Why do I not receive higher grades on quizzes/tests when I study and prepare so much for them?

I am a very good student (but not a straight A student) who takes 4 AP classes and who moved to a new school in California summer of 2006 from Mass. before the start of my junior year. I kept up with my grades but now as a senior I want to try to (almost) get straight A's (one B instead of always getting two) but I try to study for AP Gov. even spend reading it with my dad to get a better understanding...but I cannot still get an A on the quiz or test....I need some help!!! because Im going to college next year and I want to be prepared.

Why do I not receive higher grades on quizzes/tests when I study and prepare so much for them?

I used to do a lot of studying too in high school. I was an A or B student...never a straight A student. Then I learned how to relax on test day, how to study correctly (i.e. understand the notes and material), and what my preferences were. I am now a straight A student about to graduate from college with a 3.8 GPA. Studying is not something you just know how to do...you learn which studying techniques are most effective and then use them. Suggestions about the tests:

DONT EVER CHANGE YOUR ANSWERS!!! Your first guess is probably right even if it is a guess.

Hope this helps.

Why do I not receive higher grades on quizzes/tests when I study and prepare so much for them?

you know what..you are already doing your best. There's no secret to getting an A. It's just that some material will be more difficult than others. Do your best. That's all you can do. Whatever you learn, hopefully you will retain that information and put it to good use when you begin your career. Good luck.

Why do I not receive higher grades on quizzes/tests when I study and prepare so much for them?

make flashcards...

i know this sounds stupid, i used to be an avid hater of flashcards, but now i make them all the time. they are a pain the the butt to make but really helpful. they helped me for world history AP!

Why do I not receive higher grades on quizzes/tests when I study and prepare so much for them?

I cant tell you too much about high school tests etc. But I can tell you about college tests. Who knows- maybe they are similar.

Basically, in college if you want to get a good grade you have to be smart about what you study. Know your teacher. Know what THEY focus on. Know how they think. How THEY formulate questions. Do they give you clues in class? Some teachers give an example for each concept they will test. Pay attention to that. If they ask a question in class, note what, how, why etc. Some read the line from the book.

Sometimes we would have 6 different teachers. But you must know each of their teaching styles their ways of letting you know they will test something.

It worked for us!