Note Taking

SYMBOL	MEANING	EXAMPLE
®	leads to, produces, causes, makes	Practice ®improvement.
¬	comes from, is the result of	Success ¬ determination.
­	increased, increasing, goes up, rises	Taxes ­200% last year.
¯	decreased, decreasing, lowering	Salaries ¯this year.
&	and	coffee & cream
@	at	I'll be home @ 4:00p.m.
/	per	17 miles/gallon
p	page	Read p 89.
pp	pages	Study pp 37-40.
¶	paragraph	Rewrite ¶ number four.
§	section	Read § 7 again.
?	question	Answer ? 5.

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Math Symbols

SYMBOL MEANING EXAMPLE + plus, in addition, and, also He rides a bike + he skates. - minus  He was - a brain. = equal to, is  Women are = to men. ¹ not equal, is not Diet ice cream is ¹to real! ~ about, approximately He's ~ 17 yrs old. ft foot, feet He's 6 ft tall. X times 5X the diameter of the earth. > greater than 6 > 2 < less than My salary is < yours. $ money, cost, price He left his $ at home. % percent 12% of the employees came. ~ approximately, more or less She made ~ 25 copies. .·. therefore I think .·. I am. # no.       #s nos. number number numbers numbers Please answer # 7. Please answer no. 7 Please answer #s. 1-10 Please answer nos. 1-10 ht height ht 5'3 wt weight wt 150 2 to two too Time 2 go! 2 people. Me 2.

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Initials and Abbreviations

SYMBOL	MEANING	EXAMPLE
w/	with (something)	A war was fought w/ NATO aid.
w/o	without	They fought w/o fear.
w/i	within	There are problems w/i the company.
i.e.	that is	A Siamese, i.e. a cat, is a fun pet.
e.g.	for example	Professionals, e.g. doctors and lawyers, met here.
etc.	et cetera, so forth	Cats, dogs, etc., make good pets.
b/c	because	We pay taxes b/c it's the law.
b/4	before	Chicken b/4 egg?
re:	regarding, about	I need to see you re: the sales figures.
esp.	especially	Tobacco, esp. cigarettes, causes cancer.
min.	minimum	The min. is $400.
max.	maximum	The max. number of people in an elevator is 10.
gov't.	government	The gov't. helped the people.
ASAP	as soon as possible	Finish your exam ASAP.
wrt	write	wrt #3 (write number 3)
rt	right	rt side
yr / yrs	year, years	She's 5 yrs old.
c.	circa, about, around, from the year	This picture is c. 1900
vs	versus, as opposed to	Purple vs green
ch	chapter	Read ch 8.
Q A	question answer	Q: What is that? A: I don't know!
ex	example	Look at ex 4.
wd wds	word words	1 vocabulary wd. 25 vocabulary wds.
ref	reference	ref required.
diff	difference	What is the diff?

