1	How to study for a Physics Test September, 2004 Mrs. Graessle
2	Once Upon a Time, at MIT… It’s called “Freshman Shower Night” Happens the night before the first Physics test. Upperclassmen figure, why let them study? They don’t know how anyways! …and it’s true…. Do YOU know how to study???
3	Let me guess… You study your notes and try to memorize them. You re-read the textbook, memorizing important statements. You look over your problem worksheets and homework, memorizing how you solved stuff Sometimes you spend HOURS just doing this!
4	How a musician practices for a concert (i.e. a really big test) They look over the music and memorize it. They read books about concerts and memorize important facts. They look over their notes and memorize them. And then they are ready for the concert!
5	How a musician practices for a concert (i.e. a really big test) NO WAY
6	What’s wrong with this picture Can you seriously prepare for a concert without playing your instrument? Can you memorize music or a dance or a play without playing your instrument or moving around? Can you memorize physics without picking up your pencil and calculator?
7	But this isn’t a concert! Ok, so what is it? What will this test ask you to do? Answer multiple choice questions Do kinematics problems Answer Q’s about motion graphs Answer Q’s about the labs Graph motion graphs Interpret data
8	The easy way to study Re-do your homework! Do it over and over until you get it correct without having to look up anything except the equation. Re-answer your lab questions! Do them over and over until you are confident of the answers. Answer questions in the textbook! Ask me for answers or look them up in the back. REPEAT.
9	The easy way to study Does this sound painful? Good! It isn’t as painful as studying 2 or more hours and then getting a D on the test! And yes, this works better over time. If you do some of this tonight and repeat tomorrow night, you’ll be on track for an awesome grade.
10	DO IT. DO IT NOW. Breaking old habits is never easy, so good luck! You can do this!