How to Study for Different Subjects
By Kathy Wang
With the busy schedules that students at HB have, it can be hard to find a way to study efficiently. This guide will teach you my personal experiences in how to study for your favorite subjects!
There are three main forms of testing in English:
- Vocab Quizzes
QUIZLET IS YOUR BEST FRIEND!! I LOVE Quizlet, it such a good method to study tedious memorization concepts. For me, the most helpful version is the “Write” task, where you are either given the definition and you have to write the word, or vice versa. It makes sure you get down the definition to the very last word (unless you spelled something wrong or got the general gist of the definition, then you can use the “Override” function!).
- Grammar Quizzes
Grammar quizzes tend to be easier since you can usually rely on how you speak to determine the correct form of grammar. However, if it’s a quiz where you have to underline the subject or verb, or point out examples of certain grammar concepts, its best to go over the concepts so that you understand how certain phrases or grammatical rules are used.
- Book Quizzes/Tests
These are kind of hard to study for, just make sure you know the general plot, themes, and characters of the book and hopefully you’ll be fine!
Biology relies a lot on memorization and understanding of the body and its processes. Try writing down each step of different cycles multiple times to force the memorization, and use Quizlet to memorize specific terms and their meanings.
Look over your notes and redo all your quizzes and worksheets! If you have time, condense your notes so you know what the main important points of the unit are. If you have to memorize certain structures, write out the name of them and draw them out to quiz yourself. To memorize elements and their ions, you can use Quizlet or physical flashcards.
A lot of Physics is math-based word problems. Go through any notes to memorize the basic concepts but also redo problems to know the process of problem-solving for a specific type of problem.
Whether you are studying Spanish, French, Chinese, or Latin, there are always three common types of tests:
Just like when studying for English, Quizlet is your best friend! However, if the term and definition are both in the language, make sure that you know what it actually means and that you aren’t just memorizing a random term in a different language.
A huge part of grammar in languages are different verb conjugations and making sure where certain words (adjectives, adverbs, etc) should go in a sentence. Make sure to memorize the exceptions to certain grammar rules! There should always be quizzes you can search up in google to test yourself on certain concepts, but if you can’t find any good ones, you could always redo any homework or worksheets that the teacher has given to you!
- In-Class Essays
These are always the hardest since you only have one class period to write a whole essay in another language! If the teacher lets you bring a notecard to class, write down your outline for your essay and if you have any extra room, write down some common transition phrases or conjugations to verbs that you always forget. If the teacher doesn’t let you bring a notecard, GOOD LUCK. You should still try to brainstorm an outline the night before, but try to memorize your main points so you’ll at least have a sense of what you want to write your essay about.
Although math seems simple in terms of how 2+2 will always equal 4 and that answers aren’t up to whether teachers like your writing style, math can still be difficult to understand. Make sure that you truly understand the concept and aren’t just memorizing how to do certain problems, so that if a particularly hard problem is thrown at you on the test, you’ll be able to do it! Usually class notes are pretty helpful since they provide you with example problems that you can redo, but if you don’t understand a certain concept, read the book! The explanation section before where the homework problems start can be very helpful and break down the concepts by starting off with more basic examples.
History is all memorization, and that can be hard to study for without wanting to give up and rip up all of your notes in anger. Start first by keeping your notes intact!! Take your frustration and turn it into determination to memorize all of the historical events. Look over your class notes to know what the most important concepts are. If your teacher has given you a study guide or a list of what will be on the test, use that to study. Go down the list of events and make your own study guide by writing down the important facts (what happened, what led to this event, why were people inclined to do this, etc.). If there’s a mapping section, print out a blank map and put it in a sheet protector, then use an expo marker to write over it.
Although there are many ways to study for different subjects, these are just ways of studying that have worked for me! Hopefully some of these will help you, but even if they don’t, good luck on any future tests!