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Success in Study and Exam Habits
A manual of answers to two major questions which confrontevery student
1. What is my study Weaknesses?2. How can I improve my study methods?
By: KabasoSydney Mupukwa
© 2010
CONTENTS
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1. About the Author………………………………………
2. Introduction ……………………………………………
3. Know who you are ……………………………………
4. Improving your reading ability ……………………..
5. Studying your text book assignment ……………….
6. Improving your memory ……………………………..
7. Taking notes ………………………………………….
8. Preparing for and taking examinations ……………9. Improving your capacity for study …………………..
About the Author
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Chapter one
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K abaso Sydney Mupukwa is a multi gifted International motivational
Speaker, Business and Academic consultant, dynamic preacher,
Author, Lecturer, Researcher and Social Worker who addresses
critical issues affecting the full range of human, social and spiritual
development. The central theme of his message is critical self
awareness of one potential in life.
He is a Managing Consultant for Kabsy Consultancy Services; a
consultancy firm specialized in academic, business, development
and InfoTech. Through his work as a consultant, he travels
extensively around the World as a conference speaker and
facilitator. He is a man sought after by business men & women,
students and institutions in that he displays his dynamic skills inacademics, development, business and leadership with insight of
specialized knowledge and understanding.
As an Author, Kabaso has written number of publications whose
books are noted for their crisp simplicity and practical principles. In
addition, he is also a contributing Author of Lulu Publishing. His
work is distributed on the internet and sold.
He is the Director of Love World Campus Ministry- Zambia, A
ministry of Christ Embassy pioneered by Pastor Chris Oyachilome
and president of Vessels of Honour, a Christian International
Organization dedicated to raising champions and prayer warriors
and leaders. Kabaso as a preacher travels around the world on
evangelism and missions. Anointed to preach good news, healing
the sick & delivering captives. Kabaso is also a producer of various
radio and TV programmes that are sold in all electronic formats and
aired on different radio and TV stations.
He blends knowledge received from Mulungushi University,
University of Zambia and University of Africa into money and is
currentl hel in millions in transformin their visions into realit
Introduction
Success in studies and Examsmanual book written to answe
many questions that are oasked by students from all wof learning on:
What are my sweaknesses?
How can I improve study habits?
Knowledge from PsycholPhilosophy and the word of has been blended into 7 habithelp students all over the wdevelop study and exam habefore undertaking their examinations.
It can be used by all studeregardless of their level of stud
The book is accompanied by aand DVD on the success in stuand exams for students. Contathe author on+260966717712email:[email protected] our website: http:
www.kabsyconsultancyserviceg
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Know who you are
It has often been said that, if you do not know who you are otherpeople will tell you who you are not.
Knowing your self is the first step in making your study and exam easy
for you. Who are you? What is your personality, where do you come
from, what are your weaknesses, strengths?
“Any act often repeated soon forms a habit; and habit allowed, steadily
gains in strength. At first it may be as a spider’s web, easily broken
through, but if not resisted, it soon binds us with chains of steel.”
(Tryon Edwards)
You are extraordinary! You came into this world with more talents and
abilities than you could ever use. You could not exhaust your full
potential if you lived 100 lifetimes. Your amazing brain has 20 billion
cells, each of which is connected to as many as 20 thousand other
cells. The possible combinations and permutations of ideas, thoughts
and insights that you can generate are equivalent to the number one
followed by eight pages of zeros. According to brain expert Tony
Buzan, this number is greater than all the molecules in the known
universe. Whatever you have accomplished in life to this date is only a
small fraction of what you are truly capable of achieving.
The psychologist, Abraham Maslow, once wrote that, “The story of the
human race is the story of men and women selling themselves short.”
The average person settles for far less than he or she is truly capableof achieving. Compared with what you could be, everything you have
accomplished so far is only a small part of what is truly possible for
you.
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The challenge is that you come into the world with the most incredible
brain, surrounded by unlimited possibilities for success, happiness and
achievement, but you start off with no instruction manual. As a result,
you have to figure it all out for yourself. Most people never do. They go
through life doing the very best they can, but they never come within
shouting distance of doing, having and being all that is possible for
them.
Coming From Behind
I started off my school life with few advantages. I was brought up in a
disciplined family and my parents were the main model. I was born at
the time when my father was a member of parliament, and Deputy
Minister for Northern Province. In that time of it meant well for my
education. My father always ensured that I pay much attention to my
studies.
My school started well, when I had three brothers in the teaching
professional. It was an advantage for me, in that after my school hours,I utilized every skill in me. I grew up as an intelligent pupil. I did well, in
all my Primary education and passed well in every examination.
Things changed for me, I moved from Luwingu to Luanshya, I started
staying with my brother who is a Chemist Teacher at Mpatamato High
School. The place was secured for me at Luanshya Central High School.
At grade nine I passed so well, in that I came second the all school and
went in a pure class at Luanshya Boys High School.
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I left high school without getting six points, despite doing well during
my mock examination. The Grade 12 results were not impressive for
me, even my family was shocked why I failed to have six points.
Things well not well for me for three years in that, my results did not
favour me to get a scholarship or a bursary and study with University
of Zambia, where I wanted to study Chemical Engineering. My family
had no money at that time to pay for me in a University.
I worked at laboring jobs for several years. I worked in a mining
company as a general worker and later promoted to a safety officer at
Zambia Metal Fabricators (ZAMEFA). I worked with number of
contractors; I worked in the woods slashing brush. I dug ditches and
made fences for people in the yards. I worked on farms and ranches. I
worked in factories and on construction sites. For a time, I was a galley
boy on a Zambian soil. I earned my living by the sweat of my brow.
When I could no longer find a laboring job, I got a job at the clinic, as a
peer educator and psychosocial counselor. I became the project
coordinator for Chibolya Youth Friendly Health Clinic and I remainedthere for three years. For a long time I was asking myself, where did I
go wrong failing to pass my examination as I expected.
The Key to Success unlocked
Then one day I began asking that question, “Why is it that some
people are more successful than others?” Especially, “Why is it that
some students are more successful than others?” With that one
question, I did something that changed my life and began the
formation of a habit that had a profound effect on my future. I went
and asked the most successful Manager, Mrs. Christine Maonde, who at
that time was a district programme coordinator for Health
Communication Partnership (HCP) and she advised me.
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In the Bible it says, “Ask and ye shall receive.” I soon developed the
habit of asking everyone, and in every way possible, for the answers
that I needed to move ahead more rapidly. I met men of God, Pastor
Develious Phiri Pastor Mwansa, they preached the gospel to me, I was
born again and discovered myself. And my life changed from that day.
I started my first Social Work Course at Mulungushi University; by then
it was National College for Management and Development Studies. I
utilized my potential fully in that I understood myself. I helped my
students whilst at the campus with studies. My friends called me
“Lecturer” because of the insight of Knowledge and the help I was
rendering at the Campus. I was the highest in my intake and graduated
with a merit in social development and am in the History of the
University in that we were the first students to graduate at Mulungushi
University.
After completing my first professional programme, I decided to remain
behind in Kabwe and help more millions in discovering their potential
in life. I formed Kabsy Consultancy Services.
The organization provides Research, Consultancy and Tuitions in
Business and Social Sciences in Kabwe, We became known to
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Mulungushi University of Zambia, Evelyn Hone, National Institute of
Public Administration (NIPA), Nkrumah University and other schools,
colleges and Universities in the country, as experts in academic
consultancy, business, development and InfoTech.
I began to read books on selling, consultancy, business, InfoTech and
development and put into action what I had learned. I listened to audio
programs while I walked and eventually, as I drove around. I attended
every sales seminar I could find. I continually asked other successful
salespeople for advice. And I developed the habit of immediately
taking action on any advice or good idea that I received or learned. As
a result, and not surprisingly, my consultancy business went up and
up, and eventually I started to do work, for great people, companies
and nations around the World. Soon, I became the Lecturer at
Immaculata Business and Technical College; lately I expanded and
registered a consultancy firm. Kabsy Consultancy Services where Iam
currently the Managing Consultant.
