Chapter 5 Human Resource Management Quiz: Fill & Download for Free

Story of an IIM Ahmedabad student:-“Hi janta!! Before I start this article I would like to WARN u!! anyone who has got big expectations from life in IIM or another good MBA inst,shld shut this page & go to something prettier cos this are gonna get messy overhere.For all those who have read my previous article "I'm BACK". But in tatters. One month in IIM-A has already taken it's toll & if that was not enough , I'd my first Mid-TERMS which means the torture of whole months concentrated in 6 exams!!To start from the beginning' It is business as usual and I have formulated a weird daily pattern that is sustainable.I wake at 8:30 am EVERYDAY and sleepwalk through the minimal effort required that makes me look "presentable" in class .every day I've to make a critical decisions regarding "time management" such as:1) have both bath & breakfast( becoming a rarity)2) bath but no breakfast3) breakfast but no bath4) neither( becoming alarmingly a regular option)Every day I've to I take solace that, some people arrive in far worse shape than me, others fight a losing battle with sleep and occasionally doze off right under the prof's nose.4 hours later, I lumber off to the mess, and just can't wait to fall on my bed, UNLESS, the class notice board has the deadly signs of a quiz at 2:30 pm. Which means, another hour of frenetic page turning followed by sitting emptily through 15, 30, 40 minutes back in the classroom for the quiz to get over by.Abt the prof they r GOD!! Many are in consulting as well for big MNCs & GOVT OF INDIA. as well.The class room is akin to an amphitheatre, with name slips arranged, to confine each soul to his dreadful misery for the rest of the year to a single seat.For ex my name Anuj hasn't done anything good since I've to sit in front row right under the Prof's nose. So in evening I manage to get a hour or so sleep which is very necessary for those "long nights!!" it's 6:00pm & I'm confused abt which subject to start. I would like to add that for each subject there is a long reading to b done, usually exceeding 15 pages & the very inevitable small fonts to ensure we read more!!Then it is 8:00 and still no headway in preparation for the next day's class, so I give up and head for the mess, and sit amidst people who give my confident a bad jolt by offering some free advice on the mess tables. "Haan, Economic Analysis kaa next chapter ho gaaya, read the case also, very easy to solve yaar..... pass the water please".Then it is soon 10:00 pm and after some more struggle between accounting and Human Resources, I give up and head for the CA in the adjoining room, who gleefully smiles and is chased around by several of the so-called engineering types like me.At 12:00 midnight, we have a birthday in our dormitory, and there is a proper round of cakes and bumps. Birthday's are a nice thing here, dorms have proper dorm "birthday manager" who formally circulate a mail across the institute, arrange for cake and pastries, and also get their share of bumps.Also, they ensure that there is a fair sprinkling of the feminine kind around to witness the inanities other people impose on the birthday boy.Also there is this tradition of getting one's face smeared by the birthday cake and cream by a girl of your choice, if she obliges, else some sympathetic lady comes forth to do the honors. The face looks ugly, but I believe it is worth it. So I cannot wait for mine to come by....Also my dorm (hostel) "D2"has a glorious past 7 is well known for it's special charterstic of "dunking" the other students. So I've live to the expectations as well.It is 2:00 am and I head for the canteen, after promising to wind up the day by 4:00 am. At 2:00 am, everybody is awake. There are meetings scheduled at 3:00 am in the night sometimes.5:00 am and everything is a mess now.My std of leaving has been decreasing everyday. Earlier I'd rarely wake up till 3:00 but now things keep getting worse each day. So now I've woken up till 4,4:30,5:,5:30,6 am!!. It's our duty to tell the birds that wake up guys!! We r kind of their alarm sys.That's about it. In case of a detailed description of life at a B-school, a guy called Peter Robinson has done a far better job with "Snapshots from Hell". In case this induces fear, then that is what it is meant to do. Keeping sanity is an uphill task.Hence as a payment for writing this article for u guys I expect u all to prey for some less mortal souls like us who r facing music everyday!!Byeee & enjoy your life because u never know how bad it can get!!”Anuj AroraBatch of 2003-05IIM-AhmedabadThanks and best of luck for upcoming cat exam.Content taken from“LIFE OF A ZOMBIE.”

Hello! I will going to give you brief little intro about each website sources which is good for you to start with, this websites that focus on SQL syntax and basic SQL concepts.1. Vertabelo AcademyVertabelo Academy offers interactive SQL courses, available directly in the browser. You can learn about SQL queries, data management, and table creation.The “SQL Basics” course starts with simple queries, progressing through GROUP BY queries to advanced topics like subqueries. You will also find out about the subtle changes between various joining methods, including INNER JOIN, LEFT JOIN, RIGHT JOIN and OUTER JOIN. Finally, you’ll have a chance to test your knowledge in a comprehensive quiz.In the “Operating on Data in SQL” course, you will learn how to manage data in relational databases, i.e., how to insert, update, and delete information from a database.In the “Creating Tables in SQL” course, you will find out how to manage the structure of a relational database. You’ll learn to create tables and define their various elements, like primary keys, UNIQUE keys, and foreign keys. You will get to know how to use and define constraints. Finally, you will find out how to create views.Each course features dozens of interactive exercises with a detailed explanation of the theory behind the lesson, and an interactive console that verifies your solution. After completing all lessons, you can take a final quiz to test your knowledge.You can start the course