Hello. My name is Noriko. I tried to study for the exam, but I didn't have any reference books or problem books!
What a surprise!
When I took my exams abroad, I had trouble studying,
There are no reference books or problem sets!" This is what I mean.
In Japan, when studying for an exam, you can usually get reference books and problem books, but my exam was special and there were no reference books, so I had to find my own study methods.
By the way, the textbook is in French.
This article is about "how to study a foreign language (in my case it was French, but it can be applied to other languages as well) when you don't have a reference book or a book of problems.
Read textbooks
If you don't understand a word the first time, skip the reading → If the word is repeated, look it up in the dictionary → Read it again
repeatedly, and only to the extent that you can get the content in your mind rather than memorize it.
It's the basics, but it's still the basics.It is very important to read the textbook!
Even reading a Japanese textbook is a challenge, but moreover, since it was in French, just reading it was a challenge.
Of course, I did not understand it once, so it is important to read it again and again.
No amount of time is enough to look up every word you don't understand, so words that come up repeatedly and titles,
Target the ones for which explanations appear in the diagram and write them down in the notebook, not in the vocabulary book, but in the notebook that follows.
Borrow and copy notes from someone who has taken the exam.
This is highly recommended! If only I knew in advance what the heck kind of training was offered, etc., in the absence of a reference book,
It is also a good preparation for studying for exams.
Of course, I write during the course,As long as it is not your native language, you will instantly understand it., ,Transcribing instantly is an extremely difficult task.
It is also harder than you might think, speaking from experience, to be in the middle of writing and listening at the same time.
Once you have it in hand before an exam or course, you can study more intensively because it is the same as having a preparatory course.
Refer to the notes and make your own arrangements.
Using the notes as a reference, research similar topics, missing information, etc., from the textbook to create a reference book.
If the volume is just going to be too large, organize it by focusing on the important ones.
If not a notebook, use notepaper, post-its if you can't write in your textbook, and be resourceful. The goal is not to make a beautiful notebook, but to pass the exam.
In the actual examination, answers will be given in a foreign language, so the notes should be written in Japanese for reference only.
And this is what I actually made😊.
Japanese is written only to aid in understanding.
When you have time, organize once in Japanese.
When you can't write in the textbook, supplement with Post-its.
Textbooks are determined to be more important to remember than to use neatly. Write what you can write: ✍️
summary
It may not have been anything new, but studying for an exam in a foreign language, much less without question books and reference books, is difficult.
However, if you know in advance what kind of questions are likely to appear, it is important to make your own notes and study them.
Vocabulary books are useful when studying for language exams, but I did not use them as long as I was taking them in a foreign language.
If you have a friend or acquaintance who will be taking the exam, studying together can be very motivating. You will be able to concentrate more than if you study alone if you study together, teaching each other things you don't understand.
Good luck to everyone who is currently studying for the exam! 🤗
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Japanese