How to approach essay questions with ease

Essay style exams are becoming increasingly popular in both job and
college applications. This is because essays show an applicant's
ability to think logically and clearly. If you're going to be a
taking an exam like this, keep these 7 things in mind to help
improve your score.

1. Read Each Question Carefully

When you're working on an essay style exam, take a look at each
question and determine the topic and type of answer needed. Read
the question very carefully. Often, test takers simply scan
questions and then start writing, thinking that they'll save time.

However, that's the worst thing you can do. Take a few minutes to
completely understand the question so you can answer it correctly.
If you need to, circle the key words in the question so you can
glance at it every so often to make sure you stay on topic.

2. Give Your Ideas Room to Flow

When you first sit down and begin to read the question or
questions, you might start thinking of responses right away. That's
fine. Take a moment to jot these ideas down the margin of your test
booklet. Use short phrases or even single words that will help you
remember your initial thoughts. Doing this will help you release
creativity and clarity that you might otherwise spend on
remembering your original thoughts. Because you have these thoughts
written down, you can simply let go of them. Just take a moment to
capture every thought that comes into your mind as you read through
the questions.

3. Use the Stress

It's natural to experience elevated stress during an exam as you
work hard to process information faster than usual. Even so, you
can use this to your advantage. Focus completely on the test before
you and tune out any other noises or distractions in the room. If
you focus completely, you'll have a much better chance of saying
exactly what you want. Stress can help you think and form logical
thoughts faster when you're working. So accept the stress as a
positive, and let it work for you.

4. Use an Outline

On average, it takes about 2 minutes to outline an essay and that is
time very well spent. Once you thoroughly understand the question
and have jotted down a few immediate thoughts, sketch an outline
for the essay to follow. The subheadings of the outline will turn
into the first sentences of your paragraphs, saving you time and
making it easy to establish a logical progression of thought.

5. Control Any Urges To Ramble

Using an outline will also prevent you from rambling. The person
who will be reading your essays has been trained to spot rambling.
Stay focused at all times and use your outline as a guide. State
your key points and move on. Don't elaborate on the topic just to
fill up white space on the paper.

6. Time's Up

When the allowable time is up, immediately stop and go on to the
next question. Don't waste any time putting the "finishing
touches" on your essay. You may need this time to complete the
remaining questions. The questions might even be getting
progressively harder so you need to force yourself to move on.

7. Finishing

You may not be satisfied with your finished essay and this is a
completely normal response. Essay-style tests don't have definitive
answers, like multiple choice tests do. Keep in mind that the
scorers of your essays understand the time limits you were under
and therefore are not looking for perfection. You will be scored on
your progression of ideas and the ability to communicate your key
points. Stay focused during the exam and you will finish well.

For more study strategies that get results in the real world, get
my book, "Get the Best Grades with the Least Amount of Effort" at

http://www.get-better-grades.com/

Onward and upward!
Dr Marc Dussault

posted by naq

Read Before You Go To Class

Reading the course material before you go to class is a simple way to absorb, understand and remember the material with much less time and effort OVERALL than you otherwise would. Most people go to class and are hearing the content for the first time. They may not be familiar with some keywords or technical terms. They spend most of the time getting their head around all this new material as they struggle to put it into a logical order or "framework".
Once that framework is in place, they begin to actually UNDERSTAND the material being taught. When the class is over, this process is often incomplete. So how can they begin to study or reinforce what they never understood in the first place! They can't -- it takes MUCH more time to revise partially - understood material, resulting in poorer study efficiency and results.
Consider the alternative: When you briefly read the course material prior to your class, you start to become familiar with the concepts. You come across newwords and terminology. You look at a few sample questions. You might even make a couple of notes of questions to ask. Then when you get into class, everything seems familiar. You're hearing everything for the second time and you begin to remember and reinforce key points. Then you leave the class with a pretty good understanding of the topic. It takes much less time to revise and review information, and you have plenty of time to read ahead of the next class!
Try it. Read ahead before going to class and see how much EASIER everything becomes.
Posted by: Pak G
Note:
This writing was mailed by: Dr Marc Dussault

Getting The Best Grades

Pak G found an url (http://www.get-better-grades.com/) on tips how to get good grades with the least effort last April. Pak G gave our class e-mail so that Dr Marc Dussault can e-mail the tips. A number of e-mail came into our in-box. On of them is as follow (I made some editing):
The first strategy on Getting The Best Grades With The Least Amount Of Effort is "How NOT to Focus Your Energies on Important AND Urgent Tasks."
Have you ever found that you actually get the most work done when you have the least time to do it? Do you find yourself NOT completing the work you're supposed to do, when you have ample time to get it done? But then when you're given short sharp bursts of urgent timelines, you excel above and beyond what you ever expected? If you can identify with any of these situations, you'll definitelyVbenefit from managing your tasks using the "Urgent/Important" model.
There are four kinds of tasks: (1) Not Important and Not Urgent; (2) Not Important and Urgent (3) Important and Not Urgent; (4) Urgent and Important. If you spend time on the WRONG type of task at the WRONG time, all you'll do is escalate your stress and reduce your results. On the other hand, if you learn how to deal with each category of task, you'll get better results across the board while also making the urgency "work for you".
Here are a few scenarios so you can see for yourself how to treat different types of tasks to MAXIMIZE your results.
1. "Not Important and Not Urgent"
Example: You have a book report to hand in at the end of the semester. It'll take you 10 to 12 hours to read the book and 4 to 5 hours to write the report. You have 3 months and it's worth 10% of your final grade. You should get started as soon as possible so it doesn't become urgent and create unnecessary stress.
2. "Not Important But Urgent"
Example: You have a quiz tomorrow but you haven't reviewed anything. It's worth 5% but you need every mark you can get. You should have done this in-between other things when you had thetime. Now you will feel stress and anxiety that could have easily been avoided... "Cramming" becomes the only option, and it has been proven that cramming is far more STRESSFUL and far less EFFECTIVE than the strategies I reveal in:http://www.get-better-grades.com
3. "Important But Not Urgent"
Example: You have a project that is worth 35% of your final mark. It's due in a month and you estimate it will take you 20-25 hoursto complete. Once agains, what you want to do is avoid rushing and trying tocomplete the project at the last minute. You want to scale down thetasks into smaller bite-size chunks to make it easier to getstarted as soon as possible.
4. "Important and Urgent"
Example: You have a final exam in two days, it's worth 70% of yourfinal grade. You haven't put in enough time - so much new material to cover you just don't know where to start. Panic starts to set in. This is *not* where you want to be spending your time. You want tospend as much time as possible on the *important but not urgent*issues. Of course, this takes planning and preparation (plus better strategies for getting the best results with the least amount of effort).
Posted by:
Pak G

