Passing the Board Exam by Malditang Librarian, RL

Studying Tips Part 1: Study Smarter

How to be good at studying boils down to this: finding the method that works best for you and using that. In my opinion, most successful students don't work 'hard' at studying, they work 'smart' - they find the style most efficient for them, thus they don't have to spend a lot of time studying. But don't feel bad or compare your studying style to others if you are a bit slower - you can overcome these by effort. Your studying style is unique, and you must experiment with what works for you.

I learn best by writing, so this studying method served me well in college: listening to lectures and taking notes, then reading books and taking notes from them as well. When there are readings to study, I read it three times:

· The first reading is from beginning to end, to get a gist of the topic;

· The second reading is highlighting and underlining the important points, so I know the parts to focus on when I reread;

· The third reading is rewriting them in my own words, creating a short 'reviewer' and this is the main thing I reread and review when I study.

These shorter notes are what I use in study sessions. This method may look intensive and time-consuming but it actually saves me time. By going over the text many times, I am imprinting them in my memory. When I write the concepts in my own words, my understanding and memory are strengthened. The book that I recommend on studying is How to Study by George Fillmore Swain, it's a short read and free on Project Gutenberg .

The board exam is a unique test and presents its own challenges. I recommend Mila M. Ramos's pamphlet, Facing the Librarian's Licensure Examination Challenge (2014). According to her, the exam tests basic entry-level practice for librarianship so it's enough to familiarize yourself with the basics. In my review, I spent time memorizing a lot of laws, LC, and DDC, but to my surprise, only a few questions got out and they were the very basics! So, it's pretty 'dangerous' to just memorize, especially if you memorize things that will not go out of the exam anyway. Understanding is the key because there will be many situational items where your decision-making will be tested. If you understand the concepts well, you will not find it difficult to answer these questions.

If you are attending a review class, I suggest that you listen first and leave the notes for later. Try to concentrate on the lecture (even if it can be difficult during the afternoon when you want to sleep). Highlight the text later, within 24 hours after the lecture. My method is reading the text, highlighting the important keywords (I have a personal color coding system: yellow for names, orange for dates or time periods, pink for book titles, green for general keywords to remember), then underlining the brief explanation. I do this so when I review the notes again, I only read the highlighted and underlined words and phrases. Revisit the notes frequently, by intervals, to increase your memory and retention.

If you find it hard to remember names, then associate it with a person you know. Me and my roommate used this a lot. For he personages in Management and Cataloging, we used their names as nicknames for people we know. For example, there was a person in Management named Fred Fiedler, who founded contingency management. There's a dog named Fred in our boarding house and we called him by the name of the theorist and associated qualities of the concept to Fred the dog. I research the person on the net to find out more about his life.

There is no such thing as being too early or alert when preparing your documents for PRC application. Constantly check schedules and announcements on their website. Be informed.

Also, while you're on the internet, don't just browse social networking websites. Subscribe to news sites about librarianship and find out about the latest trends. Don't simply rely on your handouts, reviewers, and practice exams. Some questions were not tackled in the review, but fortunately, I was aware of them because I read them on the net but never did I imagine they would go out of the exam. Sometimes all those wasted hours on the internet have their advantages.

Make use of technology. Most of us now have smart phones and tablets, so make use of them. I downloaded useful apps such as flashcards, voice recorders, and virtual notebooks. I also played a lot of abstract brain training games such as Memorado and Lumosity, they help in keeping your mind alert. The apps I found most useful in my review are Documents for iOS (I didn't bring all my papers from Iloilo City but just placed the readings here to save space and weight in your luggage) and Evernote (the web clipper is very useful when you're browsing the net and you need to save the pages easily.

Also, research review sources on the net. I still read and viewed free online classes on the subjects I was studying on.

Last word: in your review, listen to other people's suggestions, especially from those who have already passed the exam. But their style isn't your style. Thank them for their good intentions, but do what you know is best for yourself. During my review, people told me not to attend the regular review in UP because its expensive, people asking if I was already going crazy from all the studying because I didn't have a job during the longer part of my review. These comments will eat away at your mind but don't let them. Focus. Remember, if you pass the exam no one can say anything anymore because all your effort paid off. Sometimes these light mocking of my serious effort can make me feel bad. But keep going! When your name is on the passers' list comes they will rejoice for you and your school anyway!

Remember: the board exam isn't hard. You just need the desire to pass and then direct all your effort and resources to attain that goal. What's more difficult is the real exam that comes after in the real world of librarianship. After the board, I still faced a lot of challenges and had to learn a lot. Topping or passing the exam doesn't mean anything in the long run if you don't take the initiative to improve yourself and help the profession.