learnthe4ps.com - For students of marketing.

This article at the Lifehacker blog, “Study Before Bed for Significantly Better Retention” (March 26, 2012) describes a study that found that studying more challenging material before going to sleep resulted in increased retention.  Worth a try?

This New York Times article, “To Really Learn, Quit Studying and Take a Test” (January 20, 2011) reports that test-taking helps people learn.  Marketing students need to retain and recall information for tests — and hopefully for later in life as businesspeople.  A recent study published in the journal Science (you may need a subscription or to be on a college campus for this) compared four methods of studying:  1) studied the material in a single session, 2) repeatedly studied the material, 3) used concept mapping where they drew diagrams to connect the material they were learning, and 4) took a test after learning the information.  Test taking actually resulted in significantly higher performance on a  test taken one week later.  For more details read the NYT article or the Science article for all the technical details.

What should that mean for you students of marketing?  Well, for many of you it means that taking practice tests would be very helpful.  It also looks like taking the practice tests shortly after reading a chapter might be a good idea.  Try it.  Many marketing text books (including our books – Basic Marketing and Essentials of Marketing) have practice quizzes on a web site.  See www.mhhe.com/fourps for links to our books and the quizzes for each chapter.

I previously posted about a New York Times article that detailed new research about how to study.  The author of the article has since been interviewed by NPR.  His short list of tips might help you study better for that next exam.  Check out “Think You Know How To Study? Think Again” (NPR Talk of the Nation, October 21, 2010) where you can read the list of tips or link through to the longer interview.

Most of you guys are in your last two years of college, so maybe you will find these tips useful – see “Top 10 Tips for Your Last Two Years at College” (Professors’ Guide, U.S. News and World Report, September 22, 2010).

This blog isn’t all about marketing.  We like to pass along study tips when we see them.  This article, “Forget What You Know About Good Study Habits” (New York Times, September 6, 2010)  challenges some of the advice I have been giving my kids and students about studying.