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Over the years, the people I have taught with methods and techniques
that I had learned, in no time at all, they are making sales and moving
upward and onward in their own lives. Many of those early students
and business people are millionaires today.
The true secret to success that I learned years back has made me a
success ad I wish to share with you, the same principles and I hope and
trust, you will find this book interesting.
The Iron Law of the Universe
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Consultants at Work at Kabsy Consultancy Services, 2009
Kabaso Sydney motivating students in Swaziland on success. March 2010.
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What I learned from this experience was the great Law of Cause and
Effect . This is the foundation principle of western philosophy and of
modern thought. It says that for every cause, there is an effect .
Everything happens for a reason. Nothing happens by accident. This
law says that, even if you do not know the reason why something
happens, there is still a reason that explains it. Here is one of the most
important of all success principles: “If you do what other successful
people do, you will eventually get the same results that they do. And if
you don’t, you won’t.”
Nature is neutral. Nature does not favor one person over another. The
Bible says,
“God made the rain to fall on the just and the unjust.” When you do
the things that other successful people do, over and over again, you
will eventually get the same results that they do. It is not a matter of
luck, or chance, or accident. It is a matter of law. This was an
extraordinary idea for me. Even today I am awed by the immensity and
power of this simple principle. If you want to be successful in your
studies, pass an examination, be happy, healthy, prosperous, popular,positive and confident, just find out how other people who are enjoying
these benefits got that way and do the same things that they do. Think
the same thoughts. Feel the same feelings. Take the same actions. And
as sure as two plus two makes four, you will eventually get the same
results as others do. It is no miracle.
You Can Learn Anything
Over the years, I have worked in a variety of businesses and industries.
I have traveled in number of countries, learned different languages,
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and developed various skills. In my 20s, I went to leading Universities
locally and Internationally and got papers that I wanted. In every job,
and in every situation, I started off by asking, “What are the rules or
principles for success in this area of activity?” I then read books,
attended courses, and asked everyone I could find for their insights
and ideas.
When I became a Lecturer and Consultant, I read every book and
article I could find on development and management, and applied the
ideas and principles to building and directing a successful consultancy
firm. When I got into Business development, I read dozens of books on
the subject. Within a year, I started Motivation talks, starting with no
money and no contacts, I recorded motivation Talks on business and
sold number of CD’s and DVD’s.
When I got into the ministry, evangelism and missions, I went to learn
to Mozambique, Malawi and Swaziland how to do ministry. I again read
the books, on evangelism and missions, spoke to the experts, and did
my research to find out how to set up a network of Christian
Organizations and do Ministry. Today, run we have over 50 branches of Vessels of Honour International.
Over the past 10 years, in my work as a consultant, my entire focus
has been on discovering the reasons for sales, revenues and profits in
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Kabaso Sydney in Maputo,
Mozambique on anEvangelistic mission in
February 2010.
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each business or industry, and then determining how those principles
could be best utilized to achieve the results of the most successful
companies.
When people complimented me on my successes, I eagerly shared
with them what I had learned in each area. I told them that they too
could learn anything that they needed to learn to achieve any goal
they could set for themselves. All they had to do was to find out the
cause and effect relationships in any area of endeavor, and then apply
them to their own activities. If they did this, they would soon get the
same results that other successful people get.
Taking Control of Your Life
But instead of taking this advice, they would nod, smile and agree, and
then turn away and go about their day-to-day business. They would
start work at the last possible moment, waste much of the day in idle
conversation with co-workers and personal business, leave work at the
earliest possible time, and then spend their evenings socializing or
watching television.
In frustration, I began to study psychology and metaphysics. I
eventually learned that there are a series of universal principles and
timeless truths that explain much of human success and failure. These
principles explain happiness and unhappiness, riches and poverty,
health and ill health, and good and poor relationships. These mental
laws explain why some people have wonderful lives and why others do
not.
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The Law of Control
The first law that I discovered was the Law of Control. This law says
that, “You feel happy to the degree to which you feel you are in control
of your own life. You feel unhappy to the degree to which you feel you
are not in control of your own life.” Modern psychology calls this
“Locus of Control Theory.” Psychologists differentiate between an
internal locus of control and an external locus of control. Your locus of
control is where you feel the control exists in each area of your life.
This location determines your happiness or unhappiness more than any
other factor.
For example, if you feel that you are the primary creative force in your
own life, how you make your own decisions, and that everything that
happens to you is a result of yourself and your own behaviors, you
have a solid internal locus of control. As a result, you will feel strong,
confident and happy. You will think with greater clarity and perform at
higher levels than the average person.
On the other hand, if you feel that your life is controlled by other
factors or people, by your job, your boss, your childhood experiences,
your bills, your health, your family or anything else, you will have an
external locus of control. You will feel like a victim. You will feel like a
pawn in the hands of fate. You will soon develop what Dr. Martin
Seligman of the University of Pennsylvania calls “learned
helplessness.” You will feel helpless and unable to change or improve
your situation. You will soon develop the habit of blaming others and
making excuses for your problems. This type of thinking leads
inevitably to anger, frustration and failure.
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The Power of Belief
The next law I discovered was the Law of Belief. This is the basic
principle that underlies most religion, psychology, philosophy and
metaphysics. The Law of Belief says that, “Whatever you believe, with
conviction, becomes your reality.” In the New Testament it says,
“According to your faith, it is done unto you.” In the Old Testament, it
says, “As a man thinketh, in his heart (his beliefs), so is he.” William
James of Harvard wrote, “Belief creates the actual fact.” The fact is
that, “You do not believe what you see, but rather, you see what you
already believe.” Your deeply held beliefs form a screen of prejudices
that distort your external reality and cause you to see things not the
way they are, but the way you are.
The worst of all beliefs are self-limiting beliefs. These are beliefs that
you have developed through life, usually false, that cause you to
believe that you are limited in some way. Your negative beliefs soonbecome habitual ways of thinking. You may believe that you lack
intelligence, creativity, personality, the ability to speak publicly, the
ability to earn a high income, the ability to lose weight, or the ability to
achieve your goals. As a result of your self-limiting beliefs, you
continually fail in mathematics subjects, “sells yourself short,” give up
easily in the pursuit of a goal, and even worse, tell other people around
you that you lack certain qualities or abilities. Your beliefs then
become your realities.
“You are not what you think you are, but what you think , you are.” In
developing success study & exam habits, one of the most important
steps you take is to challenge your self-limiting beliefs. You begin this
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process by imagining that you have no limitations at all. When you
develop your mind to the point where you absolutely believe that you
can do anything you put your mind to, you will find a way to make that
belief a reality. As a result, your whole life will change.
As we will discuss later, beliefs are the hardest things of all to change.
But there is good news. It is that all beliefs are learned. And anything
that has been learned can be unlearned. You can develop the beliefs of
courage, confidence and unstoppable persistence that you need for
great success by reprogramming your subconscious mind in a specific
way.
Your Self-Fulfilling Prophecies
The next law that I discovered is the Law of Expectations. This law says
that,” Whatever you expect, with confidence, becomes your own self-
fulfilling prophecy.” In other words, you do not necessarily get what
you want, but rather what you expect. If you confidently expect
something to happen, this expectation has a powerful effect on yourattitude and your personality. The more confident your expectations,
the more likely it is that you will do and say the things that are
consistent with what you expect to happen. As a result, you will
dramatically increase the probabilities that you will achieve exactly
what you are hoping for.
One of the wonderful things about expectations is that you can
manufacture your own. You can get up each morning and say; “I
believe something wonderful is going to happen to me today.” As you
go through the day, you create a force field of expectations that
surrounds you and effects the people with whom you come in contact.
And in some remarkable way, a series of wonderful things, both large
and small, will happen to you throughout the day.
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A successful student expects them to be successful in every subject of
study and successful people expect to be successful, in advance.
Happy people expect to be happy. Popular people expect to be liked by
others. They develop the habit of expecting that something good will
happen in every situation. They expect to benefit from every
occurrence, even temporary setbacks and failures. They expect he
best of other people, and always assume the best of intentions. And
they are seldom disappointed.
