Cards

1) Buy a few sets of cheap 3 x 5 inch index cards - plain, not lined. On one side put a question; on the other, the answer. For Maths you might also want to add a method.

2) Mix them up and test yourself. Those that you get right, put in a pile to your left, those you get wrong put to your right. Repeat the process with those that you got wrong until you get them all right.

You can collect questions from your text book, revise guide, website and so on. Also you can make up your own questions or get your friends to make up questions.

I know that this isn't exactly trivial pursuits, but you could play a sort of game with a friend where you test each other using the cards. Make a game up yourself.

You can use this for any subject. For some questions you might like to add a method or explanation to the answer (especially in Maths), for others you won't (say for learning the parts of a plant or what's in a cell).

For English Literature you can put questions about the characters and plot of your set text.

Carry your cards with you everywhere.
Take advantage of little pockets of time. Test yourself while you're waiting on line, riding the bus, etc.

If you think you know an answer, but can't put it into words, you probably don't know it well enough. Being able to explain the information is the only way to be sure that you know it. It's also the best way to prevent test anxiety.

Consider testing yourself someplace where nobody can see you (and think you're crazy), and reciting the answers out loud. That's the best way to be sure that you can explain them.

Study with a friend from your class.
You can share ideas and help each other out with concepts. Also, you can use each other to make sure that you're explaining your answers adequately.

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