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Topic: Tips on sstudying for exam??  (Read 4246 times)

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Offline noor123

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Tips on sstudying for exam??
« on: October 01, 2014, 05:03:28 PM »
So I have the exam in 2 weeks and i just finished going through all the material (total of 12 lectures+2 on spectroscopy) and making my own notes and putting all reactions onto seperate sheets of paper.

Now im stuck as to how i should continue... like where do i start now? How much of it am i suppose to memorize?  Basically every lecture for instance Aromatic have their own set of reaction types. And all the other lecture topics have their own.... So should i start by learning every 'type-of-reaction' first?
And then what? 

You see im a little all over the place now and dont want to feel overwhelmed once its a few days till exam. So anyone who has been through this... any help?

oh and some ppl say making your own 'maps' are beneficial,, but does that mean making a map for each lecture? (Halogenoalkanes,alkene/ynes,Alcohols, aromatc, COOH, etc?

Offline Mitch

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Re: Tips on sstudying for exam??
« Reply #1 on: October 01, 2014, 06:10:18 PM »
I think at this point you should try teaching other people the material you learned. Find some classmates and take turns going over the sections. Also, help other f=people on the forum with their questions.
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Offline Babcock_Hall

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Re: Tips on sstudying for exam??
« Reply #2 on: October 02, 2014, 09:20:26 AM »
Have you done homework problems?

Offline noor123

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Re: Tips on sstudying for exam??
« Reply #3 on: October 02, 2014, 12:51:06 PM »

yes we were given seminar questions along with every lecture.

Not getting any clear answers here... How did you guys study? Write the reactions over n over n over again until it sticks?

Offline Mitch

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Re: Tips on sstudying for exam??
« Reply #4 on: October 02, 2014, 01:51:26 PM »
I usually do book problems.
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2. Don't confuse thermodynamic stability with chemical reactivity.
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Offline Babcock_Hall

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Re: Tips on sstudying for exam??
« Reply #5 on: October 02, 2014, 01:59:24 PM »
I did homework problems and made flash cards.

Offline Ben Bob2

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Re: Tips on sstudying for exam??
« Reply #6 on: October 03, 2014, 06:28:40 AM »
In preparing for exams overall, I generally take three steps. The first is obviously, to understand the concepts. Secondly I look for connections and patterns to see how topics as a whole fit together. Finally I memorize material, and practice example problems and homework problems that have an answer key.

I think that the second step of the process is the most important for me because it makes the raw memorization much more bearable.
For example when I memorized functional groups I kept in mind that there are sixteen groups that my teacher required, so I divided them into four subcategories of four similar structures and/or elements--four with oxygen being the main component, four with nitrogen, three with only carbon plus the odd sulfur, etc.
My point is, before I start simply memorizing, I try to look for patterns in the information.
Not sure if that helps you at all.
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Offline noor123

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Re: Tips on sstudying for exam??
« Reply #7 on: October 03, 2014, 08:05:16 AM »
Thanks!!

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