The flipside of positive expectations are the negative expectations that
many people have. Unhappy people expect to fail more often than they
succeed. They expect that other people will hurt or disappoint them.
They expect their ventures to do poorly. Instead of expecting the best,
they expect the worst, and because the law is neutral, they are seldom
disappointed.
One of the most important things you can do to assure a happy,
healthy, prosperous life, is to expect the very best from every person
or situation, no matter how it may look at the moment. Develop thehabit of positive expectations. You will be amazed at the effect this has
on yourself and on the people around you.
You Are a Living Magnet
The next law I learned about was the Law of Attraction. This law says
that, “You are a living magnet; you invariably attract into your life the
people, ideas and circumstances that harmonize with your dominant
thoughts.” This law of attraction has been written and spoken about for
five thousand years. It is one of the most important of all principles in
explaining success and failure. The law of attraction says that your
thoughts are activated by your emotions, either positive or negative,
and that they then create a force field of energy around you that
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attracts into your life, like iron filings to a magnet, exactly the people
and circumstances that are in harmony with those thoughts.
Like all mental laws, the law of attraction is neutral. If you think
positive thoughts, you attract positive people and circumstances. If you
think negative thoughts, you attract negative people and
circumstances. Successful, happy people continually think and talk
about the things they want to attract into their lives. Unsuccessful,
unhappy people are continually talking about the people and situations
that cause them to feel angry and frustrated.
One of the most important habits you develop is the habit of keeping
your mind full of exciting, positive, emotionalized pictures and images
of the exact things you want to see materialize in your life, and in the
world around you. This is one of the most difficult of disciplines, but
one that pays off in extraordinary ways.
As Within, So Without
The summary law of the laws we have just discussed is the Law of
Correspondence. This law says that, “Your outer world is a reflection of
your inner World.” It is as though you live in a 360-degree mirror.
Everywhere you look, you see yourself reflected back at you. People
treat you the way you treat them. The way you think about your
physical body will be reflected in your health habits and your
appearance. The way you think about people and your relationships
will be reflected back to you in the quality of your friendships and your
family life. The way you think about the subject will be reflected on
your test paper. The way you think about success and prosperity will
be reflected in the results that you enjoy in your career and your
material life. In every case, your outer world reflects back to you, like a
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mirror image, exactly what you are thinking in the deepest recesses of
your mind.
When you put the Laws of Cause and Effect, Belief, Expectations,
Attraction and
Correspondence together, you arrive at the great universal principle
that explains your life and everything that happens to you: “You
become what you think about – most of the time.”
Just think! You become what you think about most of the time. You
always move in the direction of your dominant thoughts. Everything in
your outer world is controlled and determined by what you are thinking
in your inner world. The good news is that there is only thing in the
universe over which you have complete control, and that is the content
of your conscious mind. Only you can decide what you think about
most of the time. And fortunately, this is all the control that you need
to shape your own life and determine your own future. By taking
complete control of your conscious thoughts, you can control the
directionof your life. By taking control, you will feel happy, powerful, confident
and free.
You will become unstoppable.
You can improve the ability of your school work immeasurably by first
analyzing your present study methods and then changing those
methods and then changing those methods which are known to be
ineffective. The procedure necessary for improving your habits of study
includes the following: -
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First, answer the items in the study “Study Habits Inventory” below. It
is a weighted checklist of specific habits and attitudes which bear an
important relationship to scholastic success in college or university.
Directions: The following is a list of statements of situations, habits
and conditions which affect the use of study time and consequent
success in school work and study. You are asked to state your habits
with regard to these items, not in accordance with what you think you
should or should not do, or what you see others do, but in accordance
with what you, yourself, are in the habit of doing. Please answer all
questions.
A. Reading and note taking habits.
After each statement, you will find three columns. Place a check mark
in the column which you feel most nearly describes the truth of the
statement in your own case now. If the statement is rarely or never
true in your own case, make a check mark in column 1; if the
statement is sometimes true, make a check mark in Column 2; if the
statement is often or always true, and make a check mark in Column 3.
B. Habits of Concentration
Instructions
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A.Reading & NoteTaking Techniques
1Rarely
Or Never
2Som
etime
s
3Often
Or Alwa ys
Scor e
Ref Pages
1. I have to re-readmaterial several times –the words don’t havemuch meaning the firsttime I go over them2. I have trouble pickingout the important pointsin material read orstudied; tend to takedown material whichturns out to beunimportant3. I go back and recite tomyself the materialstudied – rechecking anypoints I found doubtful4. I pronounce the wordsto myself as I read5. I miss importantpoints in the lecture
while copying downnotes on somethingwhich has gone beforeB. Habits of Concentration
6. I find it hard to keepmy mind on what I amstudying – don’t knowwhat I have beenreading about when Iget through7. I have a tendency to“day-dream” whentrying to study
8. It takes mesome time to getsettled and“warmed up” tothe task of study9. I have to waitfor “the mood tostrike me” or for“an inspiration”before starting atask; I am likelyto waste timeC. Distribution of Time & Social relationships in Study
10. My studyperiods are oftentoo short for meto get warmed upand concentrated11. My timeunwiselydistributed; Ispend too muchtime on somethings and notenough on others12. My periods of study areinterference suchas telephone
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Second, Score the various study item. Find out the score value of your
answer for each item and write it in its appropriate space in the
inventory . Add all scores with positive signs; add all scores with
negative signs; then subtract the smaller sum from the larger sum. Do
not, however, place too much dependence on this total score, since
you may have a high positive total score and still have one or two poor
habits which are represented by large negative numbers. If your total
score is below a plus 30, which is the average for a large group of
freshmen, you certainly need to examine your individual scores with
great care.
Third, determine which habits need to be improved. Encircle all those
items in the inventory which received a negative score. Each indicates
a habit which is associated with poor academic achievement. Careful
investigations have shown that students who are doing school workbelow the average for their level of ability habitually study in the way
indicated by the negative score. Students whose school work is above
the average for their level of ability do not study in this way, but in the
way indicated by the positive scores. The score is especially important
if your answer was in Column 1 or Column 3. The size of the score is
somewhat indicative of the importance of the habit.
Fourth, find out how you can improve upon your poor habits. Almost
any habit can be changed by persistent effort. For any habit that tends
toward low scholarship there is an alternative habit which is
characteristic of students who achieve high scholarship. You will find
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the location of the appropriate suggestions in this manual for
improving your study and reading habits in the column labeled
“Reference Pages” in the inventory . Read the entire manual at least
once in order to see habit relationships.
Fifth, write out six or eight of the study & reading suggestions that are
most important for you in the blank spaces below. Put these into
practice everyday. You should look over the suggestions once a day for
at least a week to determine whether or not you are practicing them.
When these become habitual, you should add further needed
suggestions.
Sixth, check yourself by taking again the “Study-Habits Inventory”
which is located on pages 30 – 32. You should have practiced the new
study habits for at least a month before you take this inventory. Score
yourself as before and compare your scores with those you received on
your first inventory .
SELECTED SUGGESTIONS
Use the space below for writing in those suggestions which you will
want to put into practice as a result of the preceding analysis.
Whenever possible, secure specific assistance in your study
improvement from a psychologist habits
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Chapter Two
Planning your work
You should regard your School, college or University as you
would any job for which you should agree to work certain
scheduled hours. Having formed the habit of keeping a schedule, the
adjustment you will be forced to make when you leave school and get
a job will not be so severe. Imagine what would happen if an industry
were carried on in the way that many students carry on their study.
Suppose a manager should tell employees only that it was up to them
to work hard and to do their best, without telling them when or how
they should work. A tremendous waste of labour would result. To avoid
such waste, efficient managers plan each move with care.
No doubt you have had the experience of being confronted with
several tasks simultaneously and have found that in such a situation,
you either failed to do any one of them or you were able to get started
wholeheartedly on one task only after a long delay. The pressure of
each task prevented you from concentrating completely upon any one,
causing you to turn in a futile fashion from one to another. This type of
indecision is called mental conflict. A declaration, however, that you
will study your French at eight o’clock tomorrow settles the conflict;
the proper mental set is established, other inclinations are opposed inadvance and when the time comes you almost automatically do the
task scheduled. A planned programme is one of the greatest aids in
making your work smooth-running and effective.
