Ready, Set, Study!

At SNABA we sure love our colors and our pens. So, here’s an easy way to create a study plan fit for a queen or king. All you need to remember is the colors of the rainbow.

Resources
-Gather your resources. Are you a visual learner like me and you want alllll the graphics or do you prefer to incorporate your studying while driving through audiobooks or podcasts? (I can recommend a great one from a pair of great girls ☺.) There are so many places to gather resources (you’re on one right now) that it will take very little time to figure out which resources will work best for you. Once you’ve compiled all your wonderful study materials, set them aside because next we’re going to….

Organize!
-Once you’ve collected all your resources, find a place where you can put them. I’m a neat freak, so I’ve organized all my resources in file folders and organized them by topic. For example, I have a folder for generalization, reinforcement, experimental design, etc. This way you’ll be able to easily access them when you’re ready. Also, it’s a good idea to have a designated study space. I have an office in my home where I can shut the door and tune out all distractions to help me focus on the topic at hand. Oh, and lots of coffee.

Your plan
-When are you going to study? Do you plan to study every day or every other day? How much time are you designating to study? 1 hour a day? 10 hours a week? Again, my compulsions have gotten the best of me and I created an excel sheet of my study plan. Each week, I mark out my schedule and when I can fit in study time. That way I can hold myself accountable and reward myself (positive reinforcement baby!) when I study that day. I can imagine very few things better than reading Cooper, Heron, and Heward and getting to earn that wonderful glass of wine at the end of the day. Cheers!

GO
⁃ Go for it!!! Start small if you must and work your way up. You’ll start to figure out very quickly what works for you and what doesn’t. If you need to make changes to your plan along the way because of unexpected situations or you’re just like F it not today, then at least you’ve realized now and not 10 days before your exam! The best part about creating a study plan for yourself is that it’s for YOU!

Believe in yourself
-I cannot stress this enough. Believe in yourself! You got this! Yes, studying can become tedious and overwhelming but remember your end goal. Why did you decide to take this path? Who are you doing this for? Remember that this exam doesn’t define you, it empowers you! It shows how far you’ve come and how f*ing smart you are! If you ever need a little pick me up I’d totally be down to vent with you over a nice glass of rosé ️too ☺.

Identify strengths and weaknesses
-Once you’ve started studying keep a list of your strengths such as those topics when you say (I got this!) and your weaknesses (I don’t have a f*ing idea). That way you can target what you really need to focus on, but don’t forget about your strengths or those may become weaknesses! Spend a little extra time understanding what you don’t know and review what you do know. Then reinforce yourself! That way for next time, you’ll be more likely to do it again!

Validate
-Are you studying what you need to? Check the task list!! The Task List has become my best friend. It tells me everything that is on the exam and while you may not be tested on everything because there’s only room for so many questions this is also where you can check your strengths and weaknesses. Mark on the task list what you know well and what you don’t know so well.

So there you have it! An easy breezy beautiful way to create your personal study plan and some helpful tips along the way. I hope this is useful for you during your journey to becoming a member of this wonderful community!