crammer!

The Bollox

I have a big problem that I would like some advice on. I have a problem with dicipline when it comes to study. I find it almost impossible to do course work during the year and rely solely on cramming for the final exams and I feel it will be the death of me this year. it's not a case of I say to myself "aah it'll be grand, all I have to do is cram for the finals" whenever I am faced with a test during the year, or when I am doing an assignment, it's more like I find I just cannot give it my full attention and do a half-assed job. I was more or less like this last year (first year) but this year I think the finals will get the better of me. does anyone have any advice?

Yook

Marts wrote:

I have a big problem that I would like some advice on. I have a problem with dicipline when it comes to study. I find it almost impossible to do course work during the year and rely solely on cramming for the final exams and I feel it will be the death of me this year. it's not a case of I say to myself "aah it'll be grand, all I have to do is cram for the finals" whenever I am faced with a test during the year, or when I am doing an assignment, it's more like I find I just cannot give it my full attention and do a half-assed job. I was more or less like this last year (first year) but this year I think the finals will get the better of me. does anyone have any advice?

Oh god, you're not the only one on that front. 2nd year isn't exactly as simple as first year and the workload is ridiculous. I've honestly tried to study (even today) but got nowhere.

I was thinking that maybe if I hide under a pile of coats, everything might just work out.

edit: my problem isn't the coursework (as im a 1.1 in every subject but one), its just remembering all the crap from the start of the year.

gilroyb

You wont like me for saying this, but it generally just gets worse and worse every year. When you move on to the next year, you know you can get by with a certain level of cramming, so you wait till that stage before even starting to cram, which means that you have even less time to get anything done. Just accept that that is the way you work and try and make the most out of it.

Pigman II

I'll be doing exams in May and despite know that since last September I found it very hard to get down to actually doing anything and as of about 2months ago I really had absolutely nothing ready/completed etc

Anyway, purely by hit and miss, I found the only way I could actually get anything done was make a time table for the following day so that it was a concrete as the time you go into work and leave etc rather than just 'oh i really must do a few minutes study now'.

Also I'd split up that duration into 1hour slots so that I was spending no more more than 1 hour on any one topic/question. I find not only did this stop me from getting bored at looking at the same thing for 3hours straight but it also inadvertantly motivated me to try 'beat the clock' and get whatever it was I'd scheduled for that hour completed so that it wasn't hanging over me.

==

So basically it goes

Date = tomorrow

Start time : xx.xx

Stop time : yy:yy

1st hour do ....
2nd hour do ....
3rd hour do ....
nth hour do....

Also if you get whatever you'd scheduled for that hour completed then give yourself the rest of the hour off

The Bollox

thanks Pigman II. I think's that's the course of action I shall (have to) under take. I'm kicking myself that I didn't post this up at the start of the Easter break because I'm back to college tomorrow

justhim

I honestly dont think anybody finds study easy. Its just too damn hard. Personally the only way i could study was to remove myself from distraction. I was never able to study at home cause there was just to many opportunities to get distracted. So i studied in college. Again though i tended to avoid places where alot of people were or people i knew. Never used the library always just used an empty classroom. That way there was pretty much nothing else to do but study!

Tar.Aldarion

Marts wrote:

I have a big problem that I would like some advice on. I have a problem with dicipline when it comes to study. I find it almost impossible to do course work during the year and rely solely on cramming for the final exams and I feel it will be the death of me this year. it's not a case of I say to myself "aah it'll be grand, all I have to do is cram for the finals" whenever I am faced with a test during the year, or when I am doing an assignment, it's more like I find I just cannot give it my full attention and do a half-assed job. I was more or less like this last year (first year) but this year I think the finals will get the better of me. does anyone have any advice?

Pff, I'm exactly the same, I'm proably doomed to fail one or two. Didn't go to any lectures or study. Oh well. Two more exams tomorrow.

Laguna

I don't know if this is regarded as cramming but when it came to end of year exams for me in College (including my finals), the only way I could study was to get hold of three to four past papers for each subject (if they were available) and rewrite all my notes for each subject; whittling them down to four pages at most (per subject).

I would then read and re read the abridged notes for a week for each subject and I would then attempt the past papers whilst not referring to the notes if possible, if I came across questions I couldn't answer, I'd look at the notes, write out a word perfect answer from the notes and then redo the past papers over and over again over the three to four week period.

