For many university students, college-level science courses are very difficult. One key to success is to learn how to properly study all of the course material.
Most universities require that their students take some college-level science courses to be eligible to graduate. Others plan on future careers in nursing, and medical fields, where doing well in these courses is required to get into competitive and selective majors (and into good jobs upon graduation). Regardless, these courses require discipline, good study habits, and perseverance to succeed.
The study skills offered here are designed to help make the best use of one’s time in preparing for exams and retaining information. These tips work for science courses in geology, biology, chemistry, physics, anatomy, and physiology, among other university disciplines.
Using Notecards for Science Course Material
One common error made by university students in science classes is spending too much time making notecards. If all of one’s study time is spent making notecards, there is very little time left to cram notecard material or to go through large packs of index cards. While rewriting notes onto index cards or notecards helps some with recalling information, the likelihood of retaining almost everything rewritten is minimal. If anything, some students may be more focused on getting notecards written rather than watching what is being written. For those struggling to manage their study time effectively, using an essay writing service can be a beneficial alternative, allowing them to focus on learning rather than getting bogged down by excessive note-taking.
Instead, index cards are more effective in preparing for science exams. Prefixes (examples: mono-, poly-) and formulas are tools one can readily memorize and take into a test to help find correct answers among multiple-choice options or problem-solving sets. Likewise, short definitions and vocabulary words can go on cards. The main things to keep in mind are:
keep lots of white space (space with no writing) as too much text distracts the eye and makes it more difficult to recall the information
try writing in color pens, markers
make index cards up as the material is covered in the textbook or class lecture then leave all the index cards to be made the week of an exam
Mnemonics for Science Courses
Another thing a student could use to retain all the course information from a science course is the tool called a mnemonic. Short phrases, acronyms, and sequences of letters can help recall a sequence of words or the ordering/arrangement of a list of words. Examples for the sciences include:
HOMES – the American Great Lakes: H(Huron), O (Ontario), M (Michigan), E (Erie), S(Superior)
My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas (Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune and the former planet, Pluto)
With these previous examples, the words “homes” and the phrase “my very excellent mother just served us nine pizzas” expand outward. In the case of “homes,” the word uses the first letter of each of the five lakes. In the planets’ case, the first letter of each word matches the first letter in the corresponding planet name. What is good with this mnemonic example is the fact that not only does the first letter in each word match the first letter of the corresponding planet, but the entire list is in close order to their proximity to the sun, as Mercury is the closest planet and “my” is the first word in the phrase.
While these examples are more often taught and used in American grade schools rather than in college and university-level science courses, the same principles apply. Mnemonics are particularly useful for human anatomy and physiology courses, where bones or nerves in a particular region of the human body have unique names, sometimes quite close in spelling. Sayings and acronyms make it easier to recall a listing and sometimes the order of the list.
Study Groups for Science Class
In addition to making notecards and mnemonics alone, science students may benefit from studying in pairs or groups with classmates. Before chemistry or biology exams, a group could meet to quiz one another.
Likewise, groups can come in handy for science courses where the professors/course instructors have provided study guides. A group can divvy up a packet so that everyone benefits from a completed study guide, without as much individual investment of time and work.
That way too, if any vocabulary words are unclear or test prep questions that are confusing, the group can collectively work together to find the answer or ask the professor for help. Working together on review packets for science classes more than any other discipline is a good use of time and resources, as the packets tend to be more involved with lots of vocabulary.
Lastly, explaining science concepts, systems or processes (like the Krebs cycle or mitosis) aloud is excellent studying practice, as teaching concepts to others and speaking the stages out loud helps with retention and recall of concepts on test day.
Textbook and Lecture Note Review for Science Class
Along with good group studying sessions, university students enrolled in science courses ought to practice good textbook and lecture note review too. Taking detailed notes in margins, in diagrams and graphics, and with highlighters helps sort out the most important and the most difficult concepts in a clear manner.
One thing that is particularly true with science courses is the importance of reading ahead. Even if the professor does not assign class reading in advance, one should skim-read the next section or chapter so that there is a baseline understanding of a concept before it is covered in class. This way, one can focus more on the dialogue in the lecture and what the instructor has to say rather than trying to cram every little item into notes taken during class.
In closing, strong note-taking, notecard-making, textbook reviewing, and group study habits can help many achieve improvement in college-level science courses, whether the course is in physics, archaeology, or biology for example. The key is to use time efficiently and effectively and find a way to store all the material and recall it come test day.
Use the following online quizzes to review each topic covered in Biology. Some topics have two biology tests each, so try them both! When you get all answers correct, email me your page along with your name and class period.
