Tips for Success

If you have a textbook that corresponds to each lecture, read it beforehand. (See our reading tips here.) That way you’ll know what concepts make sense and which ones you need to focus on more during the lecture. 

If you want to watch a recorded lecture, stop the recording every time there’s important content you want to capture. But don’t skip class! it’s much easier to get distracted at home than in-person.

Although typing is faster, research shows that taking notes by hand forces you to paraphrase rather than write down exactly what the professor is saying. Putting concepts in our own words is itself a form of learning! You can type them up later with more detail if you want – which also helps you to remember what you heard.

Some professors provide lecture slides in advance. If so, use them instead of a notebook, and write your notes for each slide on the corresponding sheet. This makes it much easier to find the content you had questions about or need to expand upon later, and is an easy way to keep your notes organized. 

It can be hard to write down everything, especially when taking notes by hand. Pay attention to themes, keywords, important formulas, and other material that the professor emphasizes. How do you know what to focus on? Slide headings are the most obvious example. But phrases to listen for might include: “There are X main...”, “To sum up...”, “Most importantly...” 

There are many different formats for taking notes, check out the video How to take notes in class: The 5 best methods and pick one that you would like to try.  

Don’t just take notes and never look at them again! If you have time to go over them immediately after class, that gives you the chance to add information you remember but didn’t have time to write. In addition, reviewing notes within 24 hours is proven to help with your ability to better remember material later. It can be helpful to check off things you understood well and put question marks next to those that you didn’t quite follow or want more information about. Then you know where you need to spend more time studying.

If you’re easily distracted, go to a library or empty classroom. Set reasonable time limits and take short breaks. You may want to try out the Pomodoro method as a useful way to structure your time. 

What information are you trying to get? How will it increase your knowledge of the material? How does it connect (or not) to the lectures? Having an idea of what you want to get out of the reading will help you focus on what matters.

Sometimes all you need is a general review of some or all of the text. It may not be necessary to read every chapter word-for-word. Skimming first will give you a sense of what you may need to pay more attention to and what may be irrelevant or just repeating material from the lecture.  

Underline or highlight key phrases, write comments or questions in the margins, note things that you don’t understand, and put sticky notes on pages you want to return to. This will help you determine what you need to revisit rather than re-reading the entire chapter again before an exam. If you’re using a library book, use sticky notes or bookmarks instead. 

In addition to annotating the book, take additional notes that restate major themes and important material to remember. Use your own words rather than copying; this will help you remember better come exam time. 

If there are things you don’t understand, note them so that you can ask the professor, TAs, or classmates later for an explanation. 

Textbooks usually have clear sections in each chapter. Start with the introduction and conclusion to get a sense of what the chapter is about, then go back and look for more details about those key points. 

Many textbooks put crucial keywords and phrases in bold or italics, which is a signal that they are terms you should learn. Section headings and subheadings also provide a roadmap of what you need to know.

It’s tempting to skip components of a book that aren’t text, but these can be equally – sometimes more – important to know.

Many textbooks have practice problems or comprehension questions at the end of each chapter. Take advantage of those to test your understanding. 

Backwards planning allows you to see the big picture of where your time should be going each week. After you complete backwards planning, then choose a time management strategy to help you stay focused and get things done day to day. Check out our semester on a page which gives you all semester dates on just one page. This is good to use for bigger assignments, such as exams, projects, papers, etc. You will be able to see where your busy weeks are and when your less busy weeks are and plan accordingly

• Personal kanban boards help you structure your to do lists and remain focused by letting you see what needs to be done and when.
• Prioritize your tasks.Use a priority matrix to make sure you don't fall behind.
• Use time blocking. Divide your study time into one-hour blocks and vary them throughout the week.
• If you do not currently use a planner or calendar, try using this blank calendar template to plan your week ahead.

Homework is usually 20 percent or more of your grade. Remember the general guideline that for every credit hour of an engineering class, you should plan to spend three hours outside of class on that course during the week.  If you are taking 15 credits of engineering coursework this means you should prepare a seven-day schedule that allows for approximately 45 hours of non-classroom study. Start your homework early-don’t wait until the last minute! If you take homework seriously, it can be an excellent exam prep tool, meaning you'll need to spend less time studying for tests.