I find this way works for me, I did spend a lot of time revising and studying for my exams but that's me, in your case I can't really suggest anything to you, if cramming is your way then that's it really - maybe the technique of cramming doesn't suit you anyway, you say it's what you have always done, so maybe if you actually sat down and devised a study strategy you'd see how it pays off, then again it's up to you, if you're only aiming to pass the exam then maybe my suggestions are unsuitable.

Jonny Arson

I'm pretty much in the same boat... massive crammer. I did it for my Junior Cert, Leaving Cert and now in college, it's what I'm used to and I can't get out of the routine.... I basically cannot study properly. In some aspects it works because you know you have to do the the study there and then and will give more attention to it however by cramming you lack the specific detail in your knowledge which will go against you at times. I do believe by putting in consistent study throughout the year will help you greatly and will make you want to study and not cram (I'm gonna try so hard to do this next year). Study in a library or in college is a must is you find studying hard, distractions are my main downfall and studying there is your best bet.

takethebiscuit

Jaysus, I did my college exams a few years ago and still have nightmares about having nothing done two weeks before an exam. This is probably going to be absolutely no help at all to you at this stage in the year, but after college, I did an evening law course and was determined not to cram. The answer to all my problems was a book by this guy called Dominick O'Brien (I think) about mnemonics...learning how to memorize lists that you can turn into essays in an exam (let's face it, you kind of know what questions are going to come up anyway). It takes a while to get used to the technique, but if you get the hang of it, you never have problems with exams again. I didn't even bother attending most of the law lectures, got the notes off someone else, read the past papers, wrote out sample essay answers, and learned them all off by heart using the technique (about 3 weeks before the exam). Breezed through without breaking a sweat.
P.S. doubt if any lecturers would recommend this!

Tar.Aldarion

takethebiscuit wrote:

Jaysus, I did my college exams a few years ago and still have nightmares about having nothing done two weeks before an exam.

Two weeks..I wish...
Algebra, calculus and numerical analysis tomorrow. Covered them as best I could today, having gone to no lectures ever...Sigh, gotta get out of this awful habit!
Thank god I can pick things up fast...

chump

I've been the exact same since the leaving.
Never been albe to do anything until literally the last minute. Well maybe last week/2... the pressure has to be on I think, am not sure.
Anyway managed to get thru the leaving and 4years college but now I've more this year and not only am I leaving it even later - I don't really even care! Or get worried.

Doomed I say.

Faith

Just yesterday, I was on boards trying to find old threads about getting motivation for studying and whatnot. There's a surprising amount of them! I thought I was the only one who sucked at studying, thank god I'm not!

takethebiscuit

Tar.Aldarion wrote:

Two weeks..I wish...
Algebra, calculus and numerical analysis tomorrow.

God, I have to get outta this thread....now I'm having waking nightmares about exams!

(Incidentally, forgot to mention that the mnemonics technique also allows you to count cards, which is handy)

Sengoku79

Likewise, I'm a crammer too, if find for me the best is

1. Read over main areas covered do not try to cover the lot

2. to write up short notes cover these areas,

3. then type them into my laptop trying to shorten them re law cases etc

4. this makes them easier to go over as bullet points/refreshers on the day of the exam.

I take the week before the exams off to study devoting 1 day per exam or 2 where the subject is law related, as the exams are at night I will use the day to go over the concise notes I have typed up.

Hope it's of some help to anyone.

ferdi

Yook wrote:

I was thinking that maybe if I hide under a pile of coats, everything might just work out.

this has been my mantra through my entire education, it hasnt failed me yet.

coffee_cake

I've been the same through school and college and now that the first exams of my postgrad are coming up I'm STILL the same way despite knowing better.
All I can say is, at the start of the year, just make sure you understand what went on in a lecture. Spend half an hour or so after each lecture or in the evening just reading over the notes and again, trying to figure them out.

For now, if you have any proofs to learn like in maths or physics, make sure you understand how each line is ascertained, and then write out the proof from memory as many times as you can. By the time the exam comes around you'll be so used to writing it out you'll do it automatically. If it's essays, make key points in lists to look over for quick revision. Maybe write some sample essays out that you could adapt, if there's any pattern to past papers.
Break everything you revise into small increments.
And do a lot of past papers from memory once you're done revising!

dundalk cailin

I do something similiar to Laguna.
I really have to write out my notes to help me memorise them. Im kinda worried now bout my final year,as my exams this year were a cinch (Erasmus year)