Studies have shown that students who use flash cards to study for exams score significantly higher than those who do not, making this a cheap means of yielding high returns.You will need to buy either 3x5 or 4x6 unlined index cards, and a pencil, pen or marker that won’t show through on the other side after writing. Begin by writing a short question on one side of the card and the answer on the other side. Select the first card, read the question and answer it. Flip the card to see if you answered it correctly.


Keep all of your flash cards in one stack instead of separating them into smaller stacks. Doing this initiates the spacing effect, which enhances recall and retention.
After you have gone through them several times at spaced time intervals, separate the cards that you consistently get right and focus on those that you do not.
 Concept cards differ from flash cards in that the focus is not on individual facts but, instead, on the interconnectedness of facts and ideas, of concepts, and are particularly helpful when prepping for essay exams and finals.As with flash cards, buy either 3x5 or 4x6 unlined index cards and a pencil, pen or marker that won’t show through on the other side after you write. On one side, write a key idea, term, name, event or process from your notes. On the other, write the definition of that word, keeping it brief, and list 3-5 concepts related to it. Use your concept cards to quiz yourself on each identified word you wrote on the front of your cards.


Concepts related to the identified words might include examples, reasons why the identified word is important, related issues, sub-categories and so forth.
For both flash cards and concept cards, pick up a few index file boxes or cases/holders to store your cards. The cases/holders, particularly, come in a variety of colors and can be matched with the colors you chose for your subjects’ folders and notebooks, if you went that route in organizing your notes.
You can also carry one or both sets of cards with you and use them in your down time, such as when you’re waiting at the doctor’s office, while riding the bus or between classes.
 Self-testing is one of the most highly effective study strategies you can employ and should be done regularly. It forces your brain to retrieve information and strengthens the neural pathways to memory storage.Taking your lecture notes, create questions based upon the material in each lecture. You will want to create multiple choice questions, true/false questions, short answer questions, fill-in-the blank questions and essay questions. Set your practice test aside for a few days, then take it and repeat this process periodically throughout the term for each test.


After the first exam in a particular course, you often, though not always, will have a good idea of the test format your teacher prefers and uses. If the test was all multiple choice, for example, consider creating more multiple choice questions from your lecture notes for that course.
When constructing your practice test questions, try to anticipate and construct questions that might show up on the real exam. Look in your notes for cause/effect relationships, examples and hypotheticals, definitions, dates, lists and diagrams.
After your first exam, look at the questions you missed. Go back to your notes and see if that material was in your notes. Perhaps it was in your text, or perhaps it was in your notes but you didn’t consider it as important as your teacher obviously did. Use this insight to adjust not only your practice tests but also your note taking and studying in general.
Transform lecture notes into flash cards.
Create concept cards from your lecture notes.
Create practice self-tests from your lecture notes.
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