While rummaging around for more study tips to share with students I came across these two great little pointers by Rolf W. Seebach.
Seebach emphasizes that when it comes to learning, “stress and fatigue play a role, as does lack of interest.” Imagine that! Are you finding it difficult to remember all those scintillating laws and time frames and definitions and concepts and guidelines long enough to get to the testing center and pass the NMLS tests? How can you remember so much new information, especially when it’s not exactly “sexy”? Seebach says you can either try feigning interest in the subject (Right, you’re thinking …these are statutes and laws) or, you can force new information past the sorting and storing faculties of our brain, using all the tricks you can come up with. And I just happen to have a couple up my sleeve. Imagine that!
Tip #5 SURVEY THE COURSE OR CHAPTER MATERIAL FIRST
ProSchools puts great effort into the flow of information in our courses. Taking just 30 minutes to survey the material will give you a head start on what is expected of you. Read the Table of Contents at the beginning of the course. It literally spells out what the NMLS thinks is important for you to know. Read the Syllabus. It clearly states what you can expect to see and do each day. Read the Overview and the Objectives at the start of each chapter. These are little goldmines of information about what you need to concentrate on for the NMLS tests! Read all the headings and subheadings in each chapter. Are there words or phrases in bold? You'll want to be sure you understand them. And one more thing. Most chapters offer “fill in the blank” Brain Teasers. You might not know the answer at this point, but glance over them during this survey…they, too, give insight into what you should be learning.
Tip #6 REPETITION, REPETITION, REPETITION
Seebach is a strong believer in repetition being KEY to successful learning: “As much as you may dislike it, recall is best accomplished by repetition. Drumming a fact into your head repeatedly is still the best and fastest way to remember something.” Drumming a fact into your head repeatedly is still the best and fastest way to remember something. *grin*
“Remembering is a process in which the brain sprouts dendrites like branches on a tree to grow connections between synapses. To physically grow a connection takes time and is facilitated by repetition. Without …repetition, the connections may be too few, may never be completed or will eventually break apart again”…which results in forgetting. And that's something you don't want happening repeatedly during the NMLS tests!
This stuff really works. Check back next week for more NMLS Test Study Tips from ProSchools.