without registration but you will be asked to sign up after completing the first few exercises. You can register with your email address, or your social profiles (Facebook, Google+, Twitter, or GitHub).2. W3Schools – “SQL Tutorial”W3Schools claims to be the largest web developer site on the Internet. It provides various tutorials and references on web development languages such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, SQL, and JQuery, covering most aspects of web programming.Their online SQL Tutorial guides you through syntax and most important statements, keywords, and functions. Short but concrete descriptions and many examples make this tutorial easy to read and understand.A distinctive feature is the ability to test queries online. At the start of the tutorial, there is a sample database which you can modify and restore back to its original content at any time. The guide ends with a simple quiz.The entire tutorial is available without registration.3. Codecademy – “Learn SQL”Codecademy is an online platform that offers a wide range of free coding courses in programming languages like HTML, JavaScript, jQuery, PHP, Python, and Ruby. In addition to these courses, Codecademy’s students can learn how to manage data with SQL.Like all other courses at Codecademy, “Learn SQL” is free and interactive. It covers the basics of database fundamentals: tables, queries, aggregate functions, constructing advanced database queries and more.The course consists of 4 lessons that focus on:basic SQL commands to manipulate data stored in relational databasesthe most commonly used SQL commands to query a table in a databaseusing SQL to perform calculations during a queryquerying multiple tables using joinsThe user interface of each lesson is divided into three panels. The left one contains a description of the exercise with a brief theoretical introduction. In the center, there’s an interactive SQL command line where the user writes SQL against an SQLite database. The panel on the right features a visual representation of the database schema with the query result.After completing a lesson, you can test your knowledge with a quiz, or master your skills with a real-world project to teach you how to apply what you’re learning in a hands-on, practical way. Unfortunately, both quizzes and projects are available only for users who have subscribed to a paid Pro version of Codecademy.In order to participate in the course, you need to register using an email address or a Google or Facebook account.https://www.khanacademy.org/computing/computer-programming/sqlKhan Academy provides its users with micro-lectures in the form of YouTube videos, lots of practice exercises, and a personalized learning dashboard. Combined, these tools empower learners to study at their own pace inside and outside of the classroom.Among many courses offered by Khan Academy, you can find a free SQL course called “Intro to SQL: Querying and Managing Data.”Each lesson consists of two elements. The window on the left is a video tutorial, while the window on the right shows real-time changes in the database structure and the results of queries performed under the SQLite database. Exercises are supported by documentation and useful hints. After finishing the first part of the course, learners complete a more advanced project.The whole course contains 5 parts, starting with SQL fundamentals. It continues with constructing more advanced SQL queries using operators (such as AND/OR, IN, LIKE, etc.) and joins. An ending section called “What to learn next” provides useful tips and links.Khan Academy allows users to watch videos without registering; however, after registration (via Facebook, Google, or email) they can ask questions regarding videos and participate in discussions.5. SQLZooSQLZoo is a nice free and interactive SQL tutorial developed and maintained by Edinburgh Napier University.The course features live interpreters and interactive exercises for multiple types of databases, such asMySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, SQL Server, and DB2.This site has three major sections: Tutorials, Assessments, and Reference.A tutorial is a set of exercises that aims to acquaint you with new topics. You start with SQL basics, then go through nested SELECT statements and aggregate functions (such as COUNT, SUM, or AVG), ending with more advanced JOIN operations. At any time, you can consult the Reference section for background on the appropriate theory, explained with interactive examples.After completing each tutorial, you can take a quiz to show how well you understand the topic.The Assessments section offers several mini projects; each includes 15 questions of varying levels of difficulty.The course is available without registration, however, you can create an account with your email. This is recommended if you want to publish comments or contribute to the site.6. Tutorials Point – “Learn SQL”Tutorials Point claims to be the web’s largest library of tutorials. Indeed, it offers dozens of online courses in computer engineering, information technology, programming languages, and management.If you’re looking to learn SQL or database concepts, you will find several tutorials here, including courses in SQL, MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, DB2, PL/SQL, and others.The “Learn SQL” tutorial provides a nice guide to basic SQL, its most useful functions, and more advanced topics. There are plenty of easy-to-understand examples, but no interactive exercises to practice what you have learned.All courses available at TutorialsPoint.com, including the “Learn SQL” tutorial, can be accessed without registration.It’s worth mentioning that you can download the whole tutorial as a PDF file to get back to it at any time, even when offline.7. Udacity – “Intro to Relational Databases”Udacity offers interactive online courses aimed at advancing academic and vocational skills. Although Udacity is profit-oriented, some courses are available for free.One of its free courses is “Intro to Relational Databases”, which provides the learner with the basics of SQL and database design. Since the course uses examples and