Tuesday, October 21, 2008
The Art to Getting Praxis II Content Locked in Your Mind
Praxis II Test Content Must Make Sense
Have you ever tried to memorize something without really understanding it? Then, you know the very first key to getting information locked in your mind is to understand the material.
If you come across something you don’t understand in your Praxis II study, stop. Jot a note about it on a yellow pad or another word document. Then continue study things you do understand.
Take all those items you didn’t understand and find someone who does understand them. Ask them for a few minutes of their time and get them to help you get a grasp on the concept.
Get Your Praxis II Facts Organized
Try to memorize a list of key historical figures. It can be difficult. Putting them in chronological order can help. But what if you put them in alphabetical order? It might be just the trigger your mind needs, so you can recall them when you need them.
There are any number of ways you can organize your Praxis II study material:
Sometimes the most obvious way to organize the material isn’t the best way to remember it. Try some different ways of organizing your Praxis II test material and see if a new way of organizing it helps.
Use the Power of Association
Which is easier to draw, an outline of Italy or an outline of Luxembourg? Most of us would have trouble drawing Luxembourg. But almost everyone can get close when drawing Italy. Because our minds associate it with a boot. Use this technique in your Praxis II study and you’ll make memorization much easier.
When you’re studying for your Praxis II test, find ways to associate as much as possible. Is a 1015 a key date in history? Or is it your father’s birthdate (10/15)? Is 5,280 the number of feet in a mile, or the price of the new shoes for your feet ($52.80).
Visualization Makes Praxis II Study a Snap
Concrete things are easier to memorize than abstract, so use visualization when you’re studying for the Praxis II test. In essence, visualization takes what’s abstract and makes it concrete.
For example, you probably used the children’s rhyme to learn that “in fourteen-hundred and ninety-two Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” But what if you pictured a man standing on the deck of a ship. His plumed hat and cute tights give away who he is, but under one arm he has the number 14 and under the other the number 92.
That’s visualization. In a split second you accomplish what the children’s rhyme took several seconds to do.
There are lots of ways you can get Praxis II test material locked into your mind. We’ve summarized the most effective in our Praxis II study guide. Find out for yourself what a good Praxis II study guide can do to boost your score on the Praxis II test.
