Before we start making study schedules, before we jump into our textbooks and lectures, we need to take a step back and ask ourselves whether we’re approaching our studies appropriately.
Why is this important for you to consider?
If you were preparing for a test that required you to list theoretical details of the topic, you’d focus on memorising your work. If I told you that your test was going to require you to debate the value of the topic and why it exists, would you still feel that memorising details would help you pass?
Over the years, I’ve watched the frustration that students feel when they experience the ‘gap’ between their studying, and the tests they write. They ALWAYS assume that it’s because they “don’t know their work” well enough. As the profession, technology, and the world itself, changes, so do the requirements of your exams. What you have to DO with your knowledge MUST impact how you prepare for your exams.
But… does it?
Or are you still studying the way you did for the exams you wrote a few years ago, even thought the levels and outcomes have changed? Do you even KNOW what the learning outcomes are?
The higher the levels you study at, the more you will feel that there’s something ‘wrong’ between your prep and your tests. A huge part of that gap is your study approach and study strategy.