How to Study

26.
❑ 
Y
❏ 
N
I hate to read.
27.
❑ 
Y
❏ 
N
I get marked down on essay tests because I don’t
organize them well.
28.
❑ 
Y
❏ 
N
I spend a lot of time on my computer, but it
feels like most of it is wasted.
Chapter 1
■
How to Start Out Right
3

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What do your answers mean? If you answered yes to questions:
■
2, 5, or 18, you need to work on your concentration. 
■
1, 8, 15, 16, 24, or 26, your reading and comprehension skills
are holding you back. 
■
3, 14, or 22, you need to learn the proper way to study for
tests and how to reduce test anxiety. 
■
4, 6, 10, 11, 13, 21, or 23, your organizational skills are letting
you down. 
■
7, 19, 27, you’re spending a lot of time “writing” papers but
haven’t learned proper research or organizational skills. 
■
9 or 28, you need to hone your computer skills. 
■
12, 17, 20, or 25, you need a better system for taking notes in
class and from your textbooks. 
It is not as important how many “yes” answers you had as it is how
many were grouped in a specific area—the one in which you obvi-
ously need help. (Though 10 or more yes answers should certainly
indicate big problems in more than a single area.)
Let’s go into a little more detail and get an even firmer handle on the
current state of your study skills. I’ve listed the primary study skills on
the next page. Take a separate piece of paper and rate yourself 
on each of them (from reading to test preparation) before you read the
rest of this chapter. Then give yourself two points for every A, one
point for every B, and zero points for every C.
If your overall rating is 18 or more, give yourself an A on the “Initial
self-evaluation” line; 13 to 17, give yourself a B; and if 12 or less, give
yourself a C. This is your assessment of your study habits as they exist
right now.
How to Study
4

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Now let’s review each of these areas, giving you insight as to what
“excellent,” “good,” and “fair” really mean. As you read each section,
fill in your rating on the “Your Starting Point” chart—and be honest
with yourself. This evaluation will give you a benchmark from which
to measure your improvement after you’ve completed the book. File
it away and make the comparison when you’ve completed reading.
Remember: There are no right or wrong answers in either of these
assessments. They are jumping-off points from which you can measure
your progress and identify those areas in which your skills need
improvement.