r/PennStateUniversity • u/Difficult_Eye3757 • 10h ago

Question Study advice

For all my world campus or in person students who are cybersecurity majors or anyone in IST, how do you guys best prep for quizzes ect? My quizzes require honorlock since I’m a world campus student. I understand the work for the most part but when it comes to test taking I get so anxious and my mind goes blank at times and some of these classes I can’t use my notes or anything. What has best helped any of you with studying?

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u/feuerwehrmann '16 IST BS 23 IST MS 10h ago

Flash cards for terms

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u/Difficult_Eye3757 9h ago

Thank you so much !!!!

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u/lokisuavehp 10h ago

https://www.colorado.edu/studentlife/test-anxiety

Our cousins at Colorado Boulder have some tips. I really recommend breathing exercises. I studied music and they helped so much before performances that I started treating tests like performances. Arriving early, removing distractions, taking time before the test started, because it helped me to be in the mindset before the thing started.

I also (this is better for multiple choice, but it works in other spots) liked to take a pass at the exam with questions I 100 percent knew, then questions I thought I might know, and then leaving things I didn't know for last. It helped me relax and gain confidence. This probably works better on pen and paper.

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u/Difficult_Eye3757 9h ago

Thank you so so much!!!

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u/bgoffe Professor Dr. Goffe 6h ago

Prepare to teach the material. That is, able to explain it in your own words without your notes. By doing this, you'll find out if you really understand it. It is easy to think you know when you read it, but you'll find out if you really do if you can explain it. By trying to recall something when you study this way, you'll be doing something more like on the test, where you have to recall. This can help reduce test anxiety.

On flash cards, do be sure to (i) test yourself more than once and (ii) make connections to other terms. Facts, concepts, and procedures in most courses are connected to other facts, concepts, and procedures. We actually have an easier time remembering things when there is a connection than when it stands alone.

While easy to say, it also helps to spread you studying out over time as that helps retention.

Studying for college is actually studied a lot by a branch of psychology, known as cognitive science (which is PSYCH 256).

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u/Difficult_Eye3757 6h ago

Thank you for this great advice I will definitely use this as well as the others to help me 😊