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+--- Thread: New to IC (/Thread-New-to-IC--17142)
New to IC - French3591 - 03-14-2013
Hi, I just signed up and all I can seem to find is the flash cards. If I don't already have a general knowledge of this subject matter then will this really help me? I find myself filling in the blanks with a similar word just not the Right word. Or I have no idea what the answer is. This just seems like a really difficult way to learn the information.
Should I just keep at the FC and eventually it will be retained? Or am I missing somethin?
New to IC - French3591 - 03-14-2013
My bad. I just stumbled upon the FAQ's. I should have seen this before posting. It is all a part of the grand plan of IC. Ill just stick to the FC's.
New to IC - Prloko - 03-14-2013
French,
Some people don't bother filling in the blanks and just click through repeatedly until the answer is in their head. Some memorize only what goes in there. Either way, make sure you read the entire flashcard each time (even out loud if you have to) to force yourself to slow down and retain the material. After you do it a couple times, your brain sees a few words in the beginning of the sentence and already knows what the fill-in answer is. That won't help you on the exam, the entire material on the flashcard will. Also, if you are paying, make sure you read the specific feedback section where users post their experience with their exams and provide valuable insight.
New to IC - French3591 - 03-14-2013
Thanks for the information!
New to IC - Storyteller - 03-14-2013
I really like Prloko's answer. It's very comprehensive and includes some great suggestions. In the Specific Feedback section, posters usually include what tools they used for passing the exam. I like covering all the bases, so I usually supplemented the IC flashcards with specific feedback info, REA books, Peterson's books and tests, informational websites, etc.
New to IC - SoliDeoGloria - 03-14-2013
Welcome to IC! The information shared above is great! Definitely check out the Specific Feedback forum. Sometimes all you need to pass a test is the flashcards, and sometimes you need to supplement them with other resources. The Specific Feedback posters share their opinions about this. Two of my favorite resources (besides IC, REA books, and Peterson's) are Free Clep Prep.com and the Official CLEP Study Guide. The OCSG is usually a very good indicator of how I will do on the actual test.
Have fun getting started!
New to IC - EI2HCB - 03-15-2013
Lots of people begin by thinking that the flashcards work because you get the right answer, The answer seems to be incidental in the broad message of the question, repeated exposure to the information not just the blank word will aid your comprehension best. I can fly through some flash cards typing in the word but if I only do that I'm not absorbing the material around it which is the key thing. The exam is about our understanding of a subject and requires no actual filling in blank questions that require you to memorize each correct blank. These cards summarize a vast amount of information into each one which means that you don't have to read tons of writing. Imagine they are 3X5 Flashcards that you were reviewing a concept as opposed to finding the missing word. Sometimes other resources are required to grasp the subject that's why the Specific exam feedback page for members only is there, to allow you see how others succeded and to mirror their success by using other resources alongside. An example of this is biography of America videos along with the US History 1 flashcards, It took a while to associate Rolfe with tobacco in Virginia (I'm not from the U.S and didn't know he married Phocahontas, as many Americans do from childhood) if I had of focused on just the word tobacco and not the idea that Rolfe perfected a Virginia blend tobacco that's still smoked in Europe today I wouldn't have benefited as much from the flashcards