General Psychology

[Cindy]

Only 345 flash cards on this site to memorize. WOW my head is aching, I cant get them commited to memory. There is alot of info. here. Any secrete way of commiting them to memory, I am getting discouraged and think I have no brain cells to commit to memory. Help.:eek:

[yutzyj]

Only 345 flash cards on this site to memorize. WOW my head is aching, I cant get them commited to memory. There is alot of info. here. Any secrete way of commiting them to memory, I am getting discouraged and think I have no brain cells to commit to memory. Help.:eek:

Hi Cindy,
Unfortunately there is no secret way to commiting the flashcards to memory exept hard work. Speaking for myself, I also sometimes become discouraged by the number of flashcards and the amount of information to learn. Here's what I do:
- I go in the order that IC has the sections listed.
- I read the section over once, very slowly, and try to understand what is being taught. I don't get too upset if I don't understand it all right away.
- I read the section again and try and see if I know any of the flashcards. I don't type anything in yet.
- Then the third time over I try to type in the answers. If I'm going along well and I don't miss a tremendous amount I try and go through to the end. Then I review. I review by writing down the numbers of the ones I missed and then Jumping to them. This way the answer isn't below the question. I keep going through the ones I miss and crossing them off as I know them. Then I randomize them to make sure I know them.
- When I go through the third time and it's a hard section I sometimes only learn them 5 at a time, especially if it's at night and I'm tired. I keep jumping back to a few back that I know I have trouble on and then moving forward again. Eventually I get through them all. If I have to learn them by 5's, when I am complete I go through the section from the beginning to end and then review like above.
Just keep at it and eventually you will be surprised to see that you've learned a few sections. It always seems hardest to start a new subject. But eventually the pieces fall into place.

[pennyddreadful]

Hi, Cindy. I've been lurking on this board for about two months now. I was so inspired by the other members' success that I attempted four CLEP exams and passed.

The exams can seem extremely daunting, especially if there is a lot of material to cover. The best plan of attack is to break up the studying into easy to manage "chunks". I wouldn't worry about all 300+ flashcards at once. Just concentrate on learning perhaps 30 at a time, or whatever number that doesn't seem overwhelming. After you've mastered the material, move on. Then just periodically review what you've learned so that the information stays fresh in your mind.

I'd also recommend checking the exam feedback forum to see what study resources other members have found useful. For example, there is a free online video psychology course that might help supplement the IC material:

Discovering Psychology

Personally, I don't think I would have been able to pass without the great study resources posted by the folks here on the board. Sometimes, all it takes is a secondary source to help tie all the facts together. Hang in there, and best of luck on your exam

Humanities-79
Intro to Sociology-74
English Literature-75
American Literature-76

[Culrich]

I have a system that works pretty well for me. I make a study sheet,where I draw a column for each section of a course. As I go through the questions, I write down the number of each flashcard I don't have a good grasp on under the column for that section. The next time I review the material, I review only the flashcards noted on the study sheet , ignorring the rest. As I commit a concept to memory, I line the number of the question I've newly memorized from the paper. Each time I drill through it, the list gets smaller until I've memorized all of the questions. It usualy takes me a week to commit all of the questions to memory. I'm sure everyone has there own way of approaching this, but this works for me. Don't be intimidated by the number of questions in a subject. I get psyched out everytime I start studying, only to do fine when I take the test. So far, I've taken 22 CLEPs, DSSTs and ECEs using only Instantcert as my primary study material and have passed them all. Good luck!

[Cindy]

THank you all for the encouragement and study hints, I will keep trying little at a time. I'll keep in touch and let eveyone know. I did not schedule the test yet, really have to study. Thanks Cindy