For my entire life, I've had great difficulty studying for exams/quizzes. I've tried almost every method possible, and have only found one solution possible: INDEX CARDS. Not many people use them, and they're not usually their first choice for study methods. I want to prove to people that index cards are one of the best and most efficient methods to study for an exam.
Here are five reasons why you should use index cards while studying:
1) They Break Down The Content
Sometimes, our notes contain a lot of information, and can be extremely overwhelming when studying for an exam. Mainly because of the fact that you may not be sure on where to start. Index cards allow you to break down the content onto a small piece of paper. This helps when you need to memorize definitions or events. I have personally learned that breaking down the content is actually easier than staring at my notebook or my computer screen.
2) It Forces You To Write Out The Content
Studies have shown that people retain information better when they write it out on a piece of paper. With index cards, you have no choice but to the write the information out by hand. Since you're also rewriting your notes as well, this too can help you remember in a more efficient way. Plus, it's easier to control the information on the index cards. If you don't need to know something for a class but wrote it down anyway, rewriting will make it easier to remember.
3) Index Cards Make It Easier To Quiz Yourself
I'm not sure if anyone else does this, but prior to an exam I always quiz myself. Sometimes using notes in a notebook or on a computer can make it difficult to quiz yourself. Index cards provide the opportunity to flip back in whichever direction. You can also separate them by categories, so you know which index cards are the ones you need to look at.
4) They're The Best For Definitions
Personally, I've found that index cards come in handy when you need to memorize a definition. When you're looking at your notes, one may have several definitions within a particular category. Breaking down definitions is a great way of fully grasping the information. Index cards allow you to expand on the definition in which ever way you like.
5) Index Cards Are Accessible (And Save Space In Your Bag)
I know that notebooks are very accessible, but index cards are much smaller and don't necessarily require a bag to hold them. As a college student, I feel that sometimes bags can get super heavy from carrying other books back and forth. You can simply write out the information on index cards, then put a rubber band over them to save bag space. It's true that if you have a lot of information the amount of index cards you use can take up a lot of bag space, but I'm pretty sure that beats the heaviness of a textbook any day.
