2. Mechanics and Techniques of Studying

A methodical approach | The weekly schedule card | Why study? – Material rewards | Why study? – Non-material rewards | The wall calendar | The pocket date book | Sleep | Tools of the trade general | Tools of the trade specific | Go out for sports? | How detailed should class notes be? | Four methods of taking notes | Notebook inspection | Some note-taking hints | What is important? | What is not important? | Study old exams? | Working conditions | A typical study session | “Take ten!” | Retroactive amnesia | The curve of learning | The law of diminishing returns | The curve of forgetting | Hypnosis | Teaching machines | Reading-acceleration machines | Television | Scrambled books | Distractions enemies of retention

What Is Not Important?

As mentioned before, the answer to this type of question depends to a great extent upon your goal. But frequently the professor will voluntarily (or in response to your question) suggest soft-pedaling or omitting cer­tain parts of an extra-long assignment.