What’s Up?

“What’s Up?” New Era, Apr. 2009, 62–63

What’s Up?

10 Study and Testing Tips

Take good notes in class. Focus on the important points—one hint is to make sure anything your teacher writes on the board is in your notes.
Attend class every day, and pay attention.
Complete all of your assignments, and do them on time.
If there’s something you don’t understand in class, ask about it right then.
Try to set aside a study area in your home where you can be free from distractions.
Don’t wait until the night before a test to study. Make a schedule with time to study regularly during the week.
As you study, try making charts, graphs, diagrams, and lists from your notes and textbooks.
Try studying out loud. Read aloud, talk to yourself about the important points, even ask yourself and answer the questions aloud.
Get a good night’s sleep before exam day. Eat a good breakfast that morning, and take a few minutes to review your notes and charts. But remember, this should not be a “cram” session.
Check every one of your answers on quizzes and tests at least once.

Median Weekly Earnings by Educational Attainment (U.S.—Second Quarter 2008)
Less than a high school diploma	$449 ($23,358/year)
High school graduates, no college	$620 ($32,240/year)
Some college or associate’s degree	$727 ($37,804/year)
Bachelor’s degree and higher	$1,105 ($57,460/year)

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, news release, July 17, 2008; available at http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2008/jul/wk3/art01.htm

Unemployment Rates and Educational Attainment (2005)
Number of 25-to-64-year-olds in unemployment as a percentage of the labor force aged 25 to 64, by level of education attained
	Lower secondary education	Upper secondary education	Higher education
			College or Vocational	University
Australia	5.9	3.3	2.9	2.4
Canada	9.0	6.0	4.8	4.4
New Zealand	3.8	2.2	1.6	2.0
United Kingdom	6.6	2.1	1.9	2.1
United States	9.9	5.1	3.6	2.3

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Education at a Glance 2007; available at www.oecd.org/edu/eag2007

Illustration by Patric Gerber