Ace Every Exam: My Top Study Tips for College Success
Starting college is an exciting new chapter, but it can also be intimidating if you don’t know how to study effectively for challenging college courses. As a Hawkes Learning Student Ambassador at West Virginia State University, I want to share some of my best tips and tricks for how to use Hawkes’ courseware to master key concepts and ace every exam!
❖ Take Advantage of Practice Mode
One of the best features of Hawkes Learning’s software is Practice mode. Instead of just passively reading notes, you can immediately test yourself on concepts through practice problems. Practice mode is a risk-free environment where you can work through as many questions as you need until you feel comfortable with the material. Make sure to use the Explain Error feature whenever you get stuck; this gives you targeted feedback on where you went wrong so you can learn from your mistakes. I also recommend creating custom practice tests on topics you really need to drill. The immediate feedback and explanation of Practice mode is a super effective study technique.
❖ Review, Don’t Just Reread
When studying for a big exam, it’s important to actively review the material rather than just rereading your notes. Create study tools like flashcards, diagrams, and summaries that distill key information. Test yourself by trying to answer questions from memory. The more you can engage with the content, the better it will stick. I like to go through my Hawkes lesson videos again and redo the lesson quizzes I struggled with the first time to reinforce tough concepts. Then, I’ll go through the chapter tests and the practice problems using Explain Error.
❖ Make a Study Schedule
Don’t leave all the studying until the night before! Cramming increases stress and rarely leads to long-term retention. Make a realistic schedule that splits your study sessions into manageable chunks. Study a little bit each day leading up to the exam. Use the Hawkes personalized Learning Path to focus your study plan on priority topics. I block out at least an hour a day for Hawkes coursework review based on my Learning Path recommendations. Staying on top of the material prevents pre-test panic. With the right preparation powered by Hawkes Learning’s tools, you can master challenging material and succeed on any exam.
Author: Esther Diarmo, West Virginia State University
