CHANTU CHEA CMCA, AMS | ASSOCIATION BRIDGE, LLC
If you’re intimidated about taking a Community Associations Institute test because the other students in your class look like they are fresh out of college, fear not! You can boost your confidence by developing your study skills!
Make the Knowledge Your Own You can hone your skills by deliberately practicing these methods. Over time, they may influence the way you absorb information, becoming second nature. The goal is to make the knowledge your own. Once that happens, taking the test is easy!
Define: First off, rote memorization of definitions isn’t as effective as you might think. Many people will mindlessly recite words from their textbook without ever understanding what they mean. Think of the definition as a jumping off point from which you can understand the basic idea. Then you have a foundation that allows you to dive deeper to fully grasp the concept.
Rephrase: When you come across a new concept, rephrase it in your own words as if teaching it to a child. This will clarify the fundamental elements and may help you communicate concisely with clients in the future. No one at work will ask you to define “special assessment,” but you’d better be able to explain the concept and its impact to a homeowner!
24 September | October 2021
Use a Lifeline: If rephrasing the concept doesn’t come easily, it may help to seek a trusted friend or mentor. This could be a boss with more experience, a business partner with expertise, or a colleague who can help you identify resources. Your answers won’t always be black and white. Sometimes the response requires you to think critically or do further research. It might spur three new questions! Though it may sound like a lot of work, it’s worth it when a tough concept finally clicks.
Make It Real: Once you have a decent grasp of the concept, start making connections. Apply it to something you experience at work, hear at a conference or read in an engineering report. It will help
ingrain new concepts so that they’re readily accessible when needed. Integrate this practice into your daily work life instead of restricting it to your study time.
There’s no reason to compartmentalize your learning time to your few hours of studying. When you make connections to the forty hours of work you do every week, not only do you benefit, but so does your employer. When applied correctly, it helps you do your job better.
Conquering Test Anxiety You might understand and apply concepts effortlessly but still suffer from test anxiety. Here are a few strategies to get the answers from your head onto the computer screen.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48
