Getting Ready for the Psych Test
Alright, so that first psychology test was coming up. Unit one. Always feels like a bit of a mountain to climb at the start, doesn’t it? Gotta figure out where to even begin.
First thing I did was gather all my stuff. Dug out the class notes, you know, the ones I scribbled down during lectures. Grabbed the textbook too. Had a quick flick through to see what chapters were actually covered. Seemed like a lot – history of psych, research methods, that kind of foundational stuff.
So, I started reading. Chapter by chapter. Tried to actually absorb it, not just skim. Found myself highlighting bits that seemed important, definitions and key people mainly. Made some extra notes in the margins, questions I had, things that didn’t quite click immediately.
Some parts were pretty dry, gotta be honest. Especially the research methods bit. Statistics aren’t really my thing. Found myself getting stuck on reliability versus validity, all that jazz. Read it over a couple of times, still felt fuzzy.
That’s when I decided to look for other ways to understand it. Remembered someone mentioning checking out online resources. So, I spent a bit of time searching for videos explaining those specific concepts. Found a few decent ones, just short clips really. Someone explaining it in a different way sometimes helps it click. Watched a couple on research ethics too, just to be sure.
After getting a slightly better handle on the tricky bits, I went back to my notes. Tried to condense them down. Wrote out summaries for each main topic on separate sheets of paper. Just the key points, in my own words. Forces you to actually process it, right?
- Read the chapters thoroughly.
- Took detailed notes, adding my own questions.
- Looked up online videos for confusing parts (like research methods).
- Wrote summary sheets for each topic.
- Tried making some basic flashcards for key terms and names.
Made some rough flashcards too, mostly for vocabulary and names like Wundt, James, Freud. Just wrote the term on one side, definition or key idea on the back. Flipped through them whenever I had a spare few minutes. Felt a bit old school, but it helps drill the basics in.
The Final Push
The day before, I just reviewed everything. Read through my summary sheets, flipped through the flashcards again. Didn’t try to learn anything new, just solidify what I’d already covered. Went through the study guide the professor gave us, making sure I could answer everything on there.
Felt reasonably okay by the end of it. You never feel totally ready, do you? But I felt like I’d put in the effort, covered the material from a few different angles. Just had to hope it stuck when I actually sat down to take the test.