What Is Computer Hacking??

Computer hacking is most common among teenagers and young adults, although there are many older hackers as well. Many hackers are true technology buffs who enjoy learning more about how computers work and consider computer hacking an “art” form. They often enjoy programming and have expert-level skills in one particular program. For these individuals, computer hacking is a real life application of their problem-solving skills. It’s a chance to demonstrate their abilities, not an opportunity to harm others.

Since a large number of hackers are self-taught prodigies, some corporations actually employ computer hackers as part of their technical support staff. These individuals use their skills to find flaws in the company’s security system so that they can be repaired quickly. In many cases, this type of computer hacking helps prevent identity theft and other serious computer-related crimes.

Computer hacking can also lead to other constructive technological developments, since many of the skills developed from hacking apply to more mainstream pursuits. For example, former hackers Dennis Ritchie and Ken Thompson went on to create the UNIX operating system in the 1970s. This system had a huge impact on the development of Linux, a free UNIX-like operating system. Shawn Fanning, the creator of Napster, is another hacker well known for his accomplishments outside of computer hacking.

In comparison to those who develop an interest in computer hacking out of simple intellectual curiosity, some hackers have less noble motives. Hackers who are out to steal personal information, change a corporation’s financial data, break security codes to gain unauthorized network access, or conduct other destructive activities are sometimes called “crackers.” This type of computer hacking can earn you a trip to a federal prison for up to 20 years.

If you are interested in protecting your home computer against malicious hackers, investing in a good firewall is highly recommended. It’s also a good idea to check your software programs for updates on a regular basis. For example, Microsoft offers a number of free security patches for its Internet Explorer browser.

What is antivirus software?

Antivirus software is a computer program that detects, prevents, and takes action to disarm or remove malicious software programs, such as viruses and worms. You can help protect your computer against viruses by using antivirus software, such as Avira, AVG,Norton, Avast and many more.
Computer viruses are software programs that are deliberately designed to interfere with computer operation, record, corrupt, or delete data, or spread themselves to other computers and throughout the Internet.

To help prevent the most current viruses, you must update your antivirus software regularly. You can set up most types of antivirus software to update automatically.

What is SPYWARE ?????

Spyware is a general term used to describe software that performs certain behaviors such as advertising, collecting personal information, or changing the configuration of your computer, generally without appropriately obtaining your consent first.

Spyware is often associated with software that displays advertisements (called adware) or software that tracks personal or sensitive information.

That does not mean all software that provides ads or tracks your online activities is bad. For example, you might sign up for a free music service, but you "pay" for the service by agreeing to receive targeted ads. If you understand the terms and agree to them, you may have decided that it is a fair tradeoff. You might also agree to let the company track your online activities to determine which ads to show you.

Other kinds of spyware make changes to your computer that can be annoying and can cause your computer slow down or crash.

These programs can change your Web browser's home page or search page, or add additional components to your browser you don't need or want. These programs also make it very difficult for you to change your settings back to the way you originally had them.

The key in all cases is whether or not you (or someone who uses your computer) understand what the software will do and have agreed to install the software on your computer.

There are a number of ways spyware or other unwanted software can get on your computer. A common trick is to covertly install the software during the installation of other software you want such as a music or video file sharing program.

Whenever you install something on your computer, make sure you carefully read all disclosures, including the license agreement and privacy statement. Sometimes the inclusion of unwanted software in a given software installation is documented, but it might appear at the end of a license agreement or privacy statement.

What is a computer virus???

Computer viruses are small software programs that are designed to spread from one computer to another and to interfere with computer operation.
A virus might corrupt or delete data on your computer, use your e-mail program to spread itself to computers, or even erase everything on your hard disk.
Computer viruses are often spread by attachments in e-mail massages or instant messaging messages. That is why it is essential that you never open e-mail attachments unless you know who it’s from and you are expecting it.
Viruses can be disguised as attachments of funny images, greeting cards or audio and video files.
Computer viruses also spread through downloads on the Internet. They can be hidden in illicit software or other files or programs that you might download.
To help avoid computer viruses, it’s essential that you keep your computer current with he latest updates and antivirus tools, stay informed about recent threat, run your computer as a standard user (not as administrator), and that you follow a few basic rules when you surf the Internet, download files and open attachments.
Once a virus is on your computer, its type or the method it used to get there is not as important as removing it and preventing further infection.
Once a virus is on your computer, its type or the method it used to get there is not as important as removing it and preventing further infection.