and take notes and make note cards. What are your thoughts on this approach? Is it wise to study a section at a time?

I welcome any advice. Thank you!!

I think your method works fine. I read a section, I do practice problems on the section immediately afterwards (excluding the 2-3 most recent exams, as I'll use those in the final week of exam prep), and then I go to the next paper/section. If you ever find yourself thinking about something from a topic you've finished that you don't fully understand (while reading another topic, while taking a dump, whatever), make sure you go back to the material and resolve your issue as soon as possible.

I should add this: briefly skimming the material and doing practice exams in the week before the test constitutes a memory refresher of what I've already learned and understood, and hopefully will lead to some additional synthesis in understanding between the chapters. Obviously you don't want to read something in march and never look at it again before the test.

FYI, since doing this, I've never finished reading the syllabus prior to a week before the test, and I've also never failed. Understanding once + refresher is my advice, and seems to be what you like to do as well.

[dunnigan]

+1 that learning how you learn is key. Some like to study in groups, and I never did.

I bought the TIA notecards for the upper exams--too many to write them all myself. For some of the lists to memorize, I would spell words with the first letter of each item. I also listened to the notecards on CD during my drive in.

I also went to the prep seminars, and tried to make a pass through all the material beforehand. I found it very valuable to see all the material over the few days of the seminar.

Review, memorize, work problems, repeat ad nauseum.

[Wolf Follower]

This is my first upper level exam too and I thought my approach was going to be pretty different from my past exams. Now that I've settled into the studying I'm finding that it's actually very similar - go through a section and work problems afterwards. The problems that go with each section in a study manual should be very good guidance as to what's important. I also make note cards as I go along and see what the questions are asking. Every time I see a "Describe three things" problem I make a notecard.

I guess my approach is similar to what Jason describes above, except I can't totally lock in a section as I go along so I target at least a month of full exam review.

WF

[ithinkican]

Thanks for your insight. Much appreciated!

[Aw Yeah]

Do problems by hand (don't recreate the exhibits in Excel)
Know how to work all of the example problems in the appendices and chapters, from scratch
Buy notecards from someone to save time

[crabber]

Another thing that might be helpful for memorizing lists and formulas is to write them on post-its and stick them around your monitor at work and on any surfaces you look at frequently.

[Emerald]

ithinkican, if that process works for you then go for it. It was always my way too, although I would try to finish the material with at least a full week left before the exam (i.e. if the exam is on Wednesday, I tried to be done two Fridays before that). While you may not have done them in the past, practice exams become very important for the uppers. Timing is different when you're writing essay responses and showing your work. Be sure to do a couple full practice exams (even better if you can do old exams) and grade those exams before the real thing. I also second the comment about at least re-reading all of your notes once before the exam - it is good to refresh your memory.

[jesusislord]

i always leave 5 weeks to do practice problems/exams. that way if i find myself consistently weak on a certain topic, I can take a day to re-study that topic again. also helps me memorize formulas and terms easily when i am constantly working exam problems over and over again for over a month straight.

[IKnewIt]

You absolutely need to do a bunch of timed practice exams. You're going to be pressed for time during the exam, and you really need to work on being able to quickly answer the essay-type questions. Key: don't write full sentences.