Preparing for a social studies exam is not easy. Cramming all the dates and names you learned in class can feel overwhelming. You must understand all concepts, vocabulary, and their significance as used in each discipline.
But that doesn’t have to scare you. Below are tips and tricks students can use to prepare fora social studies exam in any discipline.
1. Prepare Before Studying
- Choose a quiet place:Study in the school library or any quiet place at home, such as your bedroom. Eliminate all distractions such as TV and other video devices from your study room. Switch off your phone or turn off all notifications to avoid the temptation of replying to messages.
If you must study with some background music, play instrumentals at a comfortable volume. Avoid lyrical music.
Find a comfortable seat. You should be able to sit and concentrate for at least 45 minutes without feeling fatigued.
- Assemble everything you’ll need: Getting up every time to pick something can waste a lot of your time and lower concentration. Before you settle on your study table,list down everything you’ll need. Get your notes, textbooks, a pen, and paper ready. You may bring along some snacks to boost your brainpower. Don’t forget a jar of water.
- Study in the same spot everyday at the same time: Studying at the same place, at the same time, and with the same music will help you retain information better.
Chose your most productive hours—early morning or late in the night and stick to that routine. Avoid studying for long. Have short sessions. The trick is studying smarter.
- Join a study group:Join a study group and participate by asking and answering questions. You can pair with a friend or have sessions where everyone asks a question from each topic as you discuss.
2. Review Major Themes
- Read study guides and test instructions keenly:Listen carefully and take notes from the professor’s guidelines about the upcoming test. Review and familiarize yourself with the notes before the exams.
- Teach someone about what you read:Social studies exams require mastering a lot of things. Teaching someone about what you’ve learned is among the proven study tips to retain information you’ve learned.
- Have timelines in your notes:The best way to memorize different events in chronological order is by visualizing them in a well-organized timeline. Write down what you recall from your memory and add more from your textbooks and class notes.
3. Take Practice Tests
- Answer all practice tests at the back of your textbook:Your textbooks have good questions covering all topics you studied. Make efforts to solve all the questions after completing every chapter. Review all the questions again a few days before your social studies exam.
- Find more tests online or from your school library:Aim at solving as many questions as possible. You can pick some from the internet and old papers from the school library. Try to solve them on your own and discuss them in your study group as well.
- Track time spent to answer each question:As you practice with past questions, track time spent to answer each question. Get an idea of how long you’d take on specific types of questions.
Social studies may not be as demanding as engineering courses that involve a lot of practicals and research. Still, you’ll need enough time to read and master concepts, dates, and names. This requires peace of mind.
It can be challenging for students who work while attending college. Planning to read and master all the notes while also working may not be easy. The best option to help such students excel in their social studies exams is to seek help from reputable online exam help professionals.
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