Divine, James H., and David W. Kylen. How to Beat Test Anxiety
and Score Higher on Your Exams. Woodbury, New York: Barron's
Educational Series, Inc., 1979.
How to Beat Test Anxiety and Score Higher on Your Exams begins by
helping students to understand how they experience test anxiety before
helping them take steps to reduce it. Suggestions on how to reduce test
anxiety include replacing negative self-statements with self-affirming
statements, and learning how to relax. The second half of the book
focuses on developing test-taking skills, especially those required for
multiple choice questions.
Fleet, Joan, Fiona Goodchild, and Richard Zajchowski.
Successful Learning. London, Ontario: University of Western
Ontario, 1987.
Successful Learning is an introduction to study skills, an
earlier version of Learning for Success. There is an inventory at
the beginning to help students identify their strengths and weaknesses
followed by chapters on time management, essay writing, science problem
solving, exam preparation, and others. The authors encourage students to
be strategic, to study "smarter not harder."
Hanau, Laia. The Study Game. New York: Barnes &
Noble Books, 1979.
The Study Game is well titled because the author approaches
studying as if it were a game which students can learn how to win. It
covers reading for information, conveying that information,
consolidating information for exams, and writing exams. The language is
informal, frequently using point form rather than complete sentences,
and the text accompanied by sketches, arrows, and circled major points.
Students who like mind-mapping and take non-linear notes, will find this
book helpful.
Jones, Bill, and Roy Johnson. Making the Grade.
Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 1990.
In two volumes, Making the Grade shows how to improve study
skills. Volume I examines input, learning new information, and Volume II
examines output, presenting ideas in papers and exams. The books are
organized in brief segments with prescribed rest and reflection. There
are anecdotes to illustrate points and to help students deepen their
understanding of their own experience.
MacFarlane, Polly, and Sandra Hodson. Studying Effectively
and Efficiently: An Integrated System. Toronto: University of
Toronto, 1983.
Studying Effectively and Efficiently: An Integrated System
provides a brief introduction (46 pages) to study skills. Topics include
concentration, time scheduling, listening and lecture note taking,
reading and learning from textbooks, writing papers, and preparing for
exams. The book contains a brief, clear explanation of the mechanisms of
learning and memory.
Pauk, Walter. How to Study in College. Boston:
Houghton Mifflin Company, 1984.
How to Study in College is a book that covers a wide range of
study skills, from improving memory to answering specific types of exam
questions. It is particularly strong in dealing with reading and note
taking skills, not surprising considering that the author is a
researcher in reading. The book is well organized with a thorough table
of contents and index. Each chapter has a self-test to promote learning
and remembering.
Richardson, Frank C. Coping With Exam Anxiety.
Editor. Arlene Young. Athabasca, Alberta: Athabasca University, 1990.
This book uses an informational learning approach to help students
understand and reduce their exam anxiety. The book will help students
understand the extent to which their difficulty with exams is due to
preparation or anxiety. For many students, reading the book and doing
the exercises will be sufficient to reduce their anxiety. Others may
also wish to seek the help of a counsellor. Athabasca University
Students can obtain the book, free of charge, from the Athabasca
University Students Association (AUSA).
Sullivan, Kathleen E. Paragraph Practice. New
York//London: Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc.//Collier Macmillan
Publishers, 1984.
If professors or tutors criticize students' paragraphs, Paragraph
Practice can help. It explains what a paragraph is and how it
differs from other writing. The author breaks the paragraph down into
its parts, and shows how several of them can be united to form a brief
composition?the kind of composition written for exams and tutor marked
assignments.
