原文：Guide to Acing Your Exams
译者：Jovi.袁
Doing well on your college exams can be crucial, especially in test-based classes where most of your grade depends on how you do on exams and quizzes. Of course, you need to study. But doing well on tests isn’t just about how much information you can cram from the textbook into your head. You’ll need to be involved in class, stay on top of deadlines and manage your time.
在大学的考试中取得好成绩是非常重要的，因为在这个以测试为基准的学习环境中，只有通过考试，才能检验出你的学习水平。所以，好好学习是勿需置疑的。但同时你也应该意识到，并不是考试考的好，就说明你已经把所学的知识全部化为自己了的。这就需要你进一步融入课堂，充分利用和管理你的学习时间，以便获得更多的知识。
Get to Know Your Professor 与教授沟通
The first thing you should do during the first week of classes is introduce yourself to your professors. Go up to them after class, or make a point of dropping in during office hours.
首先，在你入学的第一个星期里，你就应该把自己介绍给你的教授。课下或者在办公时间内，只要花一点心思，你就能做的到。
Whether you’re in a hundred-student survey course or a 30-person seminar, this is the easiest way to get your professor to notice you and more quickly attach a face to a name. In an auditorium of faces, yours will be one of the recognizable ones. In a smaller class, the professor will have an early impression of you as someone who takes the initiative and is engaged in their class.
无论你在一个100多号人的公开课教室里，还是在一个30几个人的小班里，这是让教授注意并认识你的最有效的办法。并且无论人多人少，你都将成为教授脑海中映像最深刻的那一个。
Don’t suck up, but make a sincere effort at conversation. Introduce yourself, ask questions about something the prof has covered that interests you, or comment on something on the syllabus you’re looking forward to. If you don’t usually talk to teachers, you might be surprised to find that your professors have actual personalities. They might listen to the same underground indie rock band as you, or share your habit of dirt-biking on the weekends.
不用害怕，你应该更加勇敢，真诚的去和他们沟通。介绍自己，同时了解一些教授们身上令你感兴趣的问题，或者去和他们探讨一下你希望中的学习课程及方法。如果不经常沟通的话，你会惊讶的发现，教授身上也有一些我们难以置信的东西。比如他们会和你一样爱听那些不入流的地下音乐，甚至同样在星期天玩一些看来脏兮兮的骑行运动。。
Once you’ve had a face-to-face with your professors, you’ll usually be more comfortable asking questions in class or for help with an assignment. Being on that one-on-one level with your teachers can also help you feel more involved with school, which can really be an anchor on those days when you feel lost and overwhelmed, and everything seems foreign.
一旦你开始和教授之间一对一的交流后，你会觉得向他们提问或求助，一切的一切都是那么的平常。而且你们之间的一对一交流更可以帮助你更快的融入到学校的生活中，当你感到迷失和失落时，他也会给予你最大的帮助，让你重新回归到生活中。
Keep visiting your profs occasionally during office hours throughout the semester. They provide that time for you, so take advantage of it. Stay on their radar. Professors like students who get involved and express a genuine interest in the material. Especially in classes where grades are more subjective, based on essays and class discussions instead of on tests where there’s always one right answer, just being on your prof’s good side could mean the difference between a B+ and an A–.
当然偶尔的，你也可以在办公时间去拜访教授们。。尽量抓住并利用好这段时间，让他们能时刻注意到你的存在。教授们通常都非常喜欢对于任何事情潜心钻研的学生，特别是善于在这样一个以成绩为主的课堂里，进行更多的课堂讨论和辩论而不是一味的拘泥于只有一个标准答案的考试。那么我们就不难解释为什么有的人得到B+，而有些人得到A-
Take Notes in Every Class 善做笔记
Most professors will pull test questions from their lectures, not just the reading. So if you never take notes, you could be missing a lot of crucial test material come exam time. Making yourself take notes is also a good way to force yourself to pay attention, especially when you’re tired or when the topic isn’t that interesting to you.
许多教授出题目不仅仅是书中的内容，更多的是授课笔记中的内容。所以如果你不做笔记的话，你将会遗失考试中一些至关重要的内容。当然，做笔记同时可以帮助你提高注意力，特别是你疲惫的时候，或者对课堂内容不感兴趣的时候，这时做笔记就不失为一种好办法了。
Keep a separate notebook for each and every class, color-coded if that makes it easier for you to keep track. Half-inch binders with loose-leaf paper also work really well, and unlike notebooks, they allow you to rearrange your notes in any order you want.
