So you have a vocabulary quiz coming up in English or for a foreign language course? As long as it's not Friday morning and you're looking at the words for the first time, you've got this!

Ideally, you'll make your plan and start preparing on Monday (or as soon as the quiz is announced). Here is an outline of what your study plan can look like, in the days leading up to the quiz. I am going to go with the hypothesis that the quiz is asking for straight recall where you're given the word in either English or the foreign language, and are asked to define or translate it.

Monday:
1. In your planner, write down that there's a quiz on Friday (or whatever day it is) in whatever the subject is. Then, write down to "study" for each of the days leading up the quiz.
2. Take a piece of paper and fold it into three columns.
3. In the left-most column, write the word that will be on the quiz.
In the middle column write the definition (in your own words) or the translation/meaning; use your resources to make sure you have the correct information or meaning to study! 
Fold the right side of the paper to cover up the middle column. Test yourself to see what you already know, by pretending this is a practice test, and taking the test. Then, look to see what you got correct. Read through the words again.
4. Fold over the paper so the first column is covered. 
5. See how you would do if that version of the word was presented on the test, by writing down your answers. Check your answers.
6. If you could correctly answer (pretty automatically) both versions of the word, cross out the word; you know this word. If you couldn't answer correctly, only knew one version, or if it took a while searching your brain to answer correctly, don't cross out that word.
7. Look at the number or words you need to learn, and divide by two (or however many days there are until the quiz, minus 1). That is the number of words you need to learn each night leading up to the quiz. You will need to review ALL of the words the night before.
Write down these details in your planner.

Tuesday
1. How many words are you supposed to learn today? Get another piece of paper, and set it up like you did yesterday, with three columns. 
2. In the first column, write the word. Second column: definition or translation. Third column: use a strategy to link the word to its definition or translation. Note that strategy here, either by explaining it or drawing a visual. See this post for more information on types of links or strategies to use when memorizing meanings for words. 
3. Learn those words; you'll know if you know a word by testing yourself again like you did yesterday. Make sure you assess your ability to recall the answer correctly when given the definition/ translation AND the English word.

Wednesday
1. Repeat yesterday's procedure with the remaining words.
2. If you have time, test yourself again on yesterday's words after you learn today's. 

Thursday
1. Review all of the words, mixing up the order, by making a practice test for yourself. Make the practice test look as similar as possible to what the real quiz will look like. Make sure that you can not only answer all questions correctly, but pretty quickly too. If you need to think for too long about a correct answer, go back and look at your strategy and either make it a stronger or more vivid strategy or come up with one that will work better.
2. Repeat this practice test again towards the end of your homework time, after doing something else for a while.

Friday
1. Ace the quiz!

The spread out studying, repeated practice of recalling the correct information, and use of active learning strategies like mnemonics and linking a visual to language, make this a study routine that you'll want to adapt and use for almost any quiz or test!

Try it and leave a comment below to let us know how it goes!

Do you get nervous or anxious before or during tests?If so, read then try some of the following tips and suggestions! If not, do you ever get nervous or stressed out?
If so, read the following!
If not, how do you avoid it? Please share your own tips in the comments section below!


In general: 

• Get enough sleep, exercise, eat healthily, and drink enough water! 
• See your teachers for extra help, and spread out your active studying over a few days.
• Practicing the stress-relieving strategies listed below in lower-stress situations can help you to figure out which work best for you, and can make you better able to use them effectively when you are in higher-stress situations.

Before a test:

•       Ask your teacher about the test beforehand; how many questions, same format as usual, or different? If you know what to expect, you can visualize yourself doing well and practice for it!
•       Make a practice test for yourself (which is basically what an Active Practice is), then take it in a test-taking-like scenario; if you’re feeling anxious or nervous while taking that practice test, it’s a perfect time to use some of the other strategies listed below.
• ·     Think positive thoughts; “fake it ‘til you make it!”
  •      Use positive self-talk: 
    • “I’m working hard, and learning that best I can.” 
    • “I’ve done well before, I can do it again.” 
    • “I’ve been doing my homework, paying attention in class, and going for extra help, so I’m doing everything I can to help myself learn this!” 
    • “I’m going to pass, but if I don’t do as well as I want, I still have plenty of opportunities to increase my grade and learn this material better.” 
    • “My teacher isn’t trying to trick me; he/she wants me to do well!” 

• Replace perfectionist thoughts with more realistic ones. 
  • Instead of “I have to answer every question correctly,” think “I will do my best on every question, and know I’ll get many right even if some I’m not totally sure of.”
• Avoid talking about the test with other people who are feeling nervous.
• Visualize yourself taking the test, feeling confident, and knowing how to solve the problems!

During a test: If you feel yourself starting to experience anxiety in your body, acknowledge those physical sensations. Tell yourself, “This is just my body feeling anxious, but I know how to calm down.” Then, practice some of the following:

• Close your eyes and shift your focus to your breath. Take 5-7 long, deep inhales and slow, long exhales, really paying attention to the physical sensations in your body and breath.
• Focus your attention on a group of muscles in your body (shoulders, face, or hands are often pretty easy because we can identify when they’re tense). Acknowledge that they might be tense, and feel that tension for a few moments, before intentionally and gradually relaxing each muscle. Notice the difference between the feeling of tension and that of relaxation. Notice if your breathing or other physical sensations change while doing this.
• Take smiling breaths; set your mouth in a soft smile or grin, then slowly breathe in and out through your nose 5-7 times.
•  Use a beaded “breathing cord” and focus on the physical sensation of moving the bead slowly while you inhale slowly, and then a second bead when you exhale slowly. 
•  Take a break: slowly and mindfully walk to get a drink of water or to the bathroom to splash water on your hands or face. Just don’t take too long of a break!
• Stretch!​

    If you have other ideas or strategies that work for you, please share below!

