Helpful Exam Tips?
Hello! I have an exam tonight that I've spent a lot of time studying for. However, spanish doesn't come easy for me and I'm getting pretty nervous.
Does anyone have some helpful tips for me to remember the differences between tenses and when to use what?
Any advice is helpful. Thank you!
2 Answers
¡Hola! What tenses is your exam on? A little more detail would be helpful so we can give you more applicable advice :-D
Studying
I like to retype my endings, vocab and grammar concepts and then use those sheets to study.
Taking the Exam
Here are some of my own tips. Some may work for you :-D
1) In grammar sections where I have to conjugate, I underline every verb with -car, -gar, -zar or -ger/ir, so I don't forget to make an orthographic change if needed (i.e. BUSCAR -> Yo Busqué in the pret. yo, or Busque in the subjunctive.)
2) Underline important info that should match. For example, if you are supposed to conjugate verbs in a sentence underline the subjects. If you are supposed rewrite a sentence with IO and DO pronouns, then label the IO and DO.
3) On the exam, there's no shame in writing out your endings to the sides of the grammar section. I'm in college majoring in Spanish and I used to do that a lot.
4) Pay attention to question words (Qué, dónde, quién, de quién etc.). Understand them.
5) If you are learning subjunctive use the WIERDO acronym to justify each use of the subjunctive. (Note: It doesn't include every use of the subjunctive.) Here is a link with it: http://www.drlemon.com/Grammar/Subjunctive/subjunctiveWeirdo.html#.Uqd1LY2zkfI I like it because it prevents me from accidentally
Sorry for the long reply, but these are my test taking tips :-D ¡Buena Suerte!
EDIT: 6) (One more point.) For me, it is easier to know why you do something rather than memorizing how, because you won't (likely) know every single word on the test. So with the orthographic changes in point 1, I think it is easier to learn why you make the change then where you make the change, if that makes sense. It prevents me from confusing myself with all the memorization.
¡Buena Suerte, también!
I've just been reading an interesting article which discusses which methods are effective for revision.
They found out that there are two things that really help. Testing yourself and spreading out your revision over time.
I think it is better to try and fit in short periods of practice every day - 1/2 hour in the morning, 1/2 hour midday, 1/2 hour in the evening would make a huge difference.
As to testing yourself, I've found this useful for verb conjugations:
I've found quizlet great for making sure that I learn spelling, as well as vocab, and you can create whatever cards are suitable for your own learning:
