CAE Study Tip: Write, Wiki, Whatever
Write out what you learn while studying for the CAE exam. Like talking out loud, this also helps cement the ideas in your head. I guess it opens up another part of your brain to the information.
I made flashcards for myself with key concepts on them. I never actually went back and studied what I wrote on those cards (there must have been at least 300 cards) but I remembered what I wrote.
The best writing project I did while studying was wiki writing. In the middle of my CAE study period (February-December 2007), I was contacted by ASAE and asked if I would help write some of the initial entries for Associapedia wiki. I used this opportunity to help ASAE and help my studying by writing about CAE topics I wasn’t familiar with. It was almost like writing a report for college in that respect.
Find a writing project you like and use it to help you study: write out notes, make flashcards, write “reports” for yourself (or for another project as well). The key is to study while firing every neuron in your head.
Tags: CAE Exam
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September 4, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Great post! I used this technique in school (way back when)—both writing sample reports and flashcards—and I found it to be the most effective way of preparing. I thought your approach to reinforcing your learning in the wiki was a terrific. It also opens up what you’re learning to the community for them to comment and make any changes or adjustments—which can be good when you’re applying concepts from reading. That’s all from me—mostly just wanted to say ‘hi’ and great post and great blog.
Amy
September 4, 2008 at 1:08 pm
This worked for me, too. I kept and typed reading notes for each chapter of the 3 main books. I ended up with a great 56 page document that I was able to refer back to. We now keep a version of this document in our association’s library for future CAE test takers.
September 6, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Great advice, Caron! I actually started blogging for similar reasons. I wanted a place to be able to organize and record my thoughts. It gave me a chance to think more deeply on topics that interest me and grow in ways I never expected. It also gives me a body of work that I can draw from when the same questions come back around.
Now, if I can just get my neurons firing this morning.