Study Groups and Study Guides

Study Groups

Study groups, a form of cooperative learning, are an effective approach to exam preparation (D. Applegate, CAL). Preparing for a test with two to four other students has several benefits. Because several people share the work, more can be accomplished in a shorter period of time. Study groups allow students to share ideas and explanations of key points. Study groups also provide a form of pre-test evaluation, with students quizzing each other on the exam material. When well run, study groups can also reduce exam anxiety and improve motivation. Study groups are particularly useful for comprehensive test preparation.

Study groups may be used to prepare for tests in a number of ways, such as:

• reading and taking notes from the textbook
• skimming assigned readings
• reviewing, reorganizing, or recopying lecture notes
• making up and answering practice questions
• reorganizing information using outlines, tables, lists, and visual aids
• sharing memory strategies

For detailed information on how to form effective study groups and other applications of study groups, refer to the Study Groups section of the Group and Cooperative Learning page.

Study Guides

Study guides are used to summarize the main ideas and concepts, without the supporting details, to be covered on an exam (D. Applegate, CAL). By reducing the information to be learned to a minimum, to the most inclusive topics, study guides identify the major focal areas of the test that should be examined thoroughly and allow one to effectively budget study time on the various topics. Indeed, they guide the way one studies.

There are additional advantages of study guides for test preparation. Creating study guides requires that one review the lecture notes and readings. It also requires that one think carefully about the material in order to decide what is important and how information is related. So one benefit of study guides is the active repetition of working with the information, enhancing memory registration and recall. Second, the information on study guides is easily converted into sample tests simply by turning the main points into practice questions. Third, study guides reduce the amount of information to be reviewed. Finally, associations among different pieces of information are reinforced with study guides arranged topically.

The organization of the information on the study guide will vary according to the type of information, the subject, the type of test, and personal learning styles. Two organizational approaches, topical and categorical, are described here. The former is better for subjective essay exams and the latter for objective tests.

Topical Study Guides

Topical study guides arrange the important information by major topic. Guidelines for developing topical study guides are as follows.

• Identify the major topics.
• Break the lecture and/or reading material into major topics of related information. One way to select these fundamental subdivisions is to use the chapter titles (or headings in each chapter) in the text book, the main topics of lectures as indicated in the course syllabus, or the main ideas of lab assignments. Depending on test specifics, one may have two to ten major topics.
• Identify the main ideas.
• Identify the main ideas covered in each of the major topic areas. Again, the number of main ideas under each topic may vary from one to a dozen. Write the main ideas under the appropriate major topic in short phrases or incomplete sentences. Or, form the main ideas into questions and record them under the appropriate major topic.
• Organize the information.
• Organize the information into some structured format, such as an outline or the Cornell method; examples of organizational formats are given in the Note taking page. All related ideas should be subsumed under the corresponding major topic heading. Ideas may be numbered or set off with different symbols.
• Avoid excessive detail.
• Study guides should only contain main ideas, without supporting details, definitions, or explanations.

An example of a study guide arranged by topic is presented below.

Categorical Study Guides

Categorical study guides arrange information according to the type or category of information: terms, people's names, symbols, formulas, concepts, dates, etc. Guidelines for developing categorical study guides are as follows.

• Identify categories of information.
• Determine what categories of information will be covered on the test: vocabulary terms, people, dates, concepts, formulas, etc. If unsure, look on the syllabus, consult old exams, check in the book, or ask the instructor.
• Identify important information.
• Predict what specific pieces of information in each category may be on the test. Again, use old tests, examine lecture notes and chapter reviews, or consult with other students and the instructor to make educated guesses about what should be learned and remembered.
• Arrange the information.
• Arrange the categories and the specific pieces of information on the study guide.
• Avoid excessive detail.
• Record only the categories and key terms or phrases on the study guide. Don't include definitions or explanations.

An example of a completed categorical study guide is shown below.