Tips: Study Guides

Some tips for creating study guides. Note that creating a study guide is also a form of learning in and of itself. Use this guide in conjunction with Tips: How to Learn.

• Write notes out by hand.
• Paraphrase your notes from books and lectures. Using your own words will make the material stick better.
• Create physical or digital flash cards.
• Make a list of short essay questions.
• As an extension to the previous point, turn the difficult material into self-quizzes and questions.
• Make a vocabulary section.
• Draw concept maps to visualize the high-level scaffolding.
• Write your own final test.
• Use the following terms to prompt study guide material: define, compare, contrast, describe, discuss, assess, evaluate.
• Assess the size of the study guide and make sure that it is a properly sized "chunk".