11-14-2009, 12:02 PM
My apologies if this shows up elsewhere in the forum, but I though I'd share a technique that has been very useful for me. I have passed 6 DSST exams in 8 weeks, making HEAVY use of the flashcards on this site.
I use an application called Sonicstage and a basic PC microphone to record myself reading the flashcards section by section. Doing this I am able to capture additional thoughts and comments, or simply use my own words to make memorization easier. Mixing a joke in here and there as I go, I find that I can create useful associations with tougher questions, aiding memorization and recall. I then put each section on my iPod and listen to each over and over in the car, or whenever I can dedicate 20 minutes or so to a section. The individual sections usually take between 20-30 minutes, which breaks down into very manageable sessions.
After memorizing each section I come back to the site several times as the test date approaches, going to through each section with relative ease. In these passes I can isolate the handful of questions I need to focus on, so I pull them out and hammer on them until eventually reaching a point where I can answer 100% of the questions (usually within a week).
I use Sonicstage, but any application that will allow you to record to .WAV or .MP3 will work. Drag the resulting files into your iTunes music library and highlight each, then right click on the whole set and choose "get info". This will allow you to assign an "artist" and an "album" so that when they are on your iPod you can break them up into sections. For example, I always use DanO as the artist, and have each section saved as Section 1, Section 2, Section 3, etc.
Once you get this system down you can really maximize your study time. After doing it a time or two the process is really easy.
Tests passed:
1) Substance Abuse
2) Personal Finance
3) Money & Banking
4) History of Vietnam War
5) Ethics in America
6) Intro to Law Enforcement
I use an application called Sonicstage and a basic PC microphone to record myself reading the flashcards section by section. Doing this I am able to capture additional thoughts and comments, or simply use my own words to make memorization easier. Mixing a joke in here and there as I go, I find that I can create useful associations with tougher questions, aiding memorization and recall. I then put each section on my iPod and listen to each over and over in the car, or whenever I can dedicate 20 minutes or so to a section. The individual sections usually take between 20-30 minutes, which breaks down into very manageable sessions.
After memorizing each section I come back to the site several times as the test date approaches, going to through each section with relative ease. In these passes I can isolate the handful of questions I need to focus on, so I pull them out and hammer on them until eventually reaching a point where I can answer 100% of the questions (usually within a week).
I use Sonicstage, but any application that will allow you to record to .WAV or .MP3 will work. Drag the resulting files into your iTunes music library and highlight each, then right click on the whole set and choose "get info". This will allow you to assign an "artist" and an "album" so that when they are on your iPod you can break them up into sections. For example, I always use DanO as the artist, and have each section saved as Section 1, Section 2, Section 3, etc.
Once you get this system down you can really maximize your study time. After doing it a time or two the process is really easy.
Tests passed:
1) Substance Abuse
2) Personal Finance
3) Money & Banking
4) History of Vietnam War
5) Ethics in America
6) Intro to Law Enforcement
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