Paul Nolting Repost

The 10 Steps to Better Test Taking

Once you begin a test, follow the 10 steps to better test taking below:
Step 1 - Use a memory data dump. Upon receiving your test, turn it over and write down the information that you put on your mental cheat sheet. Your mental cheat sheet has now turned into a mental list and writing down this information is not cheating. Do not put your name on it, do not skim it, just turn it over and write down those facts, figures and formulas from your mental cheat sheet or other information you might not remember during the test. This is called your first memory data dump. The data dump provides memory cues for test questions.
Example: It might take you a while to remember how to do a coin- word problem. However, if you had immediately turn your test over and written down different ways of solving coin-word problems it would be easier to solve the coin-word problem.
Step 2 - Preview the test. Put your name on the test and start previewing. Previewing the test requires you to look through the entire test to find different types of problems and their point values. Put a mark by the questions that you can do without thinking. These are the questions that you will solve first.
Step 3 - Do a second memory data dump. The secondary data dump is for writing down material that was jarred from your memory while previewing the test. Write this information on the back of the test.
Step 4 - Develop a test progress schedule. When you begin setting up a test schedule, determine the point value for each question. You might have some test questions that are worth more points than others.
In some tests, word problems are worth five points and other questions might be worth two or three points. You must decide the best way to get the most points in the least amount of time. This might mean working the questions worth two to three points first and leaving the more difficult word problems for last.
Decide how many problems should be completed half- way though the test. You should have more than half the problems completed by that time.
Step 5 - Answer the easiest problems first Solve, in order, the problems you marked while previewing the test. Then, review the answers to see if they make sense. Start working through the test as fast as you can while being accurate. Answers should be reasonable.
Example: The answer to a . problem of ' to find the area of a rectangle e cannot be negative, and the try
answer to a land-rate-distance problem cannot be 1,000 miles per hour.
Clearly write down each step to get partial credit, even if you end up missing the problem. In most math tests, the easier problems are near the beginning of the first page; you need to answer them efficiently and quickly. This will give you both more time for the harder problems and time to review.
Step 6 - Skip difficult problems. If you find a problem that you do not know how to work, read it twice and automatically skip it. Reading it twice will help you understand the problem and put it into your working memory. While you are solving other problems, your mind is still working on that problem. Difficult problems could be the type of problem you have never seen before or a problem in which you get stuck on the second or third step. In either case, skip the problem and go on to the next one.
Step 7 - Review the skipped problems. When working the skipped problems, think how you have solved other, similar problems as a cue to solving the skipped ones. Also, try to remember how the instructor solved that type of problem on the board.
While reviewing skipped problems, or at any other time, you may have the "Ah, ha!" response. The "Ah, ha!" response is your remembering how to do a skipped problem. Do not wait to finish your current problem. Go to the problem on which you had the "Ah ha" and finish that problem. If you wait to finish your current problem, your "Ah, ha!" response could turn into an "Oh, no!" response.
Step 8 - Guess at the remaining problems Do as much work as you can on each problem, even if it is just writing down the first step. If you cannot write down the first step, rewrite the problem. Sometimes rewriting the problem can jar your memory enough to do the first step or the entire problem. If you leave the problem blank, you will get a zero. Do not waste too much time on guessing or trying to work the problems you cannot do.
Step 9 - Review the test. Look for careless errors or other errors you may have made. Students usually lose two to five test points on errors that could have been caught in review. Do not talk yourself out of an answer just because it may not look right. This often happens when an answer does not come out even. It is possible for the answer to be a fraction or decimal.
Remember: Answers in math do not have "dress codes." Research reveals that the odds of changing a right answer to a wrong answer are greater than the odds of changing a wrong answer to a right one.
Step 10 - Use all the allowed test time. Review each problem by substituting the answer back into the equation or doing the opposite function required to answer the question. If you cannot check the problem by the two ways mentioned, rework the problem on a separate sheet of paper and compare the answers. Do not leave the test room unless you have reviewed each problem two times or until the bell rings.
Remember: There is no prize for handing your test in first, and students who turn their papers in last do make "A's."
Stapling your scratch paper to the math test when handing it in has several advantages:

• If you miscopied the answer from the scratch paper, you will probably get credit for the answers.
• If you get the answer incorrect due to a careless error, your work on the scratch paper could give you a few points.
• If you do get the problem wrong, it will be easier to locate errors when the instructor reviews the test. This will prevent from making the same mistakes on the next math test.

Remember: Handing in your scratch paper may get you extra points or improve your next test score.

Reference:

Paul D. Nolting, Ph.D., Winning at Math, 1997 1989 by Academic Success Press, Inc

Math

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Improving Study Skills  Improving Math Study Skills  Do Your Homework  Read Math Textbooks  Take Notes  Solve Word Problems  Better Test-Taking  Studying for Exams  Test-Taking Errors  Reduce Test Anxiety  Objective Tests  Essay Test

