Revision as of 17:38, 22 May 2016

Overview

Study Strategy

My strategy for studying for the exam looks something like this.

It's currently mid-May, and I am planning on taking the exam in mid-August. That gives me 3 months to get to know the material, learn it, memorize it, and know it backwards and forwards. My goal is to ace the exam.

Phase 1: Read

The first phase is to get familiar with the ham exam information by reading it.

Read through the entire study book, once.
Don't worry about taking notes, or highlighting, or exam questions - just read.
There is much more material than you can absorb in one reading, so if you don't understand everything, don't get hung up.
Reading through the book once gives the big picture concepts a chance to sink in.

This may take several days - give yourself enough time.

Phase 2: Make Notes

The second phase is a more active form of studying - it is your chance to repeat the information by writing or speaking it.

Go back to the beginning of the book and re-read each section carefully, working out what it is saying.
If you don't understand a section, this is the time to figure it out - spend enough time to feel comfortable with the material.
In a notebook, write down the important information. (Important means, it shows up in a question, or it helps you understand and remember the concepts.)
At the end of each section or chapter, the book should give a list of exam questions that the section or chapter covered. Review each exam question and write down the fact that question asked about on a summary page.
Digest the notes into flashcards and mnemonic devices for memorization.

Phase 3: Review and Practice

Once all the material has been digested and notes have been made and the pile of flashcards is tall and you know every single one, you can start to take practice exams.

Phase N: Take the Exam

Last step is to nail the exam.

Mnemonics

Mnemonics/General

Flags

@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 It's currently mid-May, and I am planning on taking the exam in mid-August. That gives me 3 months to get to know the material, learn it, memorize it, and know it backwards and forwards. My goal is to ace the exam.
-===Step 1: Read===
+===Phase 1: Read===
-Begin by going through the book once, reading through it, not worrying about any exam questions.
+The first phase is to get familiar with the ham exam information by reading it.
-===Step 2: Make Notes===
+* Read through the entire study book, once.
+* Don't worry about taking notes, or highlighting, or exam questions - just read.
+* There is much more material than you can absorb in one reading, so if you don't understand everything, don't get hung up.
+* Reading through the book once gives the big picture concepts a chance to sink in.
-Go back through the book, more slowly, section by section. Make a note of the important information in each section. Fortunately, the important information in the General exam study guide is marked specifically with the question number that corresponds to the material.
+This may take several days - give yourself enough time.
-As you go through each chapter and make notes of the content of each section, you should simultaneously digest that material into flashcards for memorization, and work on mnemonics for the material.
+===Phase 2: Make Notes===
-Review each question for the corresponding section. Attempt each question, and follow up with missed questions or questions you don't understand. Add each question's content to the notebook and to the flashcards.
+The second phase is a more active form of studying - it is your chance to repeat the information by writing or speaking it.
-===Step 3: Practice Material, Practice Exams===
+* Go back to the beginning of the book and re-read each section carefully, working out what it is saying.
+* If you don't understand a section, this is the time to figure it out - spend enough time to feel comfortable with the material.
+* In a notebook, write down the important information. (Important means, it shows up in a question, or it helps you understand and remember the concepts.)
+* At the end of each section or chapter, the book should give a list of exam questions that the section or chapter covered. Review each exam question and write down the fact that question asked about on a summary page.
+* Digest the notes into flashcards and mnemonic devices for memorization.
-Continue to use the flashcards and review notes from notebook. Slowly digest the information over time.
+===Phase 3: Review and Practice===
-===Step 4: Take the Exam===
+Once all the material has been digested and notes have been made and the pile of flashcards is tall and you know every single one, you can start to take practice exams.
-The last step is to take the exam and nail it!
+===Phase N: Take the Exam===
+Last step is to nail the exam.
 =Mnemonics=

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