Preparing for a big test is a lot of hard work, and it’s important that you put the study time to do your very best. But does it always have to be boring lectures and big textbooks? No! Here are 4 tips to add some fun to your study routine.
- Play Vocabulary Jeopardy. Create a Quiz board with different categories for words along the top (such as nouns, verbs, homonyms) and 100 to 500 along the side. Next write the definition of a word as the clue, and have your quiz participants guess the words being defined. Here’s a great $200 example, Clue: a body (natural or artificial) which revolves around a larger body; generally a planet Answer: What is a satellite?
- Make a Video. This is way to practice for the speech section of the TOEFL. First, put a number of topics in the hat. Draw one at random, and just like in the test, take 30 seconds to prepare before delivering your speech before a video recorder – make sure to set a timer so you do not go over! Next watch your speech. Could you understand yourself? How was your pacing? Did you have too much or too little to say? Watching yourself will give you the best understand of how the examiner will see you.
- Create a wall of fame. Celebrate your top accomplishments; memorizing a word that was tricky for you, or your quickest time on a practice test. Display your successes in a place you will see them often. This may not teach you a new way to study, but it will motivate you and help you feel confident before the test.
- Face off again Friends. For this game you’ll need paper, pens, a hat, and a timer. Gather a group of friends and have them suggest a number of adjectives. Write them down on small pieces of paper, put those in a hat and draw them out one at a time. Next, set a timer for 1 minute, then race to see how many synonyms for that adjective you can think up. The person with the longest list wins! You can repeat this for antonymous too.
Social networking sites like Learnhub or Jumbotests can also connect you to friends so can compare your test scores and times. Let the challenges begin!