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1. Put into your schedule the hours spent Sleep. You should
arrange to get at least seven or eight hours every night.
2. Schedule the hours spent in necessary activities, such as
meals, class laboratories, and work for pay. Cross-hatch or
lightly fill in these squares so that they will stand out as the
fixed periods and the blank squares as the ones to be planned
for.
3. Plan your study periods. Determine the approximate number
of hours necessary for each subject from your trial record on
Time Chart No.1. The average student who has no more than
one laboratory course will probably need to spend from 24 to
30 hours a week in study in addition to time spent in
laboratories and classes. Some students will need to spend
more time; a few can spend less. The less your academicbackground, your mental ability, or the effectiveness of your
habits of work, the more time you should spend in study.
Don’t judge how much time you should by how much
someone else spends. Students differ as much in this as they
do, for example, in physical strength or skill in tennis.
4. Arrange some time for reaction. You should spend a minimum
of 15 hours a week in conversation, social activities, lighting
reading, and other forms of relaxation.
5. Adapt the length of each study period to the type and
difficulty of the material to be studied. For example, if you are
doing drill work involving rote memorizing, you should not
over 20 minutes without a change or at least a rest. If you are
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reading a novel or writing a paper, however, you may work
several hours without a change. Most students find it best in
textbook studying to work intensively for forty minutes to an
hour and then rest for a few minutes. During the rest period,
get a drink, walk around, or do something else that will give
you muscular or visual relaxation. While resting, avoid any
activity such as conversation which would make it difficult to
return to whatever you were doing. This will eliminate the
danger of mental distractions and the necessity for warming
up again to your study.
6. Place each study period as close to its class recitation as
possible. Thus, if you have history at 8:00AM on Wednesday,
you will remember more if you study the assignment Tuesday
night rather than the preceding Monday night. It is highly
efficient to review class and lecture notes and do preliminary
advance preparation immediately after a class if you have a
free period. If possible, provide a brief period for reviewing the
lesson just before going to class, but do not wait for that
period to do your first studying of the assignment.7. Do not waste the hours between classes. The hours from
8:00AM to 6:00PM are the hardest to schedule. Assign them
carefully to classes, study, and recreation.
8. Do not change directly from the study of one course to
another similar to it. For example, if you are taking two
foreign languages, never study one of them right after having
studied the other.
9. Study your most difficult courses during the time of the day
when you work most efficiently.
Follow the Schedule, Allowing for Some Changes.
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10. Place a copy of your schedule on the wall in front of your
desk where you can see it easily. Study your schedule
carefully at the beginning of each day and check on yourself
at the end of the day. After you have made a time chart and
followed it for several weeks, you will be surprised how easily
you fall into regular habits. Just as it is easier to get up at 7:00
O’ clock after you have made it a habit. You will be further
astonished at the amount of free time you will have as
compared with the amount you had under your former
careless daily routine.
11. Make changes whenever necessary. Your schedule will
need to be revised, and at times broken. It should be, not an
inflexible system which takes away all spontaneity of action,
but rather a guide to efficient effort.
12. Don’t be too heroic in your belief that you can follow a
schedule easily. You may become discouraged in your
attempts, particularly in the beginning. It is, however, vitally
important for you to keep applying the schedule until it
becomes a habit.
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Chapter Three
Improving your reading ability
A. Know WHEN and HOW to vary you’re Reading Rate.
1. Factors determining reading rate include:
a. The difficulty of the material, which may range from the
lightness of a light novel to the heaviness of a very
technical book. You may be able to read something light at
the rate of 600 words per minute and yet not be able to
read with understanding more than fifty words of chemistry
per minute.
b. Your familiarity with the vocabulary of the material. A
lawyer can read in a few minutes and with perfect
understanding material which you might understand only
imperfectly after puzzling over it for hours.
c. The purpose for which you read. You may read a novel
primarily for the plot, for the beauty of description, for themethod of characterization, or for all of these purposes.
Your reading speed will vary accordingly. You ordinarily
read the newspaper rapidly and casually, but for an oral
report you would read it slowly and critically.
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2. Speed used in reading may roughly be described as:
a. Skimming, which is the most rapid way of reading? Use if
for: (1) determining whether a book has certain information
you are looking for; (2) finding the author’s method of
organization; (3) getting a general idea of the book’s
usefulness to you.
b. Rapid Reading, Which is speed without skipping? Use it (1)
to get a fairly complete understanding of the material read;
(2) when reading familiar material with the purpose of
picking up new ideas of to refresh the memory; (3) for
finding the answer to a specific problem. This rate is most
appropriate for reading fiction and light non-fiction.
c. Normal or average reading, which represents a slowing
down for the sake of thoroughness. Use it (1) to get a fairly
complete understanding of the material read; (2) in making
an outline; (3) for summarizing; (4) in collecting
information for a theme or report. The average college
student will need to read from about 200 to 400 words per
minute of average textbook material. If you have doubtsabout your reading ability, arrange to take a reading test.
d. Heavy reading, which calls for the slowest rate. Use it (1) in
evaluating or criticizing; (2) in reading very difficult or
unfamiliar material; (3) for discovering a method of solving
a problem. This rate is particularly necessary for intelligent
reading in physical sciences, mathematics, and philosophy.
You may not be able to read effectively more than four or
five pages an hour at this speed.
B. Increase Your Speed of Reading.
Extensive experimentation has shown that particularly anyone
can greatly increase his rate of reading. Many people can double
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their speed without any loss in accuracy. Studies show gains
ranging from 25 percent to over 100 percent increase in speed,
accompanied by no loss and often by an improvement in
understanding or comprehension. An increase in reading rate is
often accompanied by better comprehension, because a
relatively faster rate calls for closer concentration and
necessitates the grouping of words in larger units, such as
phrases or sentences. The following suggestions will help you in
improving your reading rate:
1. Eliminate throat or lip movements and the “hearing” of the
words. If you whisper or use lip movements, you are able to
read silently only as fast as you do aloud. You may detect any
lip movement by placing your fingers on your lips as you read.
2. Make a definite effort to correct errors which you tend to
make consistently. For instance, you may tend to overlook the
word not or you may continually misread a certain word.
3. Read for ideas, not words. The eyes do not move gradually
across the line as you read but rather by jumps, pausing ateach jump. Most students while reading material that is not
too difficult are able to see several words during pause.
However, some students pause or look upon every word
including even such minor ones as a, an, and the. To
overcome word reading, practice reading enough words at a
single glance so that you get ideas rather than isolated words.
4. Try to get the main thought of each paragraph. Generally,
two-thirds or more of the sentences of each paragraph are
illustrative or supplementary. The central idea is frequently
stated in a topic sentence of the paragraph.
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5. Have in mind something definite that you are looking for, such
as a point of information, answer to questions, or solutions to
problems.
6. Focus your attention only upon the meaning. If you are
concerned about your eye movements or the time it takes you
to read the present material, you are trying to pay attention
to both what and how you are reading. This division of
attention will slow you down, since it is impossible to pay
attention effectively to two or more things at one time.
7. Reduce re-reading to a minimum. Read easy material without
re-reading any parts. Do not stop to puzzle over sentences
that are obscure on the first reading, as you would if you were
solving a problem. Later sentences sometimes make clear the
meaning of earlier sentences. If this does not occur, then you
can re-read the obscure sentences. Gradually, you will learn
to understand without re-reading.
8. Try to read more rapidly. Continually forces yourself to read
faster and still get the thought. Simple as this sound, it is a
very important aid in increasing your reading rate. At first,you may experience a feeling that you are missing some of
the content; however, in checking your comprehension you
may find that this feeling is misleading.
