How To Pass A Hard Class

by

Ken Tangen

You know the difference between an easy and a hard class. There is some variation between people as to which topics are hard but when you expect to be in a class you think will be difficult there are several things you can do.

You already know what to do for an easy class. Go to class, smile at the professor and pretend to pay attention. You also will ask for a detailed study guide, and wait to study until you have to.

In contrast, a hard class requires a different approach. I originally had Biological Psychology in mind but these suggestions apply to any course preconceived as difficult.

Your mileage may vary but in general, in order to master this material, you must invest 300 hours in studying. This does not include class time, labs or study sections. That’s  20 hours per week for 15 weeks of the semester or 33 hours per week for a 9 week quarter.

Clearly, no one has that much time. That’s why you need a plan.

[Read more…] about Class Secrets

Organize-Process-Test-Repeat

by Ken Tangen

Learning vocabulary is an essential skill for anyone wishing to succeed in higher education. You may not like facts but you have to conquer them. Sometimes there is no option to memorizing the bones of the body, the views of rationalists or the elements of the periodic table. Here is how to do it.

I introduced the OPT-Repeat model for learning vocabulary in Captain Psychology’s How to Learn Vocabulary: Biological Psychology. In this four step model, OPT means to organize, process and test. Repeat means that the process is recursive. You often have to go through the organize-process-test steps repeatedly.

You can use this model for learning any list of terms.

[Read more…] about Building Vocabulary

Although there are many individual items, there are only three things can be learned. Like 3 elephants, learning is extremely large but can be sorted into 3 categories: facts, concepts and behaviors.

[Read more…] about Only 3 Things Can Be Learned