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What kinds of tests are you acing? Also for learning wouldn’t it be better to actually challenge yourself and exercise the brain muscles when learning something

What kinds of tests are you acing? Also for learning wouldn’t it be better to actually challenge yourself and exercise the brain muscles when learning something new? I’ve met too many first year college students who breezed through high school but never learned how to study. When the first calculus exam comes around they all tend to fail then get very anxious/depressed. Sometimes they’ll drop out entirely. I’m sure this story isn’t uncommon for others either.

softwaredoug 3y ago
Some people enjoy trivia, tests, etc. It's not just about the knowledge, its about thinking about what the test-writer will ask, and how they will assess knowledge. And the fun of performing under pressure. I have always enjoyed tests. My son does too... Honestly it helps in other pursuits in life where you're evaluated under pressure (like interviewing). So its not a terrible thing.
- WarOnPrivacy 3y ago
  > it helps in other pursuits in life where you're evaluated under pressure (like interviewing). It depends. It doesn't do much to overcome social challenges. ex: Son #1 studied for nothing but freezes hard in job interviews. Conversely, I've talked my way into a number positions for which I wasn't a good candidate. We've learned that interview-skills are more highly prized than being qualified. Usually far more.
tekla 3y ago
Yep, very common. Pretty much everyone (including me) in my class who claimed didn't have to study in HS got their ass reamed during the 1st year.
WarOnPrivacy 3y ago
> What kinds of tests are you acing? k-12, college. College was more mixed for me; learning happened in my C D and F subjects. I'd remember material trivially or w/ brutal difficulty. Always one or the other. I retained the latter.
- mrguyorama 3y ago
  This is very much my experience but all the stuff I "didn't retain" is actually there, hidden deep, waiting for the right reference or trigger. It's deeply upsetting as my memory is both incredible and impressive, yet utterly useless to me if it doesn't "want" what I want. The hardest for me in college was simply having zero strategies to deal with my diagnosed ADHD. "Oh I'm so lazy and procrastinator but I get everything done well" doesn't work so well for your 400 level CS project. It sure is humbling going from "everyone believes you are literally a genius and teachers gossip about your standardized test scores that you max out the scale on" to "well I might at least be average intelligence". Internally I wish I could "unlock" that kind of just knowing things again, but the reality is that this is probably my actual potential and it was just easy for me to reach. The one counterpoint is that the 400 level algorithms class that started with the professor spending an hour explaining that most of the class fails every year and we need to take this seriously was super easy and fun and was nearly an A for me despite having no time management and project management skills.
  - WarOnPrivacy 3y ago
    > The hardest for me in college was simply having zero strategies to deal with my diagnosed ADHD. Ah yeah. Mine wasn't diagnosed (yet) but I wound up on Ritalin during my last year. Doing college with a job, 2 young kids and a disabled wife had it's own demands.

softwaredoug 3y ago

Some people enjoy trivia, tests, etc. It's not just about the knowledge, its about thinking about what the test-writer will ask, and how they will assess knowledge. And the fun of performing under pressure. I have always enjoyed tests. My son does too... Honestly it helps in other pursuits in life where you're evaluated under pressure (like interviewing). So its not a terrible thing.

WarOnPrivacy 3y ago
> it helps in other pursuits in life where you're evaluated under pressure (like interviewing). It depends. It doesn't do much to overcome social challenges. ex: Son #1 studied for nothing but freezes hard in job interviews. Conversely, I've talked my way into a number positions for which I wasn't a good candidate. We've learned that interview-skills are more highly prized than being qualified. Usually far more.

tekla 3y ago

Yep, very common. Pretty much everyone (including me) in my class who claimed didn't have to study in HS got their ass reamed during the 1st year.

WarOnPrivacy 3y ago

> What kinds of tests are you acing? k-12, college. College was more mixed for me; learning happened in my C D and F subjects. I'd remember material trivially or w/ brutal difficulty. Always one or the other. I retained the latter.

mrguyorama 3y ago
This is very much my experience but all the stuff I "didn't retain" is actually there, hidden deep, waiting for the right reference or trigger. It's deeply upsetting as my memory is both incredible and impressive, yet utterly useless to me if it doesn't "want" what I want. The hardest for me in college was simply having zero strategies to deal with my diagnosed ADHD. "Oh I'm so lazy and procrastinator but I get everything done well" doesn't work so well for your 400 level CS project. It sure is humbling going from "everyone believes you are literally a genius and teachers gossip about your standardized test scores that you max out the scale on" to "well I might at least be average intelligence". Internally I wish I could "unlock" that kind of just knowing things again, but the reality is that this is probably my actual potential and it was just easy for me to reach. The one counterpoint is that the 400 level algorithms class that started with the professor spending an hour explaining that most of the class fails every year and we need to take this seriously was super easy and fun and was nearly an A for me despite having no time management and project management skills.
- WarOnPrivacy 3y ago
  > The hardest for me in college was simply having zero strategies to deal with my diagnosed ADHD. Ah yeah. Mine wasn't diagnosed (yet) but I wound up on Ritalin during my last year. Doing college with a job, 2 young kids and a disabled wife had it's own demands.