9. Time yourself on various types of material, and then try to
beat your own record. Keep a graph or chart to show your
progress.
a. Read easy fiction under limits. Read a novel of seventh or
eighth-grade difficulty, keeping a record of the number of
minutes required to read ten full pages at intervals of
about fifty pages. This will give you a measure of any
increase in reading speed as you read the book.
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b. Use the “running start” in reading articles and stories.
Read the first two paragraphs thoroughly. Then, timing
yourself, read the first two paragraphs a second time and
continue reading further until you finish. Since you will
read the beginning paragraphs twice, you should be able to
read them faster than you would have ordinarily. Thus you
will gain a certain momentum which will enable you to read
the remainder of the selection faster than usual without
requiring too much effort on your part to read faster.
c. Compete with yourself in reading your assignments. Select
five pages from one of your assignments and read these
pages in your usual manner, keeping a record of the
number of minutes and seconds it takes you to read them.
Then, select five more pages and read them as fast as you
can without any conscious loss in comprehension, keeping
a record of the time required for reading. Compare the
time necessary for the first five pages with that necessary
for the second five pages. Continue this process until your
habitual rate of reading is as this increased rate.
C. Get the Writer’s Meaning by Finding His Framework or
Organization.
Any material which is well written is organized. However, do not
always expect to be able to determine the writer’s organization.
Reading for meaning requires the ability to follow the author’s
sequence of ideas rather than to note isolated facts. With practice
you can make it a habit to notice the plan of development of the
material. Make use of the following methods to help you get a
blueprint of the material read:
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1. Make use of the editor’s signals:
a. The table of contents, located in the first few page of the
book, gives you a bird’s-eye view or map of the ground covered,
because the chapter headings make up the main topics of the book.
b. Each chapter usually has within it headings, printed in special
type, which indicate the chief divisions of the chapter. These
make up the main subtopics of the book.
c. Often, each paragraph or group of paragraphs is introduced
by topic printer in italics or boldface type. These are further
hints as to main points. Of course, not all books have these
signals; but use them whenever they are available.
2. Find the writer’ use and development of paragraphs. Aparagraph is generally a signal that a different idea is being
developed which should help show the steps in the writer’s
thoughts.
a. Be able to recognize the introductory paragraph and thesummary paragraph in a chapter. The former frequently gives
the purpose of the article and sets the stage for what is to
follow. The latter, which is usually found at the end of a
chapter or section, consists of a condensed restatement of
the principal points or main ideas. It may occur within a
chapter for the purpose of summarizing the discussion to that
point. Sometimes a summary is expressed in the introductory
paragraph.
b. A paragraph topic may be developed by gicvng examples,
contrasting or comparing two objects or things, giving reasons
for a statement, giving the solution to a problem, repeating
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the main idea in different words, or by explanatory or
descriptive details.
3. Make use of topic sentences. Paragraphs are usually written
according to one of the following patterns:
a. The topic sentence (which expresses the main thought)is
most frequently located at the beginning of the paragraph:
also, it may be located at the end of the paragraph;
occasionally, but rarely, it is located in the body of the
paragraph.
b. Sometimes no main topic sentence is given but the main idea
is to be inferred from the details given.
c. Further, a single topic sentence may suffice for a group of
paragraphs when each new paragraph deals with a new group
of details rather than a new thought.
4. Make use of signal words. These are connectives which show
relationships existing among the various points.
a. Full signals are words like “first,” “second,” and symbols like
(1) and (2). These reveal directly the writer’s points.
b. Half-signals also indicate the writer’s points or ideas, but notas clearly as full signals. some half-signals quite frequently
used included the following:
(1)Another fact: next, then, further, besides, moreover, but.
(2)Another time: then, soon, mean while, later, at last, finally .
(3)Another place: there, here, above, beneath, on the other
side.
(4)A specific case: for example, especially, in particular.
(5)A conclusion: therefore, consequently, for this reason.
The sentence, “He was interviewed by the secretary, then by
the president, and finally by the whole board,” illustrates the
use of half-signals indicating time.
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5. Note the writer’s framework while you are reading. This will
vary a great deal according to the writer and the nature of the
material. The following example indicates one way of noting the
writer’s organization. You may think to yourself:
This is the author’s introduction; he has announced his purpose or
main idea.
This is the first important point which he illustrates.
Now he is wandering away from the main thread of thought. He is back
on the main road again and is making a second point; he restates this
point several times.
Now he is making a third point, a fourth, and a fifth, offering supporting
statement for each.
Finally he makes certain conclusions based on the preceding facts.
D. Get The Meaning Of Each Unfamiliar Word1. Secure its meaning from the context. In the sentence, “john
scrutinized the pen, since he thought it might be the one he had
lost,” you can guess the meaning of the word “scrutinized:” from
the rest of the sentence. Furthermore, the meanings of words
depend entirely upon the manner in which they are used in a
sentence. For example, the word order would have different
meanings in each of these two sentences: “I should like to place
my order now,” and “The order of names should be reversed”.
2. Secure its meaning by analysis. In order to do this , you should:
a. Know the most commonly used prefixes, as Trans (across).
b. Learn such common suffixes, as able (capable of being).
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c. Make use of word roots such as part (carry). Thus
transportable would mean ‘capable of being carried across.”
d. Try to discover whether the word contains within it familiar
shorter words such as solid in solidarity.
3. Look the word up in the dictionary if its meaning is still vague.
Unless the word is absolutely essential to an understanding of
the paragraph, look it up after you have finished the paragraph
or section. Otherwise frequent pauses to look up words will
disturb the rhythm of your reading and reduce your speed.
4. Learn to use a phonetic attack if you can’t pronounce unfamiliar
words which if heard would be understood. (See back pages for
reference to a phonics workbook.)
E. Do Not Skip Tables, Graphs, Drawings, Or Maps
These aids are put into your textbook to give you a concise
summary of main points. Since they give you a visual picture, you
should remember them more easily than you would any word
explanation they summarize in a small amount of space facts and
relationships that would otherwise require hundreds of words.
F. Evaluate Whatever You Read.
1. Test your own thinking. Is it free from personal prejudice or
emotional bias? Do you read this material with an open mind or
do you only retain that which supports certain conclusion which
you have already established?
2. Test the writer’s reliability. What experience has the writer had
in the subject with whom he is dealing, and how authoritative are
his sources of information?
3. Test the author’s use of words. Since some words have many
meanings, the author may cause you to believe something which
you would not believe if you had known what he meant by
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certain words. Also, he may use certain emotionally toned words
to which you react favorably in order to make you accept
statements you would not otherwise accept.
4. Test the statements themselves. Do they agree with other
established facts and conclusions, and are they self-consistent:
does the author offer any proof for his statements; if so, is his
proof sound?
G. Interpret and apply the facts that you learn.
No doubts friends and parents have said to you, “you know better
than that.” What they really mean is that you should make better
use of what you know. The value of knowledge is determined by
the use you make of it. Some suggestions that will increase your
ability to use your knowledge are:
1. Make associations with the past . Relate new ideas to facts that
you already know; relate material learned in one course to that
learned in other courses.
2. Think up illustrations and examples of your own. Force yourself
habitually to recall experiences and examples of your own whicheither support or contradict the writer’s or speaker’s statements.
3. Talk about the material you or hear. Take every opportunity to
discuss with your parents, friends, and instructors the various
ideas and facts which you learn.
4. Apply your knowledge. Put into practice the principles you learn.
You may memorize all the material in this pamphlet, but it will be
of little value until you use the ideas in improving your study.
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Chapter four
Studying your textbook assignment
One of the poorest but yet most widely used methods of studying
a textbook assignment is to read it through and then, if time
permits, to re-read it. Students using this method often are unable
to recite in class although they can recognize the correct answer
when someone else gives it. Experimental studies show that the
following method, devised by F.P. Robinson, will greatly increase
your understanding and ability to remember your assignments.Some comments made by students using it are: “I predicted 15 of
the 20 questions asked: and “I’ve been getting D’s in history but I
got a B yesterday.”
The Survey Q3R Method
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SURVEY1. Make a hasty survey of your assignment to get the main
ideas.
