Test your knowledge

Measure your growth to perform your best

In some college courses, it may be common to have fewer quizzes, assignments, and exams throughout the semester. This means you are receiving less feedback, which helps you understand how well you are grasping the material being presented in class. As a result, it is important to find ways to regularly test your understanding of the material being presented so you have a system for determining what you know and what you need to work on. It also can reveal whether you may need to change up your studying or note taking systems and formats.

Why develop a habit of testing your knowledge Heading link

student and instructor reviewing a problem
  • Measures your understanding of the material presented in class and helps to prepare for quizzes and exams by testing your knowledge of the subject.
  • Reinforces course concepts and ideas by reviewing and reflecting on the information.
  • Enables you to identify areas that may need more review ahead of quizzes and exams and seek necessary resources or support.
  • Helps you apply information and connect concepts, ideas, and readings rather than solely memorizing information.
  • Promotes study time and reviewing class notes.
  • Encourages class participation by helping to develop questions or ideas to raise in class.

 

 

How to test your knowledge Heading link

  1. To test your knowledge of the course material, you first need to have reliable course notes to pull questions from. Check out the Lecture Notes guide to learn how to take strong notes.
  2. Grab all your course notes to date and make sure they are organized. This includes lecture notes, course handouts, and PPT slides (if provided).
  3. Additional materials to include in your notes that can aid in the review process:
    1. Course syllabus: Some syllabi are organized by topics or themes and have specific readings attached to them. The way topics, sub topics, and readings are organized demonstrates a conceptual relationship that can be helpful for review and understanding connections.
    2. Class questions: Write down questions presented in class either by your peers or instructors and keep them saved.
    3. Old exam or quiz questions: If these items are provided by your professor or instructor, they can be a helpful review tool.
    4. Textbook learning goals or questions: Sometimes textbooks have learning goals or outcomes at the beginning of a chapter or review questions at the end of a chapter.
    5. Learning goals or objectives: If your professor lists learning goals for each lecture, write these down and keep them saved.
    6. Study guides: They highlight essential information that you may be tested on.

Once you have your class notes, you will want to work on transforming them into formats that allow you to test your understanding. Each of the strategies outlined below can help to organize information in different ways to aid in studying and self-testing. Keep in mind that course material can impact the format(s) that may work best, so don’t be afraid to try different options.

Flashcards

Flashcards or notecards are tools that can be used digitally or in paper form to create concept or idea cards that you can flip through to study and test your knowledge.

  • Notecards that you can use for studying by writing a concept, topic, or, question on one side with the definition, explanation, or important information on the other side.
  • Helpful for identifying and reviewing essential details related to a concept, idea, or term.
  • Test yourself using either side of the card. If you read the topic, try to recall the information on the other side of the card. Or, start with the explanation and try to recall the topic it is describing.
  • You can also use the cards to write questions down based on your notes with the answers on the other side of the card.

Graphic Organizers

Graphic organizers are visual aids that allow you to reorganize and rearrange your notes for studying. There are many different options for graphic organizers with some outlined below and how they may be used for studying.

  • Frayer Models: Helpful for defining or describing concepts or terms.
  • Charts: Helpful for categorizing and classifying information.
  • Concept Maps: Helpful for structuring information and showing a relationship between concepts and ideas.
  • Timelines: Helpful for organizing information or events by order or in a sequence.
  • Venn Diagrams: Helpful for comparing concepts, ideas, people, or events and identifying similarities or differences.
  • Outlines: Helpful to separate main ideas from supporting information or sub-topics.
  • Cause and Effect: Helpful for identifying a causal relationship between concepts or events.
  • Flow Charts: Helpful for showing a sequence or an order of events or ideas.

Once you organize your notes in a review and testing format that works for you and is suitable for the course material, aim to review and test yourself often. It can be highly beneficial to review chunks of your class notes each week rather than having to cram it all in at one time. To build review and self-testing into your study schedule, check out our Study Schedules guide. As you review materials and test yourself, make note of areas that are more challenging so that you can dedicate additional time to learning the subject matter.

You can also visit Student Drop-in Hours or campus tutoring centers as spaces to help test your knowledge. When you arrive, you can explain that you want to make sure you are understanding the material correctly and would like them to quiz you by giving you sample questions to see how much information you can recall. Remember, you don’t have to be struggling or having difficulty with a class to use these resources. And, if they ask you a question that you are not sure about, you can discuss it with them on the spot and get clarity.