How to Study for a Test

Hi WellCasters! It's getting colder outside
and the supermarkets have finally sold the last of the Thanksgiving turkeys, so you know
what that means: It's coming up on finals! We know, we know, it's not our favorite time
of year eitherupcoming tests mean long nights of studying, stress and probably some
nightmares that involve sleeping through your English exam or walking into class naked. This week on WellCast, we took a suggestion
by TheSambarsalsa on getting your study skills up to par. We're not going to make you sit
through any statistics or studies todayjust three exercises you can put into practice
to become a better test taker. You ready? Pause and print this week's tips on our
handy WellCast worksheet.

One: Ace your essay with the Black-Red-Green
method. This exercise comes from the Royal Literary Fund, and it's a great trick to
use when you're tackling a difficult essay question. First, make sure you've got three colored
pensyou guessed it, one black, one red and one green. You're going to use these
three pens to underline different parts of the essay questionby the end, everything
will be underlined so you won't miss anything important.

Let's say this is your essay question: "In The Great Gatsby, how does Gatsby represent
the American dream in the 1920s? Reference two quotes from the novel as well as one secondary
source. Be sure to refer to specific symbolism throughout the novel, including the green
light and T.J. Eckleburg." First, take out your black pen. BLAck stands
for BLAtant instructionssomething the question requires you to answer to receive full marks.

Next, take out your REd penthis will be
used for underlining any REference points you've been asked to hit. Finally, take out your green pen. This one's
easy: The green pen underlines a "green light"that is, a hint that the question
gives on how to proceed. By now, this essay question should be looking
like a Christmas treethat's how you know you've hit and understood every part of
the prompt.

You're ready to rock the answer! Two: Acronyms are your best friend. You probably
know what an acronym iswe use them all the time here at WellCast. Basically, acronyms
turn a long string of information into something short, interesting and, above all, memorable. The best acronyms have one thing in common:
They create a striking visual image in your mind.

For example, a common acronym is the sentence
"Each Good Bird Does Fly." That's one way to remember the lines in a staff of music:
E, G, B, D and F. But... Flying birds aren't very striking.
Most birdsat least, the boring onesfly. If you're sitting in a classroom, chewing
on your pencil, a flock of birds might not pop into your head right away if you're
straining to remember a musical staff.

But what about "Each Gaptoothed Billygoat
Dances Fast." Yep! That's more like it. Three: Give a speech. The link between hearing
something and remembering it has been proven time and again. Studies have found that people
who have difficulty hearing in certain situations are also more likely to have memory impairment.

What does that mean? Well, think about your
favorite album. You know how you always know what the next song is going to be? That's
because you've listened to the thing ad nauseum and ingrained the information in your
brain. Why not use this useful hack to help yourself
remember information for a test? Practice reading your notes out loudthink of it
like singing along to a new favorite song. The more you hear yourself saying the notes,
the better you'll remember them the next day.

Let's recap: Finals week should be a breeze
with WellCast on your side! Today you learned the Black-Red-Green method for tackling an
essay question, going for those creative acronyms to get you out of a stump, and practiced a
good way to memorize a lot of information. We'll see you next time, WellCasters!.