Test Taking: Data Dump

Do you get anxious for tests? Go blank? Feel like there is too much to remember and mix things up? Leave a test and suddenly recall something you knew you knew?

Data Dump is a technique that can help you relax, overcome going blank, and remember key ideas.

When you first get a test, before looking at any of the questions, turn the test over and write down the main ideas you remember from studying. These could include definitions, formulas, memory aids, whatever you recall.

Data Dump does a lot to help you relax and remember:

• It gives you information to refer to when you can't quite remember how to do a problem, what the main formula is, what a key definition is, etc.
• It reminds your brain, "Hey, you know stuff! Look at all that," when you go blank.
• It can trigger other information. Our brains create mental cues when we learn and group information that goes together. Seeing one formula or definition can lead to another and another and so on.

On your next test, give Data Dump a try. Check back here for more test taking tips. Also, you can stop by the Learning Lab in W204F to learn other study skills.

Learning Lab Hours: Monday and Tuesday 1:00-4:00 p.m., Wednesday 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and 1:00-3:00 p.m., and Friday 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.