Summary EXAM SUCCESS In Only 6 Steps!

EXAM SUCCESS In Only 6 Steps!Making Notes Making notes is often as important as taking notes. Making notes means that you respond to what you read. There are several ways you can respond (“talk back to”) the text: ■ Write questions. If you come across something you don’t understand, write a question. What does this mean? Why is this word used this way? Why is this the best title? Then answer all of your questions. Here is an example. Notice how the student hears a word used in an unfamiliar way, asks a question, and then provides a detailed answer for herself to study: Q: Doesn’t flat mean smooth, without bumps or curves? Why did the lady in the café say that her Coke was flat? A: The word flat has several meanings. –HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE TOEFL ® EXAM– 10 MEANING EXAMPLE horizontal, level The prairie is flat. spread out, lying at full length He fell flat on his face. smooth and even The stone was flat. absolute, unqualified She was flat broke. dull, monotonous The story was flat. (regarding carbonated beverages) having lost its effervescence (bubbles) The Coke was flat. (in music) below the correct pitch Her singing is flat. deflated The tire was flat from running over a nail. ■ Make connections. Any time you make connections between ideas, you improve your chances of remembering that material. For example, if Spanish is your native language, you might make the following connection: dormir = to sleep in Spanish dormitory = room with beds for students to sleep ■ Write your reactions. Your reactions work much like connections, and they can help you remember information. For example, if you read “It’s raining cats and dogs out there!” you might write: What an odd expression! Funny image. Easy to remember. Outlining and Mapping Information Outlines are great tools, especially for sequential learners. They help you focus on what’s most important by making it easier to review key ideas and see relationships among those ideas. With an outline, you can see how supporting information is related to main ideas. The basic outline structure is this: I. Topic 1. Main idea a. major supporting idea i. minor supporting idea Outlines can have many layers and variations, but this is the general form. Here’s an example: Verb + up and out I. Make up 1. to determine a. example: I made up my mind to pass the exam. 2. to invent a. example: He made up a good excuse. 3. to compensate, repay a. example: She will make up for her mistake by doing extra work. –HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE TOEFL ® EXAM– 11 II. Make out 1. to see clearly a. I can barely make out what this says. 2. to fare (get through or do something) a. How did you make out during the interview? 3. slang: to French kiss a. The teenagers made out during the whole movie. Mapping information is similar to making an outline. The difference is that maps are less structured. You don’t have to organize ideas from top to bottom. Instead, with a map, the ideas can go all over the page. The key is that you