The Power of Notecards by Maddison

The Power of Notecards by Maddison - May 2016 Scholarship Essay

Final exams can be quite the stressful time for high school and college students. However, if you are prepared, it can also be a breeze. I used to have test anxiety during finals until I learned how helpful notecards can be if you know how to use them.
As a junior in high school, I have experience my share of tough tests. I even took my first college final one week ago from today, nerve-racking right? Well, not really. Last year, I was struggling with maintaining an A in biology. Doing well on my EOC (end-of-course test) would really help boost my grade. I had to do something. So, a few weeks prior to my test, I talked to my teacher and she suggested making note cards. Initially, I did not think it would help much at all. I did not realize that before hand, I had been putting too much information on my cards before- that was the problem. If I had just included key points, it would have helped me a LONG time before now. I started that night. I actually ended up making over two hundred note cards covering all of the topics listed, but only keeping a few words or phrases on each one. I studied every night until my test and then I could recite all sorts of information at any given time.
Test day arrived. I was still extremely nervous. That morning, I went into the computer lab with my class and began my test. Bam! I knew most of the questions. Viruses, mitosis, meiosis, food chains, I had some sort of idea about them. Question after question, I began to feel more comfortable and proud of myself. Before I knew it, the test was over. Three days later, I got my score. I had made an excellent; an excellent is the highest ranking a student can get. I was elated.
Ever since that day, I have resulted to using notecards to study for all of my tests that I need extra help on. They have not fell short either. I have made excellent on my other EOC's too so far. If you have not tried to use notecards (the correct way), you are definitely missing out.