"); document.writeln(""); document.close(); return(false); } function GetResponse(answerIndex, answer) { var listIndex; var responseText; if (listMap.charAt(answerIndex) == "1") { listIndex = answer.selectedIndex; responseText = answer.options[listIndex].text; } else responseText = answer.value; return(responseText); } function ScoreAnswer(answerIndex, responseText) { var listIndex; var answerText; answerText = ansMap[answerIndex]; if (qtypeMap.charAt(answerIndex) == "4") return(NumericCompare(responseText, answerText)); else if (qtypeMap.charAt(answerIndex) == "5") return(MultiCompare(responseText, answerText)); else if (responseText.toUpperCase() == answerText.toUpperCase()) return(true); else return(false); } function BuildPrefixText(answerIndex, responseText, isCorrect) { var text; var listIndex; text = "
" if (isCorrect) text += "" else text += "" if (listMap.charAt(answerIndex) == "1") { if (responseText.length == 0) responseText = " "; text += " " + responseText + " "; } text += "
" return(text); } function StripSpaces(s) { var len; var i; len = s.length; for (i=len - 1; i >= 0 && s.charAt(i) == " "; --i) len = i; if (len == 0) s = ""; else if (len != s.length) s = s.substring(0, len); return(s); } function TranslateHtmlString(text) { var newText; var replaceString; var position; var length; var breakPos; var skipExtra; var i; newText = ""; position = 0; length = text.length; while (position < length) { skipExtra = 0; breakPos = -1; for (i=position; i < length && breakPos < 0; ++i) { switch(text.charAt(i)) { case '>': replaceString = ">"; breakPos = i; break; case '<': replaceString = "<"; breakPos = i; break; case '&': replaceString = "&"; breakPos = i; break; case 'r': if ((i + 1) < length && text.charAt(i + 1) == 'n') skipExtra = 1; replaceString = " "; breakPos = i; break; case 'n': replaceString = " "; breakPos = i; break; case ' ': if ((i + 1 < length) && text.charAt(i + 1) == ' ') { replaceString = " "; breakPos = i; } break; } } if (breakPos < 0) { newText += text.substring(position, length); position = length; } else { if (breakPos > position) newText += text.substring(position, breakPos); newText += replaceString; position = breakPos + 1 + skipExtra; } } return(newText); } function FixMCNotes(notesText, studentText) { var displayText; var searchText; var upperNotes; var charCode; var startIndex; var endIndex; displayText = ""; if (studentText.length > 0 && notesText.length > 0) { upperNotes = notesText.toUpperCase(); studentText = studentText.toUpperCase(); charCode = studentText.charCodeAt(0); searchText = "/" + String.fromCharCode(charCode) + "/"; startIndex = upperNotes.indexOf(searchText); if (startIndex >= 0) { startIndex += searchText.length; searchText = "/" + String.fromCharCode(charCode + 1) + "/"; endIndex = upperNotes.indexOf(searchText, startIndex); if (endIndex < startIndex) endIndex = notesText.length; displayText = notesText.substring(startIndex, endIndex); } else if (notesText.charAt(0) != "/") displayText = notesText; } return(displayText); } function NumericCompare(s1, s2) { var s1Sign; var s2Sign; var tempString; var decimalCount; var decimalPos; var numToDelete; var len; var ch; var i; s1.toUpperCase(); s2.toUpperCase(); if (s1 == s2) return(true); else { s1Sign = 1; s2Sign = 1; tempString = ""; for (i=0; i < s1.length; ++i) { ch = s1.charAt(i); if (ch == "-" && tempString.length == 0) s1Sign = -1; else if ((ch >= "0" && ch <= "9") || ch == ".") tempString += ch; } s1 = tempString; decimalCount = 0; decimalPos = -1; for (i=0; i < s1.length; ++i) { if (s1.charAt(i) == '.') { ++decimalCount; if (decimalPos < 0) decimalPos = i; } } if (decimalCount == 1 && decimalPos >= 0) { len = s1.length; for (i=len - 1; i >= decimalPos; --i) { if (i == decimalPos || s1.charAt(i) == '0') len = i; else break; } if (len < s1.length) s1 = s1.substring(0, len); if (s1.length == 0) s1 = "0"; } numToDelete = 0; for (i=0; i < s1.length; ++i) { if (s1.charAt(i) == "0") ++numToDelete; else break; } if (numToDelete > 0) { if (numToDelete == s1.length) --numToDelete; if (numToDelete > 0) s1 = s1.substring(numToDelete); } ///////////////////////////////////////////// tempString = ""; for (i=0; i < s2.length; ++i) { ch = s2.charAt(i); if (ch == "-" && tempString.length == 0) s2Sign = -1; else if ((ch >= "0" && ch <= "9") || ch == ".") tempString += ch; } s2 = tempString; decimalCount = 0; decimalPos = -1; for (i=0; i < s2.length; ++i) { if (s2.charAt(i) == '.') { ++decimalCount; if (decimalPos < 0) decimalPos = i; } } if (decimalCount == 1 && decimalPos >= 0) { len = s2.length; for (i=len - 1; i >= decimalPos; --i) { if (i == decimalPos || s2.charAt(i) == '0') len = i; else break; } if (len < s2.length) s2 = s2.substring(0, len); if (s2.length == 0) s2 = "0"; } numToDelete = 0; for (i=0; i < s2.length; ++i) { if (s2.charAt(i) == "0") ++numToDelete; else break; } if (numToDelete > 0) { if (numToDelete == s2.length) --numToDelete; if (numToDelete > 0) s2 = s2.substring(numToDelete); } if (s1Sign == s2Sign && s1 == s2) return(true); } return(false); } function MultiCompare(responseText, answerText) { var startIndex; var endIndex; var partialText; responseText = responseText.toUpperCase(); answerText = answerText.toUpperCase(); startIndex = 0; do { endIndex = answerText.indexOf("r", startIndex); if (endIndex < 0) partialText = answerText.substring(startIndex); else partialText = answerText.substring(startIndex, endIndex); if (responseText == partialText) return(true); startIndex = endIndex + 1; } while (endIndex > 0); return(false); } function FixMTF(f) { var text; var letter; var theList; var listIndex; var number; var i; for (i=0; i < f.length; ++i) { if (f.elements[i].name.indexOf("MTF:") == 0) { number = parseInt(f.elements[i].name.substring(4), 10); theList = f["MTF-" + number + "-1"]; if (theList) { listIndex = theList.selectedIndex; letter = theList.options[listIndex].text; } else letter = ""; text = StripSpaces(f["MTF-" + number + "-2"].value); if (text == "") f.elements[i].value = letter; else f.elements[i].value = letter + "," + text; } } } function AllowReset() { return(window.confirm("Do you want to clear all of your answers?")); }
Name:
Introduction Quiz
True/False
Indicate whether the sentence or statement is true or false.
1.
Refer to the illustration above. Reproduction ensures the ongoing success of both species.
2.
Refer to the illustration above. The sand dollar and paramecium both show organization.
3.
Scientists have not discovered any new species on Earth in more than 20 years.
4.
Publication of the results of scientific investigations enables other scientists to verify these results.
5.
Resolution is a microscope’s power to increase an object’s apparent size.
Multiple Choice
Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
6.
Biology is the study of
a.
minerals.
c.
the weather.
b.
life.
d.
energy.
7.
Homeostasis means
a.
a change over long periods of time.
c.
rapid change.
b.
keeping things the same.
d.
the same thing as evolution.
8.
Which of the following is a means by which heterotrophs can obtain energy?
a.
using water, carbon dioxide, and energy from the sun to produce sugars
b.
using water and carbon dioxide to produce energy-rich compounds
c.
consuming autotrophs
d.
consuming simple chemicals from the environment and using them to assemble complex chemicals and structures needed by the organism
9.
Which of the following is not necessarily a distinct property of living things?
a.
homeostasis
c.
complexity
b.
metabolism
d.
reproduction
10.
All organisms are composed of
a.
diatoms.
c.
cells.
b.
cellulose.
d.
None of the above
11.
Which example of scientific methodology is incorrect?
a.
Observation—A number of people in Zaire dying of a disease outbreak
b.
Measurement—A record of the number of people with symptoms of the disease and the number of people who had died from the disease
c.
Analysis of data—Comparison of the effects of mixing monkey cells with virus-containing blood in test tubes and the effects of mixing of liquid from these test tubes with fresh monkey cells
d.
Inference making—Identification of the Ebola virus as the cause of the disease by taking electron micrographs of substances found in the blood of persons affected with the disease
12.
Scientific hypotheses are most often tested by the process of
a.
communicating.
c.
experimenting.
b.
inferring.
d.
analyzing data.
13.
A hypothesis is
a.
a definite answer to a given problem.
b.
a testable possible explanation of an observation.
c.
a proven statement.
d.
a concluding statement.
14.
A hypothesis that does not explain an observation
a.
is known as an inaccurate forecast.
c.
is rejected.
b.
often predicts a different observation.
d.
None of the above
15.
A scientific theory
a.
is absolutely certain.
b.
is unchangeable.
c.
may be revised as new evidence is presented.
d.
is a controlled experiment.
16.
observation : hypothesis ::
a.
theory : observation
c.
certainty : investigation
b.
guess : hypothesis
d.
theory : control
17.
Which of the following components of a scientific investigation would benefit from communication between scientists?
a.
observing
c.
analyzing data
b.
measuring
d.
All of the above
18.
Most typically, the order in which the steps of the scientific method are applied is