programming exercises in Python, you’ll also get to know the Python API. For this reason, Python fundamentals are required. You don’t need any previous database experience since this course is an entry-level introduction to relational databases.The course consists of video lessons, and each lesson includes a final quiz. The lessons are divided into four parts:Relational ConceptsSQL queriesPython DB-API (accessing a relational database from Python code)Advanced SQL (joins, normalization)The course ends with a project that focuses on building a database-backed Python module to run a game tournament.You don’t have to register to preview the course, but if you want to get full access, you must sign up with your email, Google, or Facebook account.8. SQL Problems and SolutionsSQL Problems and Solutions is an interactive textbook which lets you visualize tables and execute queries against a sample database. The tutorial explains the basic concepts and constructs of SQL and provides examples at various levels of expertise.Once you get familiar with SQL, you can practice your skills on the sister site “SQL Exercises”. Here you can build and test your SQL DML statements: there are exercises for retrieving and modifying data using the SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE statements.You can read the entire textbook without registration, but if you’d like to write your own queries in the interactive SQL console and execute them against sample databases, you’ll need to sign up with your email address.9. Tuts+ – “SQL for Beginners”Tuts+ offers video courses and written tutorials that teach a wide range of creative and technical skills, including coding. Unlike video courses, all tutorials and articles are completely free. Based around specific projects, they include step-by-step written instructions and screenshots to help you practice and master your skills.Among over 20,000 free tutorials, there’s a pretty good one that teaches SQL. In fact, this is more of an article than tutorial. It consists of two parts: “SQL for Beginners” and “SQL for Beginners Part 2.” The first article includes an easy-to-grasp explanation of basic SQL queries, complete with many screenshots. In the second article, users learn about indexes, data types, and some rather more complex query structures.Both articles are available without registration.10. Essential SQLEssential SQL, authored by Kris Wenzel (@sqlkris), is a great place to learn the fundamentals of SQL and database concepts. The course is based on Microsoft SQL Server, which is why the author provides newbie users with a guide on how to get started using this database engine.The tutorial presents free tools to get you started, a guide leading you through the setup process, step-by-step explanations of how to download and activate a sample database, and much more. You’ll get to know how to create simple select and sort queries, introduce yourself to SQL Server’s built-in function, learn how to normalize your database, and much more.An especially great thing with Essential SQL is that Kris is personally involved in the teaching process. When there are problems or doubts, he strongly encourages readers to contact him.A significant drawback of this course is its lack of a structured learning program. It’s more an extensive collection of articles covering a wide range of SQL-related topics than a step-by-step tutorial.Most of the articles are available without registration; however, some content requires users to sign up with an email account.11. Learn SQL The Hard WayThe essence of this course is perfectly described by the following review: “This book will teach you the 80% of SQL you probably need to use it effectively, and will mix in concepts in data modeling at the same time.”Indeed, the tutorial looks much more like a story, where each chapter has some theoretical content, related questions, and exercises. You can learn the basics of creating and manipulating tables, get familiar with data migration, and start understanding data manipulation and transactions.To keep the book simple, the site uses SQLite3 to teach you how to design data and work with it.Right now, there’s an HTML ALPHA version of the book available, so users will have to wait for the final chapters to be completed.The entire contents of the website is available without registration.12. Udemy – SQL TutorialsUdemy is a leading global platform where experts create courses and offer them to the public, either at no charge or for a tuition fee.Udemy provides various database and SQL video courses designed for particular database engines, including MySQL, Oracle, and MS SQL Server. There are several free SQL courses for both beginners and advanced users.Here are some free courses worth checking into:Introduction to Databases and SQL QueryingMySQL Database For BeginnersSQL Server For BeginnersHANDS-ON SQL For Beginners (SELECT, FROM, & WHERE)Sachin quickly learns SQLTo start learning, you must register with your email address.13. SoloLearnSoloLearn is an online learning platform that offers a variety of free courses on programming languages. One of their courses is SQL Fundamentals — a great resource for fast, effective, and fun SQL tutorials.The course consists of 27 lessons split among the following four modules:Basic ConceptsFiltering, Functions, SubqueriesJOIN, Table OperationsChallengesBased on the MySQL database, the SQL Fundamentals course covers the basics of database fundamentals such as query syntax, filtering records, aggregate functions, and joining tables, even teaching more advanced concepts like subqueries, set operations, and views. The course not only covers the basic SELECTstatement but also the UPDATE, DELETE, INSERT, and ALTER statements.The lessons are short but focused, allowing you to stay on target to finish the course in a relatively short period of time. Each module is followed by an interactive quiz, and the last module presents a summary with two challenges. You don’t have to install any database server on your own machine to answer the questions or work through the interactive problems.Delivered through a convenient and user-friendly platform, the SQL