The methods with which your engineering professors want you to demonstrate your understanding of the material is often radically different than high school. Even if you’ve been exposed to material before, keep in mind that chemistry, calculus, and physics exams in college are different than chemistry, calculus, and physics exams in high school.  

• Only use material that you'll have at the actual exam.
• Time yourself.
• Find an environment that closely replicates the exam location.

If your class doesn't provide practice exams, you can use homework, or exams from other insitutions that teach similar courses such as MIT, Stanford, Colorado School of Mines, and Georgia Tech. 

Squeezing all your studying in at the last minute or staying up all night not only is an ineffective way of preparing but can actually be harmful. It increases stress, decreases your ability to remember material, and results in sleep deprivation – all of which will hurt when it comes to test time. Start studying early! 

Need a pencil? “Cheat sheet”? Can you bring a calculator? Want to stay hydrated? Gather whatever items you can and want to bring with you and put them in your bag the night before. It’s one less thing to worry about on your way out the door. 

You can train yourself to have better sleep by going to bed and waking up at the same times every day. If you start this practice at the beginning of the semester, when exam time comes around, your body will be so used to its normal sleep schedule that you will likely be able to fall asleep as usual despite any test anxiety you may have.

Taking a test on an empty stomach is distracting and lowers your ability to concentrate. Eating healthy meals will keep you full without being sluggish – so avoid heavy carbs and high sugar food.  

If you have enough time between classes or exams, get to the test location early so you are able to pick a seat you want and get settled before the exam starts. Even a couple extra minutes to organize yourself and take a few deep breaths can put you in a much more relaxed mental state.

If the professor or TA gives any instruction, listen. You don’t want to miss something that may help or hurt your grade. Similarly, make sure to read and understand all instructions on the test itself before you start. 

As Michael Jordan said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” unless you are penalized more for a wrong answer than a blank one, make your best guess; you may get partial credit, and you may even get it right!

If the test has separate sections with different kinds of questions, covering different material, and/or worth more or less points, plan accordingly. Prioritize based on the material you know best, the kinds of questions you excel in (for example, multiple choice versus written), and how much a section is worth in the overall score. Always answer the questions you feel most confident about first to get them out of the way, then go back to questions that will take you more time. Don’t miss an easy question you could have answered because you took long on a hard one. 

Research shows that our first answer is usually the right one. It’s always worth it to review your answers if you have time for mistakes, but don’t change them unless you really, really have a good reason – not just a gut feeling. 

If you have a lot of time left, don’t turn in your exam and leave. Take time to review your answers, check for little mistakes (or big ones), and revisit questions you were unsure about. A second time round might spark a recollection that will strengthen your answer. If you are running out of time and there are unanswered questions, partial answers or guesses (unless you’re penalized more for wrong answers) are better than none. If it’s a long-answer question, write down what your strategy would be - for example what formulas and equations you might have used and why - even if you don’t have time to do the actual work. 

When we are nervous we tend to breathe quickly and shallowly, which puts us into fight, flight, or freeze mode. Fight or flight shuts down higher thinking functions and spikes adrenaline, both of which are very detrimental to taking an exam successfully! Practice breathing evenly and slowly, even if it means pausing for a few minutes during the exam. Slow, even breathing calms you down and clears your head, increasing your ability to focus on the task at hand.  

This is a great way to review material, motivate yourself, and solve problems covered in class. Also, teaching others is the best way of learning material yourself!

The LearnChemE site was created by the Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering. The resources are for all students and capture many of the tips we share.

Knowing how the learning and memory occur in your brain can be important in improving your studying, because you can develop study habits that are designed to complement how your mind works.

Time-spaced learning involves learning and reviewing course material in blocks of time that are varied and repeated throughout the week. This vastly increases your ability to retain and remember material throughout the semester and beyond. The Pomodoro Technique is a study strategy and productivity tool to help you stay focused and gain momentum in getting things done.

After you take an exam and get it back, use the CPS model to understand where you missed points. Consider using this as a study tool moving forward, and bringing it to office hours to discuss with your professor.