How to Reduce Test Anxiety To reduce math test anxiety, you need to understand both the relaxation response and how negative self-talk undermines your abilities. Relaxation Techniques The relaxation response is any technique or procedure that helps you to become relaxed and will take the place of an anxiety response. Someone simply telling you to relax or even telling yourself to relax, however, without proper training, does little to reduce your test anxiety. There are both short-term and long-term relaxation response techniques which help control emotional (somatic) math test anxiety. These techniques will also help reduce worry (cognitive) anxiety. Effective short-term techniques include The Tensing and Differential Relaxation Method and The Palming Method. Short Term Relaxation Techniques The Tensing and Differential Relaxation Method The Tensing and Differential Relaxation Method helps you relax by tensing and relaxing your muscles all at once. Follow these procedures while you are sitting at your desk before taking a test: Put your feet flat on the floor. With your hands, grab underneath the chair. Push down with your feet and pull up on your chair at the same time for about five seconds. Relax for five to 10 seconds. Repeat the procedure two to three times. Relax all your muscles except the ones that are actually used to take the test. The Palming Method The palming method is a visualization procedure used to reduce test anxiety. While you are at your desk before or during a test, follow these procedures: Close and cover your eyes using the center of the palms of your hands. Prevent your hands from touching your eyes by resting the lower parts of your palms on your cheekbones and placing your fingers on your forehead. Your eyeballs must not be touched, rubbed or handled in any way. Think of some real or imaginary relaxing scene. Mentally visualize this scene. Picture the scene as if you were actually there, looking through your own eyes. Visualize this relaxing scene for one to two minutes. Practice visualizing this scene several days before taking a test and the effectiveness of this relaxation procedure will improve. Side One of the audio cassette, How to Reduce Test Anxiety (Molting, 1986), further explains test anxiety and discusses these and other short-term relaxation response techniques. Short-term relaxation techniques can be learned quickly but are not as successful as the long-term relaxation technique. Short term techniques are intended to be used while learning the long-term technique. Long Term Relaxation Techniques The Cue-Controlled Relaxation Response Technique is the best long-term relaxation technique. It is presented on Side Two of the audio cassette, How To Reduce Test Anxiety (Molting, 1986). Cue-controlled relaxation means you can induce your own relaxation based on repeating certain cue words to yourself. In essence, you are taught to relax and then silently repeat cue words, such as "I am relaxed." After enough practice, you can relax during math tests. The Cue-Controlled Relaxation Technique has worked with thousands of students. For a better understanding of test anxiety and how to reduce it, listen to How to Reduce Test Anxiety (Nolting, 1986). Negative Self-Talk Negative self-talk is a form of worry (cognitive) anxiety. This type of worrying can interfere with your test preparation and can keep you from concentrating on the test. Worrying can motivate you to study, but too much worrying may prevent you from studying at all. Negative self-talk is defined as the negative statements you tell yourself before and during tests. Negative self-talk causes students to lose confidence and to give up on tests. Further, it can give you an inappropriate excuse for failing math and cause you to give up on learning math. Students need to change their negative self-talk to positive self- talk without making unrealistic statements. Positive self-statements can improve your studying and test preparation. During tests, positive self-talk can build confidence and decrease your test anxiety. These positive statements; as well as others, can help reduce your test anxiety and improve your grades. Some more examples of positive self statements are on the cassette tape How to Reduce Test Anxiety (Molting, 1986). Before the test, make up some positive statements to tell yourself. The 12 Myths About Test Anxiety Students are born with test anxiety. Test anxiety is a mental illness. Test anxiety cannot be reduced. Any level of test anxiety is bad. All students who are not prepared have test anxiety. Students with test anxiety cannot learn math. Students who are well prepared will not have test anxiety. Very intelligent students and students taking high-level courses, such as calculus, do not have test anxiety. Attending class and doing my homework should reduce all my test anxiety. Being told to relax during a test will make you relaxed. Doing nothing about test anxiety will make it go away. Reducing test anxiety will guarantee better grades. Reference: Paul D. Nolting, Ph.D., Winning at Math, 1997 1989 by Academic Success Press, Inc Previous Page Back to Table of Contents Next Page Return to Top Page maintained by dspsweb@cuesta.edu. Last modified: 11/06/2003.