This need not take over two or three minutes. Note the title
of the chapter; read any introductory, summary, and
concluding paragraphs and leaf through the assignment to
determine the main sections (generally three to six), thus
getting the framework of the chapter. To being reading
your lesson without this bird’s eye view is like beginning an
automobile trip without a road map or without knowing
where you are going.
QUESTION 2. Turn the first heading into a question. This will
arouse your curiosity and give you a purpose in reading.
The question will make important points stand out while
explanatory detail, elaboration, and repetition is
recognized as such. If there are no headings, ask questions
that you think might be asked by your instructor.
READ 3. Read to answer your questions. This means that you read
to the end of the headed section. Your rate of reading will
depend on your purposes, the difficulty of the material, and
your familiarity with it. While reading, make use of editors’
signals (italics and boldface type), topic sentences, signal
words (“first,” “further”), and various summaries (including
graphs and charts) to help you organize the material.
RESTATE 4. After you have read the first section, look away from
your book and try briefly to restate the answer to the
question. Use your own words and if possible give an
example. If you can’t give the answer, reread the section.
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Then jot down cue phrases in outline form in your
notebook, particularly for later review. Make the notes
brief.
NOW REPEAT STEPS 2,3 AND 4 ON EACH SUCCEEDING
HEADED SECTION. THAT IS, TURN THE NEXT HEADING INTO
A QUESTION, READ TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION, RESTATE
THE ANSWER, AND OUTLINE. READ IN THIS WAY UNTIL THE
ASSIGNMENT IS COMPLETED.
Studies indicate that a quick review or restatement
immediately after each reading period will insure almost 50
percent greater efficiency in remembering.
REVIEW5. When your lesson has been read; look over your notes to
get a bird’s-eye view of the various ideas and their
relationships. Check your memory by covering up the
notes and trying to recall the main points. Then expose
each main point and try to recall the sub points listed
under it. Further, you should always go over your outline
just before a test. You tend to forget most of what youlearned during the first 24hours. But remember that you
can often relearn in a few minutes what took you an hour
to learn the first time.
In the beginning, the Survey Q3R Method may seem strange and
difficult. However, after you become familiar with the method, it will
result in a far greater mastery of your assignments, with no increase in
time spent in studying. It has these advantages: you are learning to
distinguish between main ideas and details; you trains yourself to
answer questions as you would on a test; you reduce mind-wandering
because you make frequent checks; you make brief notes-using your
own words best possible use of the principles of memory.
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Chapter Five
Improving your memory
Many students consider the memorizing of a lesson something quite
different from the mastering of the lesson. This is misleading because
the understanding of an idea involves the remembering of certain
related ideas. Memory provides the materials for thought. Memorizing
the important points of a lesson is a necessary part of mastering.
Use a memory system only for learning facts which allow for no
associations or for something you have particular difficulty in
remember. to expect more from them would be using valuable time
learning peculiar associations which might be more efficiently used
learning directly what you wish to remember.
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Experimental evidence indicates certain principles of memorizing
which lead to more efficient remembering. These principles are:
A. Be Sure You Understand Any Material You Wish to
Remember.
In an experiment on matchstick puzzles, some students
concentrated more upon learning the solution and other studied the
principles involved. A month later the students who had learned the
solution rather than the principles could remember much less. They
did not have poorer memories; rather, they failed to understand
what they learned and therefore forgot more.
B. Learn with the Intention of Remembering.
Experiments have shown that whenever there was no intention to
remember, very little progress was made despite many readings.
The classical “absent-minded professor” doesn’t forget his umbrella
as he leaves the classroom but rather as he arrives. He sets hisumbrella down mechanically with no intention of remembering
where it is because he is thinking of his lecture.
C. Learn to outline or organize the facts.
Contrast the difficulty in remembering the series “apple, pecan,
cherry, pear, walnut” with that of memorizing the same words
arranged in two groups: (1) fruits: apple, cherry, pear; (2) nuts:
pecan, walnut. In similar manner, organize the ideas in your lesson
so they are grouped under main ideas or key words.
D. Select or Create Key Words to Represent the Facts to be
Remembered
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Try to find certain catchwords or key words which will serve as
guide posts to which you can tie the thread of thought. For
example, typical key words for section II on “Improving Your reading
Ability” would be: (1) vary and increase your speed; (2) get the
writer’s ideas; (3) evaluate, and (4)use.
E. Take Advantage of Your Memory Type.
Some people are “visual minded,” other remember better by ear
(saying it out loud), and a few memorize best by writing out the
material. However, most students find visualizing the best method.
In that case, getting a mental picture of graphs and charts and
making and visualizing summary outlines are valuable are valuable
aids to study.
F. Memorize by using the method most appropriate for the
materials to be memorized.
1. Memorize word for word those materials which are more
effectively learned in that way. Formulas, dates, laws, etc., are of
this type; however, even much of these materials can be
organized.
2. Memorize poems, plays, speeches, or similar materials by
repeating the whole selection from beginning to end until the
general pattern becomes familiar, after which you should work
on the difficult parts. Units and memorize each of the units.
G. Use Short practice Periods.
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1. It is more efficient to give complete attention to memorizing
something for twenty minutes than it is to give half of your
attention to it for an hour. Hence three different periods of
twenty minutes each spent in memorizing are far more effective
than one period of sixty minutes.
2. Pause for a short while after intensive memorizing; let your mind
rest completely: do not take up a new mental activity for several
minutes, or the new material may get mixed up with that which
you were trying to memorize.
H. Use a flash system.
This consists of writing the words to be learned on one side of a 3x5
card and then writing its meaning on the other side. At regular
intervals go through all your cards testing yourself by giving the
meaning of each word. This method is particularly effective for
memorizing a technical vocabulary. Formulas, dates in history, and
a foreign language vocabulary. Further, these can be carried with
you so that whenever you have a few minutes spare time, you can
review them.
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Chapter Six
Increasing your ability to concentrate
Concentration is the ability to direct and control attention. It is not
something which some people are born with and others are bornwithout. It consists of a habit or many habits which are formed in
relation to certain tasks.
A. Find the Cause of Your Minds-Wandering
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1. You many find yourself distracted by little things which interfere
with concentration. Maybe you are supposed to make a phone
call or to write a letter home. It may be best for you to perform
these duties immediately if that is possible. But if you are in the
midst of study, jot down the task, idea, or problem on a scratch
pad so that you will be reminded to take it up later. Doing this
will enable you to put it out of your mind until you complete your
studying.
2. Possibly you have too little or too much confidence regarding the
number of activities you can handle, the grades you feel yourself
capable of getting, or the vocational goal you can attain. An.
Objective examination of your abilities may show you the
desirability of changing your goals.
3. You may have financial difficulties, an unsuccessful love affair,
feelings of inadequacy, and so on. If so, try to determine as
emotionally as possible just what the problem is, what changes
are needed, and what changes can actually be made. This will
reduce or eliminate “thinking in a vicious circle” and will bring
you face of face with the objective facts. It may be best for youto talk over your problems with someone in whom you have
confidence or with a counselor. The most important thing is to
come to a decisive stand concerning your problem, whether or
not it results in immediate action, and then stick to it.
B. Develop work Habits Which Will Aid Concentration
1. Develop regular habits of study in certain places. Try to study a
subject in the same place and at the same time. By so doing, you
will develop habits which will make it much easier for you to
contrite. Keep your place of study sacred to that purpose. Loaf
and do your recreational reading somewhere else, thereby
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insuring an attitude of study when you sit down at your study
table or other appointed place for study.
2. Work in a place where noise and distractions are at a minimum .
If it is impossible to find a quite place, do not let that become an
excuse for not studying. Experiments show that students can
become so well adapted to a noisy environment that it will not
hinder study efficiency; however, the noisy environment will
require you to exert more energy in order to concentrate. In
adapting yourself to distractions, it is better to disregard rather
than to react to any disturbances. When people fret over
annoyances in their study periods their own anxiety is a greater
source of distraction than is the actual disturbances.
3. Study at your desk in a chair that isn’t too relaxing. An easy chair
is often conducive to sleep.
