How to Ace Your Finals Without Studying

[ephika]

"How to ace your finals without studying"

Hmm... How great doesn't that sound?

Apparently this one guy named Scott H Young has understood the way in which smart people think? Can all you IBers relate to what he's saying?

The article can be read at:

http://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/2007/03/25...thout-studying/

[chrypton]

I don't know about that, but studying hard the traditional way sure does help.

[Shorty]

i can relate to some of the stuff in the first paragraph...i rarely study for more than 30mins at a time. I dont like to give myself unneeded stress right before an exam.

[cixelsyD]

same here, though I think the "web" the author talks about requires studying to build. The "web" only exists when you retain the information you've learned

Edited July 29, 2008 by cixelsyD

[blindpet]

I'm getting his e-book now. I'll let you know how it pans out.

[cereja]

I can relate to some of the things he said. I usually do best not when I study and cram everything the night before, but rather when I can connect the subject to other things I know. Sometimes I come up with silly ways to remember things, but they're usually the ones that work best. My Human Geography teacher always said that studying is a waste of time. If you don't know the subject the day before a big test, you won't learn it. You will only remember what you KNOW, not what you memorized the day before.

[Xerox]

some of it makes sence, the difference between a good student and an excellent one is that the excellent student after class goes out and relates things to what he/she has learnt, while the good student just tries to remember what has been taught. but i don't know if he is absolutly right, i think that you need both, most people need to hear something more then ones to remember i think that in his case he has a very good memory and probebly high IQ and easy learning and can maximize this by linking everything with other things. I do however not think that this is possible for everyone, and not something that everybody should be striving for. Some people might need to acctually put in more things and then from that they can work things out, as i think that maybe some people can not aquire the kind of visioalisation that is required. And in general i think what he is saying seems like a bit of an over-simplification, but hell just my opinion, he might just be the first one to see the truth about how to kick ass at learning

[Rose]

I pretty much just read and try to connect ideas where possible. Consorting with thin air can help! I do think that doing problems in Maths, Physics, Chemistry etc. is quite important though. Learning the concept isn't too difficult, but for me at least, remembering the method can be. Linking ideas is a useful way to remember them, particularly in the Sciences. Use explainations to explain explainations.

[thatgirl]

I can relate, in a way

[cereja]

Some people might need to acctually put in more things and then from that they can work things out, as i think that maybe some people can not aquire the kind of visioalisation that is required.

If you're going to make the "web" of knowledge (or whatever he calls it) you do need to actually know a lot of things to begin with. You need facts before you can ever connect them. That's why it's harder for a lot of people. They think it's something simple. Instead, it's something you need to constantly work on.

[Rentle]

The best way is to study as much as you can (except nothing that is unnecessary). In the day of the exam, you'll have unbeatable confidence (and that is priceless).

[hamani]

Impossible in my opinion. Except if its a non IB exam =p

[cereja]

Definitely. that only works when it's a pretty simple subject. In my opinion, if you don't KNOW what you're talking about, studying does nothing. And if you KNOW the subject, there's no need to study except for details.

Edited August 10, 2008 by cereja

[hamani]

I agree with you cereja!! because like to me Business and Management HL is soo easy because IGCSE Business Studies was much harder. The class in itself is boring and the exams do not challange me to the fullest. For me, the business final i do not need studying, much more like practicing answering exam questions.

[pretty_ah_boi]

haha. i bet all these people are just trying to get you not to study so that they wont be competing with you for university admission spots

Edited August 24, 2008 by pretty_ah_boi

[moneyfaery]

I guess I can relate somewhat. If I understand a concept, I can recall it later even if I don't study while memorized information tends to be forgotten as soon as the test/exam ends. So in a way, understanding is the equivalent of building a web as you need to relate it to other concepts that you already know.

[Mr. Shiver]

I'm pretty sure I do look at things holistically, but from my experience it's as easy to forget things that way if you don't revise them as it would be if you tried memorizing.

Edited August 25, 2008 by Mr. Shiver

[moneyfaery]

Oh, I left out the part where I make stuff up to fill in gaps between links. But holistically, I think you would generally be able to guess while if you memorize and you forget, you're lost. It's like how I memorized pi up to ~80 digits. I know about 30 now.

[Oryxy]

haha. i bet all these people are just trying to get you not to study so that they wont be competing with you for university admission spots

I totally agree. Many smart people in school, well... the bad smart people always say that they never study, or never review, but they do. Only the nice smart people tell you that in order to achieve success, you gotta work for it. Practice makes better. I think those weird people are trying to tell you that don't study too much, or you will become confused. Study right.

[uummmdonuts1]

yeh... i think ill stick to revision. I beat my predictions for gcse's that way.

hard work pays off... this is just a bit of an unnecessary risk.

like taking vodka in instead of water in your clear plastic bottle in an exam... how would they know?