LSC: Learning Styles & Strategies

Note-taking is not one-size fits all - but based on your learning style. At the Learning Success Center, we recommend a variety of note-taking methods, including:

• "Mapping,"

  • For visual learners, mind-mapping creates a web of information.

• "Cornell,"
  •  Creates space in your notes to create more specific points or ideas and/or split your page in half: the notes you took in class, and the analyzing you complete later. Visit this link for a Cornell note taking overview.
• "Outline,"
  • Creates a written outline of what you have learned and what is important.
• "Charting,"

  • Works best for subjects that can be broken down it to categories (i.e. history or laboratory science courses).

• "L-Star,"
  • An active strategy that works with each note taking system.

For better or worse, testing has been a focal point of education for a long time. Yet little is done to prepare students for the act of test-taking. Sometimes it feel like there is an expectation: because you've taken tests before, you should be good at them.

But that's not always true.

At Learning Success, the Library, and Testing Services, we are here to support students and provide a critical approach to study and test-taking. Please see this 2-page interview on the pitfalls of "rote learning and memorization."

In addition to study, other forms of preparation are vital to your success: physical health, mental health, and tension levels. Beyond test content, these four principles should guide you as you take your test:

• Understand your time limit,
• Read the questions carefully,
• Lower stress and discomfort as best you can,
• Check your work.

In addition, the basis of any test relies on the answering of a question. There are several ways to look at every question - but Cornell University has a method of deciphering questions based on how straightforward they are.

Think of a traffic light. Then consider every question to be either red, yellow, or green. These will indicate how much preparation you should need before attempting to answer the question: a "red" question requires critical thinking, a "yellow" question is a detailed yet short-answer question, and a "green" light is a factual, straightforward question (i.e. multiple choice). Please see this short video to learn more about taking multiple choice tests, in particular (Cornell University).

Additional guides on taking specific tests (i.e. Accuplacer, CLEP, TEAS) can be found here:

• Accuplacer
• GED / HiSET Comparison
• TEAS Guide