4. Keep on your desk only those things necessary for study . Have
no distracting objects on it, such as magazines or pictures of
your girl friend, since they encourage mind-wandering.
5. Do not study in an overheated room. A room that is a little toocool rather than too warm will stimulate better study habits.
6. Set a definite goal or task and complete it . Possibly your job is so
vague or seems so large that you becomes discouraged before
you start. Then, break it into a number of small jobs that are
definite and immediate and tackle each part at a time. Long-time
goals may sometimes best be achieved if you break them into
smaller and closer goals.
7. Decide the order in which your jobs will be done. You often find
yourself with so many things to do that when you start on one
your mind wanders to others and, in the end, you don’t finish
any. Decide the order in which you are going to tackle your jobs,
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writing it down if necessary and crossing each item off as
completed.
8. Begin working immediately : do not wait for inspiration-strive
through the motions, and concentration will soon follow. If you
have to prepare a theme, begin writing something even if it has
no relation to your subject. The act writing will often arouse
appropriate thinking processes. You will be surprised at how
quickly your interest can be aroused.
9. Compete with yourself . Select a task which you can get done in
the amount of time you have and force yourself to finish it. You
have time left over increase the amount of work you tackle each
day until you are just barely able to finish it in the allotted time.
This will force you to concentrate and work efficiently.
10. Attend to one thing at a time. Do not try to attend to or do
several things at once. for instance, some students attempt to
read an assignment and at the same time worry about whether
or not they will remember the facts in the assignment. If you
worry about whether or not you will remember what you are
reading you will find the use of the survey Q3R Method of greatvalue. Since you make frequent reviews in using these methods,
you will not need to worry about having missed certain points
while reading, since you will check up on them in the review.
C. Use The Following Techniques If You Still Can’t Concentrate.
1. Change to another subject. Studying a more interesting course or
just the act of making a choice often bolsters concentration.
2. Visualize your instructor and classmates as you study. Imagine
yourself reciting pr listening in class while the assignment is
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being discussed. Thus you create a personal reason for study
which often helps concentration.
3. Read only one paragraph before stopping to restate the main
idea or ideas. Reducing your reading to a single paragraph
before restatement will make it easier to state the main idea and
thus you will be moiré likely to experience a feeling of success. A
feeling of accomplishment will aid concentration. After you are
able to read single paragraphs with understanding, you should
be able longer sectors as suggested in the Survey Q3R Method.
However, if you can’t read and understand a paragraph after
several tries, close your book and relax. The good student learns
when “closing the book” is justified and is not just a superficial
excuse for evading study.
Chapter Five
Taking notes
Good notes have several functions: they help you understand the
writer’s or lecturer’s plan; they help you remember for a longer period
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and with greater accuracy; and they give you concise and complete
outlines for reviews before examinations.
A. Takes Usable Lecture Notes.
1. Study the topic before the lecture in order to be more familiar
with the essential ideas. If this is not possible, make a survey of
the topic.
2. Sit in a place where you can easily hear the lecture and see the
blackboard. Those sitting in the back or by a window or door
have to overcome many distractions.
3. Make your notes brief. Condense the thought into a few words. If
you try to write too much, you fall behind and be unable to follow
the though t o the lecturer or think about the meaning of what he
is saying.
4. Do not try to get the exact words of the lecture. Write this
thoughts in you words. Use abbreviations whenever possible but
use them consequently. Put down in full only such things as the
following: references, definitions, formulas, direct quotations andspecific facts (such as dates).
5. Organize your notes. Arrange statements in your notes so to
show their relation to one other. Two outstanding features of the
notes taken by poor students are their unnecessary length and
their lack of organization.
6. If you miss as point, don’t stop at the moment to recover it.
Leave a blank space and get it later from someone else.
7. Use these cues to sport the important points: title and
introductory remarks; repetition of the main idea; summarizes;
key words; voice inflections; pauses; changes in the speaking
voice; use of transitional words such as “besides,” “therefore,”
“but.”
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8. If necessary, review and revise your notes immediately or as
soon after your class lecture as possible. Check for
misstatements, omissions, and clearness. Never let this review
go until the next day.
9. Underline, preferably using a red pencil, all, main points. All you
may refer to print or to “box in” the main points. It is vitally
important for you to use any method, which will make the main
point’s standout thus making it easier to review the material. Use
the method of review suggested in the description of the survey
Q3R Method.
10. Do not completely rewrite your notes. This is too time –
consuming and you should learn top make them usable the first
time. However, if you have not yet learned how to organize your
notes or if your rumbling lecturer, you should do the following:
draw a line down your note book page leaving about two – thirds
of it on the right hand side of for your lecturer notes; leave the
other one-third of the paper of other reorganizing the notes after
class. For instance, possibly your rambling lecturer made five
statements, scattered throughout the lecture, which should be allorganized under one heading. You may do this by putting the
main heading in the left – hand side section and drawing lines
from this main heading to the five statements. Work out other
organizational aids which may be used to help your notes.
11. Use an 8½ x 11 spiral-bound or loose-leaf notebook. If you
don’t use a separate notebook for every course, keep separate
parts of the notebook for different courses by means of tabs.
12. The suggestions referring to organization, briefness, and
use of own words apply equally well to notes made from your
text or outside reading.
13. Research reveals that outlining is superior to underlining.
However marginal notations, mighty be used effectively if you
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use a set of symbols which would serve as a form of outline.
Thus marginal notations, which take much less time to make tan
underlining, can both help you in organizing the material while
your are reading and aid you in outlining it afterward.
B. Keep a Combined Text and Lecture Outline.
Use the left-h and page for lecture discussion-section notes andthe opposite or right-hand page for your text and outsidereading notes on the same topic.
Chapter Seven
Preparing for and taking examinations
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A. Attempt to Overcome Any Nervousness which You MayExperience Before or While Writing Examinations.
1. Face the situation realistically. Find out whether you have college
ability, adequate reading habits, and effective study procedures.
2. Look upon a test as a competitive game. Regard a test as an
opportunity to show your metal. Develop the altitude of the
sports—man – win if you can, lose if you must, but do the best
you can.
3. Be concerned about your answers to the questions rather than
yourself. If you think about whether your will pass the course or
whether you should have written more on the first questions, you
use up valuable time and energy which should be devoted to
answering remaining questions.
4. Prepare adequately and learn the best methods of taking
examinations. No other suggestion is more important for
overcoming pre-examination “jitters.”
5. If you have examination “jitters” accept them rather than fight or
deny them. Fighting nervousness only increase tension.
B. Prepare Systematical y for Your Examinations.
1. Begin the day after a test to prepare for the next test. Set aside
one hour each week for review of each subject.
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2. Arrange a schedule for review. Designate the day and hour to be
spent each subject for several days preceding the mid-terms and
not later than one week preceding the final examinations.
3. Review by making a list of important laws, principals, theories,
experiments, or ideas. For example, if you are reviewing a test in
English, you will probably want to make a list of all the poems
learned, rules of punctuation, etc.
4. Make a condensed summery or outline of the material reviewed.
Study the summery or outline thoroughly. Get a complete bird’s
eye view of the subject matter so that you will know all the
separate parts are related.
5. Cramming as a concentrated review of materials previously
learned is beneficial. Cramming, as a last minute to learn for the
first time is harmful, because it results in a confused, mass of
undigested material.
6. Predict questions which you would ask if you were the inspector,
and then be sure you know the correct answers. Learn what
works best for you and follow it regardless of what others do. For
example, you may have discovered that working with others orstudying just before an exam confuses you; then don’t do this,
regardless of what others say or do.
7. Find out from the instructor the kind of test that will be given and
material to be covered. Some instructors make available
examinations from previous year. If so, note what kinds of
questions are asked: objective? Interpretation? Discussion?
Problems? Were they primarily from text or the lecture?