2 ways an adult at home can help a student who is preparing for final exams:

1. Help your student keep these tests in perspective.

• Emphasize the process versus the product. This means emphasizing the habits that your student is working to develop, and the process of figuring out the sorts of study techniques that work best for him as an individual, rather than solely emphasizing the grade he earns on the test.
• Focus on HOW your student is studying, rather than HOW MUCH she is studying.
• Ensure that your student is maintaining healthy habits- eating well-balanced meals, getting plenty of sleep, engaging in leisure activities- and not getting too stressed. 
• Assure your student that how he performs on this one test won't "make or break" his whole school year. 

2. Help your student with time management

• Help your student find blocks of 20-45 minutes in his schedule, and then help him plan what to focus on during those blocks of time.
  • Map out the specific “what” AND “how.”
  • Build in a short break (2-5 minutes) for every 30-45 minutes of studying.
    • Students should use a timer for breaks.
  • A visual schedule can be a great cue or prompt, and mapping out a study plan in advance can save her time later on.
• Students should prepare by first collecting content from which to study; then, creating study materials; then, actively engaging with and utilizing those study materials.

​Exam prep tips for students will be posted soon, so check back!

TIME MANAGEMENT IS ESSENTIAL! 

• Find blocks of 30-45 minutes in your schedule, and then plan what to focus on during those blocks of time.
• Map out the “what” AND the “how.”
  • Doing this in advance can save you time (and stress) later on.
  • Build in a short break (2-5 minutes) for every 45-60 minutes of studying.
  • Use a timer so your breaks don’t get too long!

• Prepare by first collecting content from which to study; then, create study materials; then, actively engage with and utilize those study materials. (More tips about this are below.)

•  Some teachers will work with you in class, to prepare for exams, and may even give you a timeline and specific tasks to do for preparation. Stick to those recommendations!

KEEP A BALANCED PERSPECTIVE

• Keep these tests in perspective.
• Focus on the process, versus the product.
  • This means emphasizing the habits that you are working to develop, and the process of figuring out the sorts of study techniques that work best for you as an individual, rather than solely emphasizing the grade you end up with.
  • Focus on HOW you’re studying, rather than HOW MUCH you study.
• Maintain healthy habits: eat well-balanced meals, get plenty of sleep, stay active, and continue to participate in the things you enjoy!

CREATE STUDY MATERIALS Using pre-made Quizlet sets or materials given to you is okay, but you will likely retain more when you’re creating the study materials yourself, instead of just reviewing what someone else has done.
Types of study materials you could create include:

• Note Cards: On the front, write the term, big idea, event, etc. On the back, answer who, what, when, where, why is it significant questions. Does it take longer than just writing a word and its definition? Yes, but you will have a more thorough understanding of the material.
  • Create a visual trigger on the front of the note card. This can be a phrase or picture, or some other sort of mnemonic. In the testing situation, the visual trigger may be just the thing that pops into your mind and cues the answer.
  •  Play with the note cards. Rather than just flipping through and trying to memorize the words on the card, get creative. Make different groups and categories (e.g. leaders and battles; bones and organs; verbs and nouns) then re-categorize them. Compare the cards to one another. How were 2 leaders the same or different? Why was one battle more significant than others? By manipulating the note cards, you are engaging in higher-level thinking…the sort of skills you’ll need to practice in order to answer essay and other open-response questions.

• Graphic Organizers: For many classes, it can make sense to create a graphic organizer or visual that shows the connections between the content/ topics that you have studied this year. Creating a graphic organizer can help you to not only see how the topics are connected, but can also help you to identify “big ideas” to focus on.

• Triple Note Totes: These are useful when you’re working on memorizing material. Fold a paper into three columns. In the first column, list the vocabulary you’re trying to remember. In the middle column, write the definition or important information about that term. In the third column, create and note down a mnemonic device for linking the term to the necessary information (definition, dates, importance, etc.).

USE ACTIVE STUDY STRATEGIES “Reading over” textbooks and notes is NOT efficient studying!

• “Chunk Down” the Content– Break large amounts of material into smaller pieces. Before setting out to attack your class material, color code or label it. Divide the material into what you know well (green), what you need to review (yellow), and what is unfamiliar (red).
 You can also consider breaking down your material into the categories outlined on a study guide given to you by your teacher, or according to how recent the material is.
• Teach Someone Else-You’ll know that you’re really comfortable with the material if you can teach it to someone else. Teach a parent or sibling, encourage them to ask you questions…and then answer their questions.
• Test Yourself- You’ve have had a whole year’s worth of experience taking tests and quizzes for a class, so you can use those old assessments to study from. You can:
  • Make corrections to old tests and quizzes, using your notes and textbooks.
  • Make up your own practice questions based on the sorts of questions teachers have used in the past.
  • Look at chapter titles or section headings in a book, and turn them into essay questions.
  • Turn class notes into fill-in-the-blank or short answer questions.
  • Make practice tests to exchange with classmates.

• Form a Study Group- Study groups can be good for reinforcing material you already know, and provide you with an opportunity to practice and review what you’re not as comfortable with. However, you must keep them structured and focused, in order for group meetings to be useful.

HAVE ADDITIONAL TIPS FOR PREPARING FOR AND ACHIEVING ON EXAMS? SHARE IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!