Test Time

No Surveys, just this simple test.  Let's see how everyone does...

Did anyone manage to see this study conducted by Washington University?  Apparently, they have discovered that taking tests is more likely to help students retain their information much better than repeated cramming sessions.  How many people out there actually self-test when studying?  I can see how this would be much more taxing and rewarding than poring over reading materials, but it also begs the question, how are we taught to study?

I remember in junior high, one of my teachers attempted to ingrain in our brains the concept of how one should study.  Highlighters, multiple notes, flash cards, the whole bit.  Was it useful?  Yes.  Did I maintain those rigorous study habits?  No.  Maybe this was a failing, but I can see how putting into practice what you've learned is intuitively more helpful than just continually learning.

Tests never frightened me at all that much.  It's you, a blue book or maybe a scantron, your pencils, maybe your notes, and no one else for a couple of hours.  I used to sit in that lecture hall with my headphones on, isolated from those around me and jotting away at that test booklet like mad.  Hands tired, fingers cramped, and maybe a little stressed out at the end, that blue book would either be full of drivel or genius.  Depending on the class, of course.  It was something to conquer, something to experience, and in some cases, something to enjoy.  Am I mad for thinking this?

Most likely.

Anyhow, it seems more fun these days to take personality tests, brain teasers, and even the occasional pop culture quiz.  School, all that studying, all that testing, 20 units a quarter, all of that can really burn a person out.  In a way that's why I'm more willing to go back and study something completely different than what I'm practicing, but in a way, all of that intensity is fulfilling in the very end. That sense of accomplishment still exists, but on a much greater level.  Taking that first step though, putting that pencil down for your first answer or even just enrolling, that's the part that is most difficult.  Then again, it all depends on the personality to begin with.

I'll run through some more interesting things later this week.  Post your scores in the comments from the above test if you can!