STICK TO YOUR PLAN. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR PLAN WRITTEN ON PAPER A...

4. Stick to your plan. Make sure you have your plan written on paper and post your plan where you can

see it. (Don’t just keep it in your head!) Look at it regularly so you can remember what and when to

study. Checking your plan regularly can also help you see how much progress you have made along the

way.

It’s very important that you don’t give up if you fall behind. Unexpected events may interrupt your

plans. You may have to put in extra time at work, you may have to deal with a problem at home, or you

may even come down with the flu. Or it might just take you longer to get through a task than you

planned. That’s okay. Stick to your schedule as much as possible, but remember that sometimes, “life

gets in the way.”

For example, if you have a family problem that’s keeping you from concentrating, you may need to

postpone your studies to take care of that problem. And that’s okay—as long as you reschedule your

study time. Better to study later when you can concentrate than to waste time “studying” when you are

unable to focus.

So, if you miss one of your deadlines, don’t despair. Instead, just pick up where you left off. Try to

squeeze in a little extra time in the next few weeks to catch up. If that doesn’t seem possible, simply

adjust your schedule. Change your deadlines so that they are more realistic. Just be sure you still have

enough time to finish everything before the exam.

Trouble Getting Started?

SOMETIMES it’s just plain hard to get started on a big project. If you are having trouble getting going, start withan easy task, such as creating flash cards for review. That way, you will be able to accomplish something quicklyand easily. And that will motivate you to move on to harder tasks.Or, try starting your study session by reviewing or copying your notes from last session. This way, you will bet-ter remember what you have already learned while you ease into study mode.

How Do You Know What You Know?

One of the keys to successful studying is knowing what you know, and knowing what you don’t know. Prac-

tice tests are one good way to measure this. But there are other ways.

One of the best ways to measure how well you know something is how well you can explain it to some-

one else. If you really know the material, you should be able to help someone else understand it. Use your

learning style to explain it. For example, if you are an auditory learner, talk it out. If you are a visual learner,

create diagrams and tables to demonstrate your knowledge. Rewrite your notes or make up your own quizzes

with questions and answers like those on the exam. Provide an explanation along with the correct answer.

How do you know what you don’t know? If you feel uncertain or uncomfortable during a practice test

or when you try to explain it to someone else, you probably need to study more. Write down all of your ques-

tions and uncertainties. If you write down what you don’t know, you can focus on searching for answers.

When you get the answers, you can write them out next to the question and review them periodically. And

notice how many questions you answer along the way—you will be able to see yourself making steady

progress.

If you are avoiding certain topics, it’s a good sign that you don’t know those topics well enough for the

exam. Make up your mind to tackle these areas at your next study session. Don’t procrastinate!

P a r t I I : L e a r n i n g S t r a t e g i e s

How successful you are at studying usually has less to do with how much you know and how much you study

than with how you study. That’s because some study techniques are much more effective than others. You can

spend hours and hours doing practice tests, but if you don’t carefully review your answers, much of your time

will be wasted. You need to learn from your mistakes and study what you don’t know. The best method is to

use several of the following proven study techniques. They can help you make the most of your learning style

and store information in your long-term memory.

Asking Questions

Asking questions is a powerful study strategy because it forces you to get actively involved in the material you

want to learn. That, in turn, will help you better understand and remember the material. And there’s another

important benefit—asking and answering your own questions will help you be comfortable with the format

of the exam.

For example, when you are reading something in English, you can ask yourself questions like those you

would see on the TOEFL exam, such as: