With prelim season in full swing, Cornell libraries are full of students busying themselves with preparing for countless exams all across the colleges. All of those participating are trying to achieve the careful balance between minimizing study time and maximizing their results, ensuring that no minute spent in the stacks goes unwasted or falls victim to the dreaded doom scroll. For the uninitiated, this may seem a daunting task, as a couple of minutes of uninterrupted focus, much less a few hours, can feel Herculean in effort. Yet, with the adoption of appropriate strategies, it becomes straightforward to foster an environment auspicious to continued academic success.
Before we begin, it is important to clear the air over some common learning and education fallacies. Of these, the most problematic is that individuals have learning styles, such as visual, auditory or emotional. For one, the idea that our ability to understand complex topics is dictated by the neat division of learning abstractions is hardly logical given the continuous range over which human likes and dislikes lie. Unsurprisingly, the most successful learning relies on a multimodal approach, incorporating varied techniques, each compensating for others’ weaknesses, which has been the subject of numerous scientific studies. Even so, there remain some studying combinations that are considerably better than others.
Starting our review off, we have Mind Mapping. This strategy consists of organizing information visually, noting down main ideas, then using them to branch out to more specific knowledge. Techniques that emphasize reviewing material, rather than actively practicing it, tend to fall short. The mental pathways for retrieving information should be as accessible as possible during an exam, having been activated repeatedly prior. This is why memorizing syntax for a computer science exam is a little silly, as not only is it rarely the main goal of the examination, but such information is far easier to internalize through frequent and practiced coding. Mind mapping is useful in the study of highly complex systems, such as biology, rendering it highly circumstantial. However, mind maps do have their place as creative tools. They are fantastic for jotting down ideas and visualizing the bigger picture of more original projects, such as essays. Even so, when in a pinch, mind maps are far likelier to be time wasters than savers and should be used sparingly: 3/10.
The Feynman Technique is another time-costly strategy, but it succeeds where mind-mapping fails. This technique consists of learning a concept, teaching it to fellow students and identifying weaknesses based on what was poorly explained. Teaching requires a thorough grasp of material to properly explain, highlighting deficiencies. To get the full advantage of the Feynman Technique’s benefits, it is usually best to write down explanations in full, which may take multiple pages for denser course loads. This dedicated effort can be draining, voiding the strategy’s utility as a method for reviewing. Ultimately, it is best reserved as supplementary to the main bulk of studying, especially for complex topics: 7/10.
Although the Pomodoro Technique is more of a productivity tool than a formal study strategy, its claim to fame has come from its mass advertising to students, making it a worthy inclusion. On paper, the 25 minutes-on, five minutes-off strategy has all the hallmarks of a good study technique; it emphasizes spending time on practice problems and taking adequate breaks to refresh. However, 25 minutes is far too short a time to achieve any deep focus, and, for many classes, is barely enough time to complete an actual question. Five-minute breaks are equally inadequate, usually ending up as unfulfilling phone time. With this, it is easy to run out of energy fast, losing all motivation to work within a couple of cycles. The real tragedy of the Pomodoro Technique is that it contains all the right ingredients of a great study strategy, rendering it so appealing. Breaks are key when working, but they need to be infrequent enough to feel earned and long enough to be enjoyable. Additionally, Pomodoro’s rigidity often hurts students more than it helps them, breaking them out of “in-the-zone” time, tainting our most valuable working moments. With severe readjustment, perhaps to hour-long study sessions and 10 to 15 minute breaks, Pomodoro does gain actual value, but, as it is, it is a hard sell: 1/10.
Next on the list is Spaced Repetition. I believe that for the vast majority of subjects, rote memorization promotes a more superficial understanding of the material, rather than the underlying mechanisms driving certain concepts. This being said, for many classes’ exams, memorization is often the best tool, so it cannot be so easily discounted. In these cases, reviewing material from the moment it is introduced up until the day of the test is extremely powerful, as terms are consolidated in long-term memory. Even when cramming, reviewing every couple of hours can be a boon for retention, serving as a highly adaptable tool. The Leitner System, which is organized around flashcards reviewed every few days, based on previous performance, is probably the best memorization technique around. If dedicated enough, one only needs 30 minutes of work a day to rapidly build up a solid foundation, requiring limited effort in the final stretch: 8/10.
Ayman Abou-Alfa is a second year student in the College of Arts & Sciences. His fortnightly column Mind & Matter delves into the intersection of culture and science at Cornell University. He can be reached at aaboualfa@cornellsun.com.
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