每个本子都只用来纪录某一学科的笔记，并且你可以用不同颜色的笔来标注你所记的内容，这样会更有利于你的记忆。而且你也可以准备一个活页的笔记本，相对于一般的本子来说，这种本子可以使你更加随意的来编排你的学习内容。
Tape recorders and digital recorders are a great way to catch everything that gets said in a class if you have a hard time pay attention and writing things down at the same time. It’s also a good way to make sure you don’t miss anything—you can compare your notes to your recording after class and write down anything important you may have overlooked.
录音机和数码复读机的确是好东西，它可以帮助你在精力不集中时，纪录下上课的内容。回到家后你就可以用它对照你的笔记，来检查你所遗失的内容，保证你万无一失的纪录下上课的内容。
Bringing a laptop to class is also becoming more and more common, and many laptops have built-in microphones and cameras, so recording a whole class couldn’t be easier. Make sure you ask your professors if it’s OK before recording a lecture. Some campuses or instructors may frown upon this.
现在许多手提电脑都有内置的麦克风和录像机，随着手提电脑越来越多的进入到课堂之中，记笔记更是变的愈加方便了。当然请求老师的同意是非常有必要的，因为一些教授们可是会为此蹙眉的哦。。
Do Your Reading Assignments—and Not All at the Last Minute 预习复习
If you have daily reading assignments on your syllabus, do them on the dates they’re assigned; don’t wait until the night before the test. Your professors assign the reading for a reason: The assigned pages are usually what they’re going to lecture on in class. Even if you don’t understand everything you’re reading, push yourself through it. Then when your professor lectures on the reading, that could clear everything up for you, and the lecture itself will make more sense because it’s not the first time you’re seeing the material.
如果你们每天都有预习任务的话，请在规定的时间内完成它们。不要总是等到考试前一天，才想起那遗忘已久的书本。而教授们布置阅读任务也是有原因的。因为他们所讲的内容都是出自这里。即便你还不能理解所有你所学的内容，只要你真正的去看了，去做了。那么每当老师在上课时教授这一部分时，你的理解将会变的非常轻松而且清晰。为什么？因为这已经不是第一次你见到它们了。
If you do the reading beforehand, you’ll also have the advantage of knowing whether your teachers are covering material that’s already in the textbook or material that’s new. If your professor takes the time to cover something in class that’s also in the reading, you know it’s really important and will probably be on the test. On the other hand, if your professors introduce new concepts that aren’t in the reading, then you know you’ll need to write it down if you want to be able to review it later.
如果你经常提前预习的话，那么你将会发现，你的确获益匪浅。因为当老师授课时，你可以清楚的分辨出哪些内容是书上的，哪些是作业上的，哪些是新的。而且如果老师花时间去讲解某一知识点的时候，那么这些肯定非常重要，甚至有可能出现在考试中。另外，如果当老师讲授一些新知识的时候，如果你预习过了，你就会发现，“哦，这点书上没有”，那么你就会刻意的去纪录他们，以便你以后可以随时复习。
After class, read the assignment again. Now that you’ve heard the professor’s explanation and have a context for the reading, you’ll read the material with a new understanding. Doing a second run-through will also help solidify the concepts in your head and move them from your short-term memory to your long-term memory. And when it comes time to study for your midterms and finals, you should be able to skim through the readings more quickly. You won’t need to cram because you’ve already absorbed the information throughout the semester.
不过仍然需要做到课下及时复习。因为你已经知道了这些章节的目录，以及教授们的解释，那么自然而然的你就会对所学内容有一种新的认知。当第二次复习时，你就会把某写短暂的记忆变成长久的记忆储存在脑海中。以至于当你再一次碰到他们的时候，你会进行有筛选性的阅读，不必再向以前那样狼吞虎咽似的，因为你已经掌握了其中的主要内容。
Get a Planner 懂得规划
Before classes start, head down to an office supply store and pick up a daily planner or notebook-sized calendar. Or if you prefer to do your planning on computer instead of on paper, use a free application like Google calendar or Mozilla Sunbird.
在学习开始前，钻进一家办公用品商店，去挑选些日常计划表或者日历吧。如果你喜欢用电脑也行，你可以挑选在网上挑选一些免费的日程规划软件。很有用哦。
When you get your syllabus for each class, transfer every single deadline into your calendar—reading assignments, quizzes, term papers, study group meetings and exams. Being able to look at one book or screen instead of four or five different stapled packets of information (each organized differently) will give you a better overview and idea of when your busy days and weeks will be, and you’ll be a lot less likely to miss a deadline.
当你了解到你的课程安排后，把所有的课程啊，测验啊，考试啊还有研讨会等等一些，全部整理到你的日程规划表中。这样的安排，会比你一次次察看不同的信息安排表显得更有效率和宏观性，让你了解哪些日子会比较忙，从而不会轻易的遗忘某件事的截至日期。。
Keeping a calendar can help you with maintaining a personal life too. If you know exactly when your roommate’s party is going to be (and you actually want to go), having it on your calendar can help you plan some study time around it. Or at the very least, you’ll know that if you go to the party, you won’t be able to finish your anthropology project.