Fundamentalscourse allows you to learn at your own pace and from any device, such as your PC, tablet, or smartphone. While the course is free, it does require registration, though the process is very simple. Once you complete the course, you’ll even get a free certificate to showcase your achievement!14. MySQL TutorialThis website provides users with a set of tutorials on managing MySQL databases and manipulate data. With various techniques – such as SQL queries, MySQL stored procedures, database views, triggers, and more – the tutorials shows how to deal with common tasks in MySQL.The Basic MySQL tutorial helps you get familiar with the fundamentals, including managing databases, creating tables, querying and modifying data using various MySQL statements and other constructs.In the MySQL Tips section, users are provided with advanced techniques and tips to help them solve the most difficult challenges in MySQL effectively.Other tutorials give in-depth background information on:MySQL stored procedure,MySQL triggers,MySQL views,MySQL full-text search,MySQL functions,MySQL administration.All tutorials are available without registration.15. SQLCourseSQLCourse provides easy-to-understand SQL instructions and allows you to practice what you learn with an on-line interpreter. With these tools, you can create your own unique tables and perform selects, inserts, updates, deletes, and drops – in other words, you’ll learn the basics of SQL by doing it yourself.When you complete the basic training, you can continue developing your SQL skills with SQLCourse2. This course gives you an introduction to important advanced features and clauses of the SELECT statement that weren’t supported in the previous part.The resources of both websites, SQLCourse and SQLCourse2, are available without registration, however, you can sign up with your email to get free access to newsletters, whitepapers, and other premium contents.16. Database JournalThe site related to SQLCourse and SQLCourse2. Although it looks old-fashioned, Database Journal is a great comprehensive source of knowledge. There are lots of database articles, news pieces, and tutorials regarding MS SQL, Oracle, DB2, MS Access, and MySQL database management systems.You don’t have to register to take advantages of this website, but you can sign up with your email to get free access to newsletters, whitepapers, and other premium contents.17. Guru99Guru99 has a wealth of tutorials on a wide variety of subjects. Some of the tutorials are written, while others are video-based.As far as SQL, the Guru99 website offers “SQL Tutorial for Beginners Learn in 7 Days”, which teaches SQL from the basics, such as the fundamentals of the SQL language, to more advanced techniques like joining tables, set operations, and subqueries. It is not an interactive course (it has no SQL Console), but it is an interesting resource for learning SQL.This SQL Tutorial is based on the MySQL database server. On the tutorial’s main website you’ll find the table of contents. The topics in respective sections are explained clearly and precisely. In addition to the section text, diagrams and funny pictures help to explain the material in an easy and accessible manner.In each section you’ll also find query syntax and examples. Sections conclude with a short summary, and you can also take an SQL Quiz to test your acquired knowledge.All of Guru99’s educational tutorials are free, and they don’t even require registration.* * * * *The following resources cover database fundamentals and usage.18. SQL for Web Nerds“SQL for Web Nerds” is a free online book written and distributed by MIT professor Philip Greenspun. Some of you may be familiar with this book, since it’s required reading for many university database classes.“SQL for Web Nerds” teaches relational database management systems from the perspective of a web application developer rather than from a theoretical point of view. It covers basic database concepts such as ACID and how RDBMS work; provides examples of simple and complex queries, transactions, triggers, and views; and tackles issues like having Java executing inside an Oracle Server, handling foreign and legacy data, and normalization. Note: The SQL examples given in the book are for the Oracle database.All of this is presented in a light way, with well-thought-out examples. Photographs illustrating the author’s concepts enrich the tutorial.The entire website is available without registration.19. Stanford Database CourseThis course covers database design and the use of database management systems for applications. It’s where you can find self-paced mini-courses or one collective “Introduction to Databases” course that contains all mini-courses and a no-SQL review.Courses are taught by Professor Jennifer Widom, co-author of four academic books covering beginning and advanced introductions to database systems.In brief, these courses cover: Introduction to relational databases, Querying Relational Databases and XML Databases; Database Design; and SQL Advanced Features.The Stanford Database Course has four major elements: Courseware, Readings, Discussion Forum, andWiki. The main materials are found under Courseware: surveys, video lectures with transcripts, quizzes, and exercises. Suggested supplementary readings and other pointers are found under Readings.If you want to enroll the course, you must register for an account in the Stanford online learning system.