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  • Hi WellCasters! It's getting colder and colder outside and supermarkets have finally sold the last of their Thanksgiving turkeys, so you know what that means: It's coming up on finals!

  • We know, we know, it's not our favorite time of year, either.

  • Upcoming tests mean long nights of studying, stress and probably some nightmares that involve either sleeping through your English exam or walking into class naked.

  • This week on WellCast, we took another viewer suggestion, this one by Sambarsalsa on getting up to par.

  • We're not gonna make you sit through any statistics or studies today though,

  • this is just going to be three exercises, so you can put into practice how to become a better test taker. Are you ready?

  • Oaky, pause and print this week's tips on our handy WellCast worksheet.

  • Step one: Ace your essay with the Black-Red-Green method.

  • This exercise comes from the Royal Literary Fund, and it's a great trick to use when you're tackling a difficult essay question.

  • First, make sure you've got three colored pensyou guessed it, one black, one red and one green.

  • You're gonna use these three pens to underline different parts of the essay question.

  • By the end, everything will be underlined so you won't miss anything important.

  • Let's say this is your essay question:

  • "In The Great Gatsby, how does Gatsby represent the American dream in the 1920s?

  • Reference two quotes from the novel as well as one secondary source. Be sure to refer to specific symbolism throughout the novel, including the green light and T.J. Eckleburg."

  • First, take out your black pen. Black stands for Blatant instructions, something the question requires you to answer to receive full marks.

  • Next, take out your REd pen, this will be used for underlining any REference points you've been asked to hit.

  • Finally, take out your green pen. This one's easy: The green pen underlines a "green light" which is, a hint that the question gives on how to proceed.

  • By now, this essay question should be looking like a Christmas tree and that's how you know you've hit and understood every part of the prompt.

  • You're ready to rock the answer!

  • Step two: Mnemonic devices are your best friend.

  • Basically, a mnemonic device turns a long string of information into something short, interesting and above all, memorable.

  • The best mnemonic devices have one thing in common: They create a striking visual image in your mind.

  • For example, a common mnemonic device is the sentence "Each Good Bird Does Fly."

  • That's one way to remember the lines in a staff of music: E, G, B, D and F.

  • But... flying birds aren't very striking.

  • If you're sitting in a classroom, chewing on your pencil, a flock of birds might not pop into your head right away if you're straining to remember a musical staff.

  • But what about "Each Gaptoothed Billygoat Dances Fast."

  • Yep! That's more like it.

  • Step three: Give a speech.

  • The link between hearing something and remembering it has been proven time and time again.

  • Studies have found that people who have difficulty hearing in certain situations are also more likely to have memory impairment.

  • So, what does that mean? Well, think about it this way, you know your favorite album and how you always know what song's gonna come up next?

  • That's because you've listened to the thing ad nauseum and you've ingrained the information in your brain.

  • So, why not use this useful hack to help your remember information for a test?

  • The more you hear yourself saying the notes, the better you'll be at remembering them the next day.

  • Okay, WellCasters, let's recap: Finals week should be a breeze with WellCast on your side!

  • Today you learned the Black-Red-Green method for tackling an essay question, going for those helpful mnemonic devices to get you out of a stump, and we practiced a great way to memorize a lot of information out loud to get you out of a stump, and we practiced a great way to memorize a lot of information out loud to get you out of a stump,

  • and we practiced a great way to memorize a ton of information out loud.

  • We'll see you next time, WellCasters!

Hi WellCasters! It's getting colder and colder outside and supermarkets have finally sold the last of their Thanksgiving turkeys, so you know what that means: It's coming up on finals!

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