After all the quizzes, lessons and daily grades are taken care of, there is still a final hurdle students have to clear before moving on: the unit test. On top of the pressure of recalling so much information, unit tests are often worth double major grades and could make or break a student’s average. Although it is intimidating to tackle several weeks worth of lessons and wrap them up in a neat little bow, there is a method to review for big tests in a thorough, memorable way that will build a student’s confidence in their knowledge.

To effectively review for a test, instead of re-reading notes or defining vocabulary terms, students can list important phrases or words from the unit and then give more and more information on each until all the terms blend into one expansive, detailed review. If the student paid attention and took notes, when they begin to write about one event, they will find that it connects smoothly to other events in that category. Eventually, the description for one “event” bleeds into what could be an overview of the entire unit.

Some teachers, before a test, hand out a list of the vocabulary words that the class should know. This allows students to know what to study, but just defining these terms on another sheet of paper won’t always cut it. It doesn’t reach the level of depth that is needed for the more involved test questions. In these cases it is crucial to know how to apply the vocabulary terms as well as define them. In this way, studying a list of vocabulary terms can be lacking.

Another way many people prepare for a major test is to re-read their notes from the beginning of the unit. Although notes can help refresh the memory, they inhibit memorization. In using only notes to review, there are no blank spaces for the student to fill themselves. The student re-reads the explanations and facts without having to reiterate or create them, so the information is easily forgotten.

As if studying wasn’t already hard enough, before major tests, students often feel lacking in confidence. They might still be worried whether or not they remember some concepts. Other times, their understanding of certain ideas might be muddy. This is why the rewriting and connecting strategy tends to be more effective. It reaches both the depth and the memorization needed to take the test. Because this method forces the student to repeat, rethink, and reexamine the information, even to the point of being tedious, it will be solidified in their mind.

Walking into the classroom, the student can review clearly in their head what they wrote the night before with a good sense for how every idea connects together, as well as the confidence they need to let the ideas flow.