* * * * *The following resources focus on learning through fun.20. SchemaverseWho said that the learning process has to be completely based on tutorials? It could also be fun! So if you are keen on computer games and want to learn SQL, this one is definitely for you.Briefly, Schemaverse is a space-based strategy game implemented entirely within a PostgreSQL database. Players start on their home planets, where they can build new spaceships and mine resources that can be used to create or upgrade additional spaceships. After completing their own fleet, they can expand across the universe and conquer planets belonging to other players. To command their fleet and compete against others, the gamers must use raw SQL statements.It’s not only beginners who can find something here. Indeed, some more advanced in PostgreSQL will definitely enjoy playing Schemaverse. As a result, the gamer will not only be fluent in basic SQL, but they’ll also get acquainted with PL/pgSQL.To participate in the game, you must sign up with your email.21. GalaXQL 3.0Ready for another fun approach to learning? This one is a galaxy manipulation application, where you can run queries against galaxy database model created in SQLite. The course provides a virtual teacher, Professor Alfred T. Guru, who introduces you to basic SQL syntax.The course starts with an explanation of SELECT statement, goes on through transactions, and ends with indexes. Each chapter, along with a detailed explanation, contains an exercise that puts the theory into practice. Basically, the exercise relies on writing an SQL query in the editor below the galaxy map. After completing the task, the user gets the query results or, in case of errors, receives helpful, human-readable error messages.In addition to online course, there are downloadable desktop versions available for Windows, OS X, and Linux.The tutorial is available without registration.* * * * *22. SQL ReferencesFollowing are links to online documentation for some databases.Although SQL statements typically aren’t much different between SQL dialects when writing simple queries, it’s important to be aware of the documentation for your dialect of SQL and use it often. Here are the common dialects’ references:MySQL documentationPostgreSQL documentationDB2 SQL referenceOracle Database SQL referenceSQLite – SQL Syntax* * * * *Online tools to practise and improve SQL skills23. SQL FiddleSQLfiddle is the perfect tool to test queries, compare and contrast SQL statements in different database back-ends, or when you don’t have a particular database platform readily available but would like to see what a given query would look like in that environment.Good Luck for your future!Furthermore if you have any queries do disturb me on the links given below & if you like this answer give a big thumbs up or up vote.Instagram - TheMenYouWantToBe™ (@themenyouwanttobe) • Instagram photos and videosWordpress - THEMENYOUWANTTOBETwitter - https://twitter.com/iMohitsharma44Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/imohitsharma44/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Mohit1896

A lot can go into planning a semester. There are assignments to think about, breaks to plan, and other schedules to work around. It’s quite a bit of work actually. In fact, I myself am planning my semester out this week. It’s a bit of a workout, but it is a study strategy that pays off in the long run.So how do we actually go about planning a semester? While it may not be terribly complicated, it does require some time on the front end and follow-through on the back end. That’s why we know most students won’t ever do this. It’s extra work.But planning your semester is extra work that results in a big-time pay off. Specifically, we’re talking about less time spent, fewer crazy-stressful late night study sessions, and ultimately better grades.Are you convinced that this is a good idea? Try these four steps to develop a plan for your semester that will ultimately save you loads of time.Midterm season is here already, and whether you have one or five tests looming over your head, it's time to hit the books and get prepped. You may think you perfected your study habits in eighth grade, but unless you're pulling off 99's every time, everyone could use a little brushing up on their study habits.Students seem to direct the majority of their energy to learning the material after class, which causes an unnecessary cycle of complication. Their time in class is spent attempting to keep up with the material by taking notes word for word. This scramble to gather information can cause some students to give up and simply check out for the remainder of the lecture. By the time class is over, all that remains for the notetakers are pages filled with new, intimidating words and inapplicable concepts. They then attempt to study this material, even though they’ve yet to identify the lesson’s objectives. More often than not, their frustration leads to avoidance and procrastination. The result of this chain reaction becomes a dangerous combination of heightened levels of stress, lack of preparedness, and recurring test anxiety.To break this destructive study cycle, students must recognize the importance of being prepared for lecture. A short amount of time spent previewing the day’s material prior to class can save hours of ineffective study later. The following is a three-step study method that I share with almost every student I meet. The feedback from those who follow the plan consistently has been overwhelmingly positive. These tips were written to directly address students, so please share this system however you wish with your classes. While course styles vary, we will assume for the purpose of this article that the course utilizes a textbook and instructors hold exams after every 4–5 chapters.Step 1. Pre-Lecture Prep: Within 24 hours before lecture, it’s imperative to preview the material to be covered. This step rarely takes longer than 30 minutes, especially once you’re familiar with how to properly preview information.Read the title and chapter objectives. Skipping the title and chapter objectives can be detrimental. It’s virtually impossible to process information when you have no overarching theme to apply it to.Read the chapter summary. The summary combined with the information on the title page can act as a movie preview, creating intrigue and providing a bit of familiarity with the concepts.Skim the chapter by reading subheadings and viewing the content under those subheadings. Begin applying what you see within the text and images to what you already know.Acknowledge vocabulary that you’re unfamiliar with so that you’re not intimidated when you hear the same term(s) again in lecture. Also, be sure to note questions that arise during the pre-lecture prep.Step 2. Be Active during Lecture: Now that you’ve effectively prepped for the lecture’s