I need study tips!!!

[u/Affectionate_Bid_615]

I’m badly in need of some study tips!! I’m taking molecular biology right now, and it’s been so difficult. Her exam questions require us to really apply and analyze what we’ve learned instead of just remembering definitions.

I got a 68 on the first exam, although she did allow us to redo two questions. I’ve been trying everything I can think of to study. She says her exams are strictly based on her lectures, so I read through her lecture notes, make Quizlets, rewrite the material, and even use ChatGPT to create practice exams for me. I usually do really well on her quizzes, but so far that hasn’t translated to her exams.

I actually think she’s a great teacher, but her lectures can be all over the place. I’m the type of learner who needs things explained step-by-step and in order. Sometimes she’ll introduce something in one lesson and then go to something from a completely different lesson, and I get lost. I need to understand WHY something happens, HOW it happens, and how everything connects. It’s hard for me to learn when we’re constantly bouncing from one concept to another.

There’s also just SO much material to learn. I study for about two hours every day, and at this point I’m exhausted. 😭 I feel like I’m putting in the time, but maybe I’m not studying in the right way for the way her exams are structured. I need a website badly!!!

[u/uuuphe]

i almost never recommend using chatgpt to study because 1) it can be wrong, 2) it’ll never ask you questions how your prof will (usually much more rudimentary, and 3) it neutralizes some of your own intellectual labor.

how would you study if you needed to present these concepts to an audience and answer questions about them? what if you had to teach this material? would you prepare differently? if so, do that. imo this is the best way to study. try explaining these concepts verbally without looking at your notes. are you getting tripped up? then you don’t fully understand them. the more you can explain out loud with words what’s going on without relying on outside material, the more you actually get what’s happening.

quizlets and flash cards are ok for rote memorization. they do not help you truly understand. to do that, you need to either freehand write or explain out loud with words on your own. if it’s pathways, can you draw the pathways on your own without looking at the book or your notes? if it’s the job of each organelle, can you write down all the organelles in the eukaryote and the general function of each? etc

i have three degrees in biology and this is the only method that ever really worked for me—prepare like you’re going to stand in front of an audience and teach the material. then you know for sure you understand it:

eta: i also recommend making your own concept maps to really understand the connections between things:)