Self-Quizzing

Self-quizzing is a proven way to boost your memory and test performance. It involves practicing remembering the information, which is a more effective way to engage with information than just re-reading it.

Try this game-changing technique with your notes, textbook, or the class PowerPoint slides. You can also create study aids, such as flashcards or practice quizzes in Quizlet, to help you quiz yourself.

Quiz yourself from your notes, slides, or textbook

You can quiz yourself straight from the class material, such as your notes, PowerPoint slides, or textbook. To get started with your class material:

  1. Read through the material and flag the key points.
  2. Think of how to turn the information into questions (e.g. What are the functions of blood?)
  3. Write down the questions and use them to study later. You can use a free study template or a blank sheet of paper.

Tip: If you have added your PowerPoint slides to OneNote, you can make note of these questions next to the related slides.

For more tips on studying from your class material, check out the tip sheet Learning to Study Using…Retrieval Practice from The Learning Scientists (shared under a CC BY NC ND licence).

Make Flashcards

Once you’ve identified questions from your class notes, you can take the extra step of creating flashcards. Flashcards are a handy technique that you can use to remember information.

A flashcard has a question on one side of the card and the answer on the other side. You can use flashcards to quiz yourself or work with a partner. They have the advantage of including the answer, so it’s easy to check if you answered correctly, but they do take time to make.

You can create flashcards on note cards, use an online tool like Quizlet, or use a flashcard template in Word.

Click on the video How to Create Flashcards to learn more, or watch it below.

Use Quizlet

Quizlet is a tool that allows you to create different study tools, including:

  • Online flashcards
  • Practice quizzes

They now also have a feature that automatically turns your uploaded notes/PowerPoint slides into flashcards. There is a free version, which gives you a limited number of uses. You can also pay for the subscription for more access. Quizlet exists as a website and a mobile app.

 

Want to learn more strategies? Check out our other study skills tips.