I didnt know where to put this thread since I am technically finished school but since it has to do with studying for an exam I thought here would be the best place for it.

For the last 4+ months I have been 'studying' for my Microsoft certification exam. The reason why its taking so long, besides the fact that microsoft exams are notoriously difficult is because I cant concentrate on the material for more than half an hour at a time. I'll pick up the book, try to read it and 15 minutes later I start to become bored. At 1/2 an hour later my mind wanders so much that I am spending more time daydreaming then reading or doing makeshift labs. How do you guys cope with an exam that is more logic and reasoning than knowledge of material. Better yet, how do you study for exams period?

Have you tried writing out notes while you are going through the material?

How about you study for, say, 15 mins then do something else for a short while, then go back to studying?

I study for as long as I can handle it. Then I take a break for 1/2 the amount of time. more often than not, I set a timer because I won't want to stop my break :)

So, if I study for 20 minutes, I get a 10 minute break to rejuvenate.

The way I see it, if my mind is going to wander, then nothing is going to stick and I'll have to re read it. So, it's pointless to study at that moment.

are you taking meds? That's been the biggest helper to me. I still have to take a lot of breaks, but I can study for 45 minutes or so without many problems and don't have to re read a thing!

Its a pain in the butt, but to study, I have to write everything down. ALL of my notes...I write them all down, then divide things into charts/tables so I can see everything in a side by side comparison. It works, but with this method, you need to start studying WAY before the exam. I found that at the end of every week, I made a promise to go over my notes for the week before classes started up again on Monday. I figured this out my 5th year of college, too bad I didn't realize it a long time ago. Try it out! Good luck.

~KGro