Page 183 - Keys to College Success

Step 5: Review
Reviewing is the final R in SQ3R. When you review early and often in the days and
weeks after you read, you will better memorize, understand, and learn material.
Reviewing is your key to learning. Reviewing the same material over several short ses-
sions will also help you identify knowledge gaps. It’s natural to forget material between
study sessions, especially if it’s complex. When you come back after a break, you can
focus on where you need the most help.
Try the following reviewing techniques, and use the ones that work best for you.
Consider using more than one strategy when you study. Switching among several dif-
ferent strategies tends to strengthen learning and memory.
SCANNING
Reading material in an
investigative way to search ■ Reread your notes, then summarize them from memory.
for specific information.
■ Review and summarize in writing the text sections you highlighted or bracketed.
■ Scan for key points and main concepts and rewrite them in your own words.
■ Answer the end-of-chapter review, discussion, and application questions.
■ Reread the preface, headings, tables, and summary.
■ Recite important concepts to yourself (although you may risk looking silly, this
technique’s high effectiveness may be a worthwhile reward).
■ Record information and play it back.
■ Listen to audio recordings of your text and other reading materials on your smart-
phone or computer.
■ Make hard-copy or electronic flash cards and test yourself daily.
■ Quiz yourself, using the questions you raised in the Q-stage.
■ With a classmate or in a study group, answer one another’s Q-stage questions.
Refreshing your knowledge is easier and faster than learning it the first time. Make a
weekly review schedule and stick to it. A combination of short daily reviews in the morning,
between classes, or in the evening is more effective than an all-night cramming session
before a test.

Respond with Critical Thinking
Question everything you read—books, articles, online documents, and even textbooks
(which are supposed to be as accurate as possible). Think of the critical reading process
as an archaeological dig. First, you excavate a site and uncover the artifacts. Then you
sort what you’ve found, make connections among items, and judge their importance.
This process of questioning, analysis, and evaluation rewards you with the ability to
focus on the most important materials.
Reading for different purposes engages different parts of critical reading. When
you read to learn and retain information or to master a skill, you focus on important
information (analyzing and evaluating how the ideas are structured, how they connect,
and what is most crucial to remember). When you read to evaluate, you question argu-
ments (analyzing and evaluating the author’s point of view as well as the credibility,
accuracy, reliability, and relevancy of the material).

Focus on important information
Before, during, and after reading content, ask yourself what is important to remember.
According to Adam Robinson, co-founder of The Princeton Review, “The only way you
4
can effectively absorb the relevant information is to ignore the irrelevant information.”
Use the following questions to evaluate any segment of content (a “yes” answer means it’s
6 probably relevant):
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