content, taking notes and following along should be far more manageable. However, concentration can be affected by a variety of factors, so to ensure success, practice the tips below:Distracted? Take a moment to reflect on the cause of the distraction. Are you hungry? Interested in the laptop screen of the person in front of you? Struggling to see the material? All of these problems have rather simple solutions.If you notice that personal issues are flooding your thoughts during class, keep a separate sheet of paper next to your notes to jot down your concern and assign a time to deal with it. The more we repress worry, the more it presents itself. Validating the thought and scheduling time to address it can help you regain focus quickly.Remember those questions you noted during Step 1? Make it a game to try to find the answers during class. Consider it an academic scavenger hunt.Be sure to include confusing or incomplete information on your notes so that you can get more complete answers later.Step 3. Post-Lecture Review: Within 24 hours of the lecture, it’s important to solidify the information that you took in. This is the most time-consuming step within the process, but it becomes easier by consistently following the first two steps.Take what you prepared before lecture and compare it to what was discussed in class. Did the information seem to link together more readily during lecture?Utilize your resources (textbook, lecture slides, teaching assistant, tutor, supplemental instruction, etc.) to fill in any gaps that remain from lecture. Do not ignore information you don’t understand—it is not going away.Create a study tool from the lecture material. Examples would be creating flashcard questions from your notes (make sure they’re applicable questions, not word/definition) or pulling together a self-test from the end-of-chapter questions.From here on out, all you need are short, frequent reviews of your comprehensive study tool until it’s time for a more detailed in-depth practice session before the exam.Few people realize how fast memory fades. Studies on memory have shown that, without review, 47% of what a person has just learned is forgotten in the first twenty minutes and 62% is forgotten after the first day. (University of Texas at Austin). Therefore, having good lecture notes to review can determine how well you are able to perform on exams.1. Go to class prepared.“Always have a plan and believe in it. Nothing good happens by accident.” — Chuck Knox, NFL football coachUse a three-ring binder instead of a spiral or bound book. Pages can be easily removed for reviewing. Handouts can be inserted into your notes for cross-referencing. You can insert your own out-of-class notes in the correct order (Ellis).Bring highlighters to class. Instructors will frequently make comments like, “This is an important concept.” Or, “Make sure you understand this.” These are direct clues that this will more than likely be on an exam. Highlighting these notes will help remind you later that this is definitely something you need to know.Read assigned material and previous class notes before class. Make notations about material or concepts you don’t understand. Look up vocabulary words that are unfamiliar to you. You will have a better understanding about what the instructor is lecturing about and that will allow you to better decipher the more important points of the lecture.2. Improve your listening skills.“Learn how to listen and you will prosper even from those who talk badly.” — Plutarch (A.D. 46 – 120). Greek biographer and philosopherStart by entering the classroom with a positive attitude. Going to class thinking, “This is the last place I want to be today” only sets the stage for inattentive listening. Approaching lectures with a positive attitude allows one to be open-minded and enables you to get the most out of the information presented.Make a conscious effort to pay attention. Concentrate on concentrating. “Without concentration there is no focus, and without focus there is no learning” (Pauk 190).Adapt to whatever direction a lecture takes. When a lecture takes an unexpected detour, say a student asks a question you aren’t particularly interested in, students have a tendency to “zone out.” Before you know it, the lecture got back on track five minutes ago, and you missed crucial information that should have been noted.3. Develop a notetaking method that works for you.“Learn, compare, collect the facts.” – Ivan Petrovic Pavlov (1849 – 1936), Russian physiologist.Fine-tune the structure and organization of your notes to increase your notetaking speed and comprehension later.Start each new lecture on a new page, and date and number each page. The sequence of material is important.Write on one side of the paper only. You can set them out side-by-side for easier reviewing when studying for an exam.Leave blank spaces. This allows you to add comments or note questions later.Make your notes as brief as possible. “Never use a sentence when you can use a phrase, or a phrase when you can use a word” (Berkeley).Develop a system of abbreviations and symbols you can use wherever possible.Note all unfamiliar vocabulary or concepts you don’t understand. This reminds you to look them up later.4. Pay close attention to contentKnowing what and how much to write down is sometimes difficult. Rely on some of the following tips for what to include in your notes.Details, facts, or explanations that expand or explain the main points that are mentioned. Don’t forget examples.Definitions, word for word.Enumerations or lists of things that are discussed.Material written on the chalkboard or on a transparency, including drawings or charts.Information that is repeated or spelled out. (University of Texas at Austin)5. Review and edit your notes.