8. Know the difference between essay and objective examinations.
Realize that essay test, which require the ability to recall,
necessitate a study emphasis which is different from that
necessary for objective test, which require the ability to
recognize. In reviewing for the former, pay particular attention
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to: main ideas, together with their supporting points;
relationships among various topics, sections, and chapters; the
application of the important principles and ideas; and the ability
to recall the necessary information. For the letter, review not
only the main points, but also the supporting details, and note
striking words or phrases and key sentences.
9. Review selectively. Give special attention to phases of the
subject in which you are weak. You should refresh your memory
with regard to the high points of the section of the chapter
reviewed selectively, so that you will be able to connect or
associate the unfamiliar material with important familiar
material.
10. Analyze previous and present examinations to determine
your weaknesses. Keep all your tests and your quizzes. Ask
yourself whether the questions were the ones you accepted, and
of those you hadn’t predicted, note where they came from. Also
deter mine in which of the following ways your answer was
deficient: too brief, inaccurate, omission of certain points of a
question, careless mistakes, lack of understanding of what thequestion asked. If you have difficulty in determining what was
wrong asks your instructor.
11. Some students especially in mathematics study their
assignments and work their problems rather leisurely only to find
that during tests they are not able to answer all the questions
asked. It that case speed up your work by studying and doing
your problems under pressure. Duplicate the test situation by
setting you’re your alarm clock to ring at the end of certain
period of time.
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C. Learn How to Write Objective Examinations.
1. Read the direction s twice and underline all significant words in
the directions. This is equally important for essay examinations.
If there is any doubt about the meaning of the directions, ask the
instructor or proctor for an explanation.
2. Find out whether you will be penalized for wrong answers or
whether only correct answers will be counted. If there is no
penalty for wrong answers, guess; however, if there is a penalty,
answer only if you are reasonably sure.
3. If you are not penalized for wrong answers, answer every
question without spending too much time on any one question.
Those answers you aren’t sure of or don’t know should be
marked so you can come back to them later.
4. Try recalling a forgotten fact by some association. Think of the
book in which you read it, the page, or an illustration. Or make
use of any special association, as, “ Did I study it just before I got
into that argument,” Possibly stating the question in a whisper
may arouse recall. If you can’t recall it, drop it and come back toit later.
5. Underline words such as: only, always, not, usually, in test
questions before you answer them. Note that true-false
questions including such words as all, always, and never, have
no exceptions, whereas those questions including such words as
most, generally, and may do allow for exceptions. Note that if
one main clause of a sentence is true while the other clause is
false, the whole sentence obviously must be false.
6. Try changing the wording of a difficult true – false statement so
that you are able to understand it better. Negative statements
are apt to be more confusing than positive statement. An
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objective test measures not only knowledge but also carefulness
in reading.
7. On multiple – choice questions you can usually eliminate all but
two or three answers immediately. Thus lit will be easier to make
your choice from those remaining.
8. In answering a word – completion test, if you can’t remember a
word your text uses, explain it in your own words if they carry
similar meaning.
9. Pay particular attention to the directions. For example, a
question asking you to name or enumerate means that you
should list rather than describe or explain. To compare means
taking the two things named and showing how they are alike and
how they are different. To discuss requires a carefully organized
answer. You might organize in terms of kinds, causes, etc. you
may want to use illustrations to make the meaning clear.
10. Pay no attention to your neighbor. Those who finish early
may have written superficial examinations.
11. Check over your examination papers to determine whether
you left out answers to questions or parts of questions, madestatements on you paper that you did not mean or which are not
clear, and followed directions. Check English errors and correct
poor handwriting.
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Chapter Nine
Improving your capacity for study
A. Guard your health.
1. Never attempt to study when excessively fatigued
2. Sleep your normal amount every night. Students differ as
to their needs for sleep. Usually seven or eight hours are a
desirable minimum. Studying when you are sleepy
generally results in a “vicious circle”: lack of sleep causes
poor study, which in turn necessitates more study at the
sacrifice of sleep. If you are sleepy at midnight with two
hours of work yet to do, it will be better for you to go to
bed immediately and get up two hours earlier to finish your
work.
3. Do not neglect persistent pain or physical-discomfort
symptoms such as headaches, backaches, and colds.
Students often tolerate such defects as these for months
without doing anything to remedy them. Thus seriously
affecting their schoolwork. Always report such ailments to
the medical adviser.
4. Have your eyes examined if you suspect them to be asource of trouble. Some symptoms of eyestrain are:
habitual frontal headaches, excessive sleepiness,
irritability, and restlessness while at study, dizziness,
nausea, indigestion, lack of usual interest in reading, and
blurring and running together of words on the page. You
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should consider any one of these symptoms a danger
signal.
5. See that light conditions are proper. Do not directly face a
light nor work in a shadow. Be sure that the light is uniform
over the entire page of the book. Unequal illumination of
the page will cause eye fatigue.
6. Get some relaxation every day. Provide time in every day
for conversation with others, light reading, listening to the
radio, or some other activity which will take your mind
from your duties. During and immediately after meals is a
good time for “letting down.”
7. Take some form of exercise with fair regularity. That dull
and listless feeling, that persistent worry or tenseness may
be eliminated by a competitive game or a brisk walk.
B. Make your vocational plans as early as possible.
You may be having difficulty because your courses have no
meaning to you. If so, attempt to find the reason: do you lacka vocational goal? Should you be in different kind of school
such as a trade or business school? Or would you be happier
in some occupation which doesn’t require further formal
education?
Although the formal education decision should be made by
you, vocational counselors and psychologists can help you get
an appraisal of your abilities and interest’s means of tests and
then can aid in finding vocations that are in harmony with the
appraisal.
You s should not feel it is a disgrace or a retreat to alter your
vocational goal while in college or University. Rather its poor
sense to cling stubbornly to a goal which your new insights
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about yourself tell you is in appropriate for you. It is better to
have to take some additional courses that contribute to your
new than to be unhappy for years in your Job.
C. Do not consider it a Weakness to Get Help for a Social
or personal Problems.
Entering School/college is a critical period in that you may
have to adjust to the development of an entirely new set of
friends and at the same to learn time to get along without
your parents. Many students have problems such as lack of
confidence, concern about sex, hostile, feelings, and
depressions, all of which interfere with effective study. These
problems may be made more severe by parental pressure
sometimes loving, but still pressure to make high grades, to
become engaged to be married, or to pressure for a certain
vocation.
Since you would not fear consulting a physician for a broken
arm, likewise you should not fear or feel ashamed of going to
a psychologist or psychiatrist for a personal; problem. At leastone out of five people will consult a psychologist or a
psychiatrist sometime during his life his life regarding a
personal problem.
Experience and research has shown that “talking your
problems over” with some trained person can often benefit
you considerably. Just as an abscessed arms feels better
when lanced and drained by a physician, so your feelings will
cause you less trouble if you talk them over with another
person, and particularly with someone trained in that type of
work. This “talking out” process does not just involve “getting
it out of your system “or a release of feelings. Neither does it
consist of a trained counselor’s giving you advice or trying to
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persuade you to act in certain ways. Primarily, it consists of:
releasing your negative feelings; getting a better
understanding of the causes of your of your fears, loves, and
hate; gaining confidence in yourself; and developing an ability
to solve your various problems in a healthy way and by your
own efforts.
Secure an Adequate Background for Each Course.
An outstanding cause of failure or poor college work is
inadequate preparation in the fundamentals of the various
subjects. Mathematics, English, and foreign languages,
particularly, presuppose a certain amount of specific training
and knowledge on the part of the student.
1. Find out in what respects you are deficient. This may be
revealed y diagnostic tests or through conferences with
your instructors or class members. Keep a list of common
errors and deficiencies and check occasionally to see
whether or not you are improving.
2. Make arrangements to overcome any backgrounddeficiencies. Review any books or materials previously
studied but which you did not master at that time. Ask your
instructor to suggest readings that will provide you with
the necessary background. It may be desirable for you to
hire a tutor if you are seriously deficient.
3. Lear n the special vocabulary for each of you subjects.
Make use of flash cards to aid you in learning the basic
vocabulary.
Do not be content with merely understanding the foregoing
aids; put them into practice. If a college education develops in
you a power to study effectively, it has been worth while,
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