Closed-Book Practice? Test yourself?
Some students have shared that they purposely don’t check their notes when practicing questions, because they see it as a “test” of their knowledge.
My advice: Only do this in the final stages of preparation for exams. Why?
When you are learning a new topic, you are concurrently trying to:
Understand how the concept is applied in questions
Remember the concept.
Ask yourself, what are the chances that in your first round of practice, you will be simultaneously be able to recall and apply the concept correctly?
A better approach
In my opinion, an open-book approach works much better, because it forces you to make connections between what’s written in the notes, and the application of the question. This forming of connections is crucial for deep understanding of the concept you’re learning. If you don’t practice this way, you might find that you often get stuck with questions, and don’t even know which part of the notes to refer to for clues! That is a dangerous situation to be in, and you need to correct your study habits as soon as possible.
Study hard, study smart!
Mr Tong