“Ideas won’t keep; something must be done about them.” – Alfred North Whitehead (1861 – 1947), English mathematician and philosopherAcademic skills centers and other authorities on effective study skills consider reviewing and editing class notes to be the most important part of notetaking and essential to increasing learning capacity.It is extremely important to review your notes within 24 hours.Edit for words and phrases that are illegible or don’t make sense. Write out abbreviated words that might be unclear later.Edit with a different colored pen to distinguish between what you wrote in class and what you filled in later.Fill in key words and questions in the left-hand column.Note anything you don’t understand by underlining or highlighting to remind you to ask the instructor.Compare your notes with the textbook reading and fill in important details in the blank spaces you left.Consider rewriting or typing up your notes. (Ellis).Time is precious, particularly when it comes to running a small business. Yet there are never more than 24 hours in a day. Some entrepreneurs respond to this fact of life with focus and purpose. Others freak out.Are you in the latter group? You don’t have to be. With the right approach, you can work efficiently, productively, and relatively stress-free.1. Know your goals.Make sure you’re engaging in activities that support your business goals, both short- and long-term. Everything else is a potential time-waster. Your daily plan should revolve around working on tasks and activities that directly relate to generating income and growing your business.2. Prioritize wisely.Stephen Covey, co-author of First Things First, offers an organizational tool for your to-do list based on how important and urgent tasks are.Looking at what goes into making up your day, where do your activities fit into these categories?Important and urgent — Tasks that must be done. Do them right away.Important but not urgent — Tasks that appear important, but upon closer examination aren’t. Decide when to do them.Urgent but not important — Tasks that make the most “noise,” but when accomplished, have little or no lasting value. Delegate these if possible.Not urgent and not important — Low-priority stuff that offer the illusion of “being busy.” Do them later.Write down your three or four “important and urgent” tasks that must be addressed today. As you complete each one, check it off your list. This will provide you with a sense of accomplishment and can motivate you to tackle less essential items.3. Just say no.You’re the boss. If you have to decline a request in order to attend to what’s truly important and urgent, do not hesitate to do so. The same goes for any projects or activities that you’ve determined are headed nowhere: Be prepared to move on to more productive tasks. Learn from the experience to avoid wasting time later on.4. Plan ahead.One of the worst things you can do is jump into the workday with no clear idea about what needs to get done. The time you spend thinking ahead and planning your activities is trivial compared with the time you’ll lose jumping from one thing to the next (and rarely completing anything). Depending on your personality, try one of these options:The night before — At the end of the day, take 15 minutes to clear your desk and put together a list of the next day’s most pressing tasks. It’s a great decompression technique, and you’ll feel better sitting down at a clean desk in the morning.First thing in the morning — Arrive a few minutes early and assemble your prioritized to-do list (see #2). This may prove to be the most productive part of your day.5. Eliminate distractions.Start paying attention to the number of times someone interrupts you when you’re in the midst of an important task. Track self-induced interruptions, too, particularly those of the social media variety. Your smartphone is extremely useful, but it’s also addictive and among the most insidious time-wasters known to mankind.It may take a massive exercise in will power, but shut the door and turn off your phone to maximize your time. Instead of being “always on,” plan a break in the day to catch up on email, call people back, talk with staff, etc.6. Delegate more often.If you’ve done a good job of hiring talented, dedicated employees, there’s always more work they can take off your desk. Running a successful small business depends upon the owner’s ability to think about what lies ahead and not get mired in day-to-day operations. Look for opportunities to pass responsibility for specific tasks to others on your team.7. Take care of yourself.Be sure to get plenty of sleep and exercise. An alert mind is a high-functioning mind and one that’s less tolerant of time-wasting activities.Studying doesn't have to be hard. In fact, there are plenty of simple methods that exist which simplify the entire process.It’s true: not all methods work for every person, but, with a little bit of trial-and-error, you can find the methods that work for you and stick with them like your life depends on it. Or, at least, like your grades do.While nothing replaces good old fashioned hard work, every little bit helps when it comes to increasing your efficiency in college (because we know it can be overwhelming at times).The following study hacks make student life simpler by helping to increase productivity levels, boost focus, help concentration and eliminate distractions.Chew gum.The act of chewing gum is actually a brain booster. And, since there aren’t severe side effects (like there can be with caffeine) chomping on your favorite flavor is a great study aid.Why? Scientists aren’t exactly certain why chewing gum helps you focus, but they think it’s based on the act of chewing waking us up and keeping us focused.The only down side is that it doesn’t last. It will help, but for shorter periods of time, so save this hack for the harder parts of your material.Control your focus.Sometimes, you’re your own worst enemy. You can literally block yourself from getting distracted by websites, email or anything else computer-related with the apps like, SelfControl(for Mac), Cold Turkey (for PC). There are also similar options for Android users.Download study apps.You’re probably aware that there are more student apps than you could ever need or want – choose one or two that suit your study needs and utilize them.If you feel they aren’t working for you, try out a different type.Eat.Yep, you read that correctly – we made a list that included one of the basic human needs on it. Because we