How Summaries Can Help You Retain Test Material

Taking tests can be a hard thing to do for some people. Whether it be that you just simply have test anxiety, or you don’t like to study for the test the night before, there are some ways that you can make your studying easier on yourself.

There are all kinds of ways that you can study, and you can do so in groups, or use flash cards. However, if you simply take summaries of the units that you are studying, it can help you remember the concepts that you are trying to study.

Take any course in history for example, there are so many people, and places that you have to study, and memorize. Instead of trying to remember why every person did what, just remember what side they were in while the event was going on. By keeping a running tally of who was on what side, or even who they represented, you can keep in mind what they did, and not forget who they were.

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Example:

During the Civil War, there were a lot of characters in play, and a lot to remember. Instead of remembering that Jefferson Davis was the first president of the Confederate States of America, just remember that he was involved with the South. Same thing for Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant was for the North. By keeping this in mind, you will at least know who was playing for what team. This makes things simpler for when you are taking the test.

Now when you are forced to write an essay about how the war started, and how the war ended, you will keep in mind who the people were, and you will remember what side they were on. You will not mix up Robert. E. Lee, and try to say that he won the war for the North. Even if you can’t remember why these people were important, you won’t mix up what side they were on, and you will at least be able to say something that is correct.

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Summaries are also good because it gives you the basic overview, and you can study that before your class starts so that you can have some advantage before the test. Instead of remembering what happened on page 298 of your novel, you will just have the quote there in front of you, and who said it. When that quote pops up on the test, you will be able to write down who said it, and you will get the question right.

So much of school is based on concepts and general information as opposed to every single detail. An overview is a good thing to study because it will allow you to see the concepts that you will have to apply for the test. If you have a good grasp of the concepts, you should be able to give yourself a fighting chance to fill in any names places, or quotes that go along for the test.