Science Flashcards

How to Study for a Science Test

Whether it’s biology, chemistry, botany, or any field in science, reviewing for a science class always requires memorization of terms, theories, scientists’ names, and so on. It also requires a lot of scientific knowledge and some great study habits.

While it may look overwhelming at first, doing these simple steps on studying for a science test will help you ace your tests consistently.

First, you have to pay attention to what your teacher assigned in your science textbook or module. If he said review chapters 1-3, you have to review all these chapters thoroughly.

Second, review your class notes. Not everything that will appear in the test is found in your textbook. Sometimes, teachers get questions from the examples or further explanations they say that are not found in the book. So always use your class notes in conjunction with your science textbook.

Third, use flashcards effectively. For faster learning and memorization, flashcards are a big help, especially if used properly.

However, do not stick with the manual preparation of paper cards. It will eat a lot of your time writing questions/answers, sorting which should be repeated more often, and keeping them organized for your next use.

There are free web and mobile flashcard apps such as Brainscape that will sort and organize for you. You have to type the questions and answers.

You may also find flashcards that are already done by your classmates, and you may ask them to share them with you. This saves you more time.

If you'd like more tips for studying, check out our ultimate guide on how to study effectively. 

The Best Science Study Guides

Brainscape's huge universe of science flashcards is the most effective way to study for several reasons.

First, they are created by other top users and teachers. The flashcards result from a collaboration among experts, publishers, teachers, tutors, and students from top universities such as Stanford and Princeton.

Second, as previously mentioned, it saves you time and effort. The time you should be spending on writing and organizing flashcards may now be focused on learning and reviewing information.

Third, Brainscape covers a wide array of flashcards for any science class. It has thousands of great flashcards for subjects like Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Earth Science, and dozens of other subjects literally.

Fourth, if you cannot find the topics you are looking for, Brainscape’s intuitive interface makes it easy for you to create your own flashcards tailored to your own learning needs.

For these reasons, you are guaranteed that the science flashcards on Brainscape are the best science study guide.

Why Brainscape Works for Science Class

As mentioned above, science subjects require a lot of memorization on the learner’s end. However, you are also aware that science is not the only subject you have; hence, your time reviewing for a science class is significantly reduced.

Knowing that you don’t have enough time to review yet you have to learn several concepts, you have to find an alternative learning method that will let you learn faster and remember longer. Brainscape’s learning algorithm solves just that.

With decades of research, Brainscape has formulated the Confidence-Based Repetition methodology that helps you learn more efficiently. It uses three main techniques: active recall, metacognition, and spaced repetition.

Active recall is when your brain consciously works to retrieve information. Compared to the usual passive learning that we do when reading our notes, active recall tests your knowledge about a topic by asking you a question. When you try to retrieve the answer to the question, your brain flexes its cells and nerves, which is beneficial for memory functions.

Metacognition is knowing what you know. It is understanding your learning and thought process. Brainscape does this by asking you how confident you are with a certain question/answer. It asks you to rate it from 1-5, 1 being the lowest or the “no confidence” rating.

Spaced repetition is the next step Brainscape does. Basing on the confidence level you gave in the metacognition phase, the app then determines whether the flashcard should be repeated more or less frequently. If the rating is low, Brainscape repeats the card at appropriate intervals more often than the higher rated ones until you are confident that you have mastered the answer to the question.

Stop procrastinating and ace your science tests with Brainscape today!