拥有一个日程规划表同样可以优化你的私生活。当你知道你室友的生日后，如果你特别想去，那么你可以把他纪录下来，并且安排好其他时间。最起码你可以做到不会因为要去一个生日宴会，而忘记完成自己的人类学项目。
No All-Nighters 注意休息
Staying up late throws off your internal clock, and all-nighters are never good for you. Sleep deprivation can make it harder for you to process information, shutting down the higher-level thinking processes in your brain, and it can run down your immune system, which is the last thing you want if you’re living on campus, in cramped quarters, where students are always getting sick.
你要明白到了该睡的时间而去熬夜，对你而言没有任何好处。得不到充足的睡眠时间将会对你的大脑思考产生很大的影响，更有甚会影响你的免疫系统，也许在这个有人经常得病的狭小的宿舍内，没有人愿意失去他。。
If you absolutely need more time to finish studying or to complete all your assignments, go to sleep early and wake up before the sun rises. By the time you have to get to your first class, you’ll be at least somewhat refreshed and have your assignments complete.
如果你确实需要更多时间来完成你的作业的话，那么请睡的早点，也起早点。这样的话，在第一节课前，你至少可以保证完成作业并且以一个清醒的状态踏入教室。
Studying, especially in extended blocks of time, taxes your brain, so make sure you keep a clear mind and take plenty of breaks. Make sure you don’t have any caffeine before bedtime, and try not to drink alcohol during the week. Even though a glass of wine might relax you and help you fall asleep more easily, alcohol actually interferes with sleep cycles—you tend to wake up more often, get less sleep during the night, and feel more tired in the morning.
学习是一件非常劳心劳神的事情，所以请务必确保充足的休息和睡眠时间。在睡觉前，不要喝太多的咖啡，即使在周末也不要尝试去喝酒。即便一小杯酒，都会很容易使人产生困乏的感觉，因为它会扰乱我们的睡眠循环，使你更容易夜醒，以至于你得不到充足的休息，第二天感觉更累。
If you need a caffeine kick to get going in the morning, coffee or tea can be a great way to get started. Buy yourself a coffee pot with an automatic timer, and you’ll be able to wake up to the smell of freshly brewed java.
如果你确实需要咖啡因帮助你早起的话，也许咖啡和茶会是你的首选。你可以买一套时间自动化的咖啡壶。那么在你早晨起床时闻到一股新鲜香浓的咖啡味，将会是非常美妙的。
Self-Discipline 自律
There’s no way you’ll be able to get by if you don’t study, complete your reading assignments, or go to your classes. And without someone standing over your shoulder, telling you when to get things done or making you go to class, doing well is going to require a lot of self-discipline.
如果你自己不学习，不完成作业或者不去上课，那么你永远都不会成功。在大学中，没有人会永远呆在你身边，看着你，教导你该做什么。所以大学生活中，自律是成功的先决条件。
But being disciplined isn’t just all about studying and going to class, it’s also about balance. When you’re swamped with work around finals and midterms, it doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your personal life. Find ways to prepare for your tests without going into social isolation: Study in the library with your boyfriend or girlfriend, so you two can spend time together even if you don’t really have time to talk a whole lot. Review test questions with flash cards while hanging with your buddies at the pub or the coffeehouse. If you’ve got friends in the same classes, turn studying into a game—quiz each other, give points for right answers, and the losers have to chip in to buy the high scorer dinner.
但这里所说的自律，并不仅仅是学习或者去上课。这也是一个平衡性的问题。每当你面对期中，期末考试时，你不一定非要牺牲你的个人时间而寻求一个孤立的环境去准备你的考试，就象是你和你的男朋友或女朋友一起呆在图书馆一样，或许你们根本就不会和彼此说一句话。这时候你可以选择去找一个和你相同专业的好朋友或茶友，你们可以以游戏的方式互相提问，然后再给出正确答案，也许这就是享受一顿高分晚宴的筹码，不是么？
College is a time for learning and a lot of studying, but it’s also a time for having fun with friends and enjoying your freedom. Make time to get out or relax every once in a while, or you’ll get burned out. And when you’re happy and having fun, you’ll find it a lot easier to deal with your classes, and acing your tests won’t seem nearly as hard.
大学时光是一段殷勤奋斗的时光，但同样也是一段享受朋友和自由的时光。不要把自己变成一个书呆子，适当的时候也要让自己休息一下。每当你感觉到快乐的时候，我相信你将会更容易的和你的同学相处，同时你也会更从容的面对任何考试。。