know that some students need to be reminded to eat. Eat healthy, nutritious (and, hopefully, delicious) meals. This is kind of a given seeing as your brain needs food to function.Search online.Search outside study resources via the web. Google your subject – there are often great resources from other colleges that may have practice quizzes, for example. If you enter “site:edu [your subject] exam” into Google, you will be able to access exams at different colleges with questions pertaining to your subject for study practice.Or, YouTube may have someone explaining topics you’re studying in layman’s terms. There are endless channels offering free tutorials, like CrashCourse, Khan Academy, Brightstorm, Bozeman Science – just to name a few.A quick search will likely lead you to a wealth of resources!Jazz up your notes.Add visual prompts and colors to your notes to help you recall important details, both of which can aid in your memory recall.This idea stems from mind mapping concepts, which are basically thought diagrams, said to be much more effective in terms of learning than text-based notes.There are even mind mapping programs for those interested (but creativity, pens and paper, work just fine, too!Memory aids.Try using different memory aids like notecards, etc. These aids come in handy for memorization techniques. You may find it helpful to repetitively quiz yourself on the key aspects, facts or data you’re trying to memorize.Mnemonic Devices.Circa grade and middle school, you’ll likely recall learning the order of operations through mnemonic devices, (Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally), the planets (My Very Earnest Mother Just Served Us Nine Pickles), the great lakes (HOMES) and so on.If you didn’t learn those exact variations, it was probably something similar.The point is, there’s nothing stopping you from creating your own to help you remember the material for your advanced chemistry test.You can easily remember key concepts, sequences and whatever else you need to learn by creating your very own relatable story. Come up with something you know you can remember and stick with it. It will actually help!Organize your materials, categorizing them by subject or chapter.This will help you sort the material by subject matter, visualizing which aspects go together.Believe it or not, it actually helps you understand the scope of the topics you’re learning and categorizing them allows you to see how everything fits together as a whole.Rewrite your notes by hand.Go old school and rewrite your notes by hand. Studies show that when you take the time to rewrite them by hand, you actually learn more effectively than when using your computer, tablet or laptop.Listen to music.Choosing the right type of music to listen to while studying can enhance your productivity, motivation and focus levels.Certain genres of music are actually recommended for studying – known as “music for the mind.” Study musicshould enhance concentration, focus and allow you to work for longer periods. It should never be counterproductive or distracting – no matter what genre you decide on.Make a cheat sheet you’ll never use.Though you’ll obviously never use a cheat sheet during an actual exam or quiz, it can help to create one because in order to do so, you’ll need to sift through all of your notes and materials to find the key items and rewrite them on your sheet.Doing so helps you recognize what you need to learn, and rewriting what you need to learn helps you remember it.Sleep.Again, it’s a basic human need that, unfortunately, needs to be stated. Get plenty of rest while studying (and before the test or quiz). Your body needs to sleep to think properly.A good night’s rest is one of the most basic ways you can improve your score because it will help improve your ability to think logically. Sleep affects your cognitive function, thus, your test-taking abilities. Enough said!Study early.Start studying early, instead of your usual cramming session. Nobody ever sets out to cram because it’s a great idea – they do it because of poor planning.Plan out your study routine ahead of time so that you’re not trapped into a cram session, having to lose sleep (and, likely, not eating properly) as a result.Poor planning tends to cause the domino effect – other bad habits start to follow suit because of time constraints, convenience, necessity, etc. Now that you’re aware this happens, avoid it like the plague.Switch settings.Vary your study settings – literally. Studiesshow having a dedicated study area no longer works in your favor. Avoiding a standard space actually benefits you because the mind makes subconscious pairing between your atmosphere and the material.This means, if you constantly in the same space, you would perform best taking the exam in that space. If you change up your space, your mind will associate all of the spaces you are studying in and adapt more easily to your test-taking surroundings.Teach.Teach someone else the material you’re trying to learn. Teaching someone else is such an effective way for you to better understand the material, plus, you’ll earn karma points for helping out a classmate who needs a little extra help!Teaching is the best test (before the actual test) to know whether or not you know the concepts.Why do you learn through teaching? If you’re teaching someone the material and you find you cannot answer basic questions about it, then you know you need to go back to square one. It’s a simple way to discover if you have a basic grasp of the concepts.Turn on the lights.Light helps your brain focus, affects visual clarity, psychological factors and the wrong types of lighting can contribute to off task behavior.The best type of lighting for maximum productivity (which you obviously want for studying) is soft and natural, though still as bright as possible so you can see clearly.If your lighting is too dim, it will affect focus and visual clarity. Lighting that is too bright (like fluorescent lighting, for example) can contribute to getting off task.It took me a huge chunk of time to write this answer. Hope you find it useful and as always Thanks for reading.Happy Learning.