How to Review for Exams (UltimateTest Prep Guide)

Summary

This educational video offers a strategic approach to exam preparation, emphasizing the importance of confidence in one's answers. It introduces a three-step framework for effectively reviewing practice questions or past papers, particularly useful during medical school. The first step is understanding why correct answers are right and wrong answers are wrong. The second involves manipulating question variables to think like an exam writer. The third step is tracking confidence levels in topics studied to optimize review time. The video uses a right triangle problem to illustrate these steps, encouraging deep thinking and connection-making for better retention and application of knowledge.

Takeaways

• 📚 The video discusses strategies for effectively reviewing for exams using practice questions or past papers, emphasizing the importance of confidence in one's answers.
• 🔍 Confidence is key when reviewing; it's not just about getting the right answer, but also being sure of your knowledge, which helps with retention.
• 🧠 The 'hyper correction effect' in psychology suggests that when we are confident but wrong, the correction is more likely to be remembered.
• 📈 A three-step framework is introduced to boost confidence: understanding why correct answers are right and wrong answers are wrong, manipulating question variables, and tracking confidence levels.
• 📐 The video uses a right triangle problem to illustrate how to apply the framework, explaining the Pythagorean theorem and how to identify why incorrect answers were provided.
• 🤔 It's important to consider why certain wrong answers are included in practice problems to understand the thought process behind them.
• 🔄 Manipulating the variables in a problem can help you think like an exam writer and prepare for different types of questions you might encounter.
• 📝 After reviewing, tracking your confidence in topics is crucial to avoid wasting time on unnecessary review, which can be done using methods like the 'grow method'.
• ⏱️ The 'grow method' not only tracks confidence but also serves as a study schedule, suggesting which topics to focus on at any given time.
• 📖 The video encourages viewers to watch a follow-up video for a detailed walkthrough of the 'grow method' for effective study planning.

Q & A

What is the main idea of the video?

The video explains how to effectively use practice questions or past papers for exam preparation by focusing on confidence and understanding why answers are right or wrong.

Why is confidence important when reviewing practice problems?

Confidence is important because it helps you gauge how well you understand the material, not just whether you got the answer right. Overconfidence in a wrong answer helps the brain remember that information better through the 'hypercorrection effect.'

What is the 'hypercorrection effect' and why is it useful in learning?

The hypercorrection effect refers to the tendency for people to better remember information when they were confident in a wrong answer. It helps strengthen memory when mistakes are corrected, making the information more likely to stick.

What is the first step in the three-step framework for reviewing practice questions?

The first step is to always make sure you understand why the correct answer is right and why the wrong answers are wrong. Detailed answer explanations help you understand the thought process behind the questions.

What does step two in the framework recommend doing with practice questions?

Step two recommends changing the variables of the questions or answers to explore how modifying conditions can change the correct solution. This helps you think like an exam writer and understand the material more deeply.

How can you manipulate a practice problem to gain more insight according to the video?

You can manipulate a practice problem by changing the conditions, such as solving for a different variable, applying different formulas, or even imagining how the problem might be altered in shape or dimension. This generates more problems and deepens understanding.

Why is it useful to understand why wrong answers were included in a question set?

Understanding why wrong answers are included helps you learn other concepts. For example, wrong answers may be based on different formulas, which helps reinforce learning those formulas as well.

What example does the video give of using a math problem to illustrate the framework?

The video uses a right triangle and the Pythagorean theorem as an example. By solving for the hypotenuse and analyzing why incorrect answers were given, the video demonstrates how to apply the framework to learn deeply from a single problem.

How can you track your confidence level while studying?

You can track your confidence level by rating how well you understand each topic, ensuring that you're focusing your review time on areas where you're less confident, and avoiding wasting time on material you already know well.

What is the 'GROW method' mentioned in the video?

The GROW method is a study strategy mentioned in the video that tracks your confidence in various topics and recommends what to study at a given time. It serves as a time-saving study schedule without needing to plan in advance.