• Home
    • About Complete Test Preparation Inc.
    • Contact
    • FAQ
    • Charities we Support
    • Search our Site!
  • High School

    Test Help!

    Practice Test Questions – How to Prepare for a test – How to Answer Multiple Choice – How to Study – How to Study — What Students Say

    High School Equivalency

    CHSPE      Canadian GED     HiSET     TASC

    Study Practice APPs

    CHSPE — PERT — Canadian GED — Nelson Denny

    Catholic and Private School Entrance Tests

    HSPT      ISEE        SHSAT     COOP      TACHS

    More

    ACCUPLACER  — Canadian GED — Nelson Denny — PERT — SHSAT —  SSAT — TABE — TASC

    ACT — SAT

    College

    Accuplacer    CLEP    CUNY      MAT

    The complete guide to multiple choice!

    Discover 15 secret strategies that will raise your score on any multiple choice exam regardless of the subject.

    Learn More >>>

  • Math

    How to Take a Test

    Practice Test Questions          How to Prepare for a test          How to take a test      How to Answer Multiple Choice          Study Skills             How to Study for a Math Test

    Most Popular

    HESI   GED   CHSPE

    College Math – Practice and Workbooks

    ACCUPLACER      College Placement      COMPASS     CUNY

    High School Math Workbooks

    ACT — HiSET — HSPT  —   PERT —  SHSAT — TABE

    Nursing Math – Practice & Workbooks

    HESI     NLN PAX      PSB HOAE      TEAS

    More

    ASVAB      CBEST      CSET      NYSTCE       PRAXIS

    The complete guide to multiple choice!

    Discover 15 secret strategies that will raise your score on any multiple choice exam regardless of the subject.

    Learn More >>>
  • Practice
    • Algebra
      • Algebraic Equations and Word Problems
      • How to Solve Inequalities
      • Linear Equations with 1 variable
      • Quadratic
      • Polynomials
    • Anatomy & Physiology
    • Basic Math
    • Geometry
    • College Level
      • Congruence
      • Geometric Transformations
      • Graphs of Polynomials
      • Inverse Functions
      • Linear Equations with 2 Variables
      • Logarithms
      • Number Sequence
      • Prime Factors
      • Trigonometry
    • Listening Comprehension
    • Logic & IQ
    • Mechanical Comprehension
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Science
    • Situational Judgement Practice
    • Vocabulary
  • Canadian
    • Alberta Provincial Achievement
    • BC Provincial Exam
    • Canadian Border Service Officer
    • CAAT
    • CAEL
    • Canadian Cognitive Abilities Test – CCAT
    • CELPIP
    • CFAT
    • Citizenship
    • Canadian Firefighter
    • Canadian GED
    • Canadian Police
      • BC Police
      • Canadian Police Test Strategy
      • Corrections Officer
      • Ontario Police Constable
      • Ontario Security Guard
      • RCMP
    • Public Service Tests
      • GATB
      • GCT
      • WCPT
    • Réussir le TAFC
  • Occupations
    • Elevator Industry Aptitude Test (EIAT)
    • Firefighter (USA)
    • IEBW Practice
    • Ironworkers
    • Laws Enforcement
      • Correctional Officer Practice
      • Deputy Sheriff Practice
      • Police Officer Practice
    • Mechanical Aptitude
    • Wonderlic
      • Wonderlic Cognitive Abilities Test
  • Test Prep
    • How to Answer Multiple Choice
    • How to Prepare for a Test
    • How to Study – The Complete Guide
    • How to Study Math
    • How to Study Science
    • Test Anxiety Tips!
    • Flash Cards
  • Medical
    • CMA
    • CNA
    • DET
    • HESI A2
    • NET
    • NNAAP
    • NLN PAX
    • PSB HOAE
    • RMA
    • TEAS
  • Armed Services
    • ASVAB
      • ASVAB Online Course
    • AFQT
      • AFQT Online Course
    • CFAT
      • CFAT Online Course
    • TAFC
      • TAFC Online Course
  • Gifted
    • NNAT
    • SCAT
Complete Test Preparation Inc.Complete Test Preparation Inc.
  • Home
    • About Complete Test Preparation Inc.
    • Contact
    • FAQ
    • Charities we Support
    • Search our Site!
  • High School

    Test Help!

    Practice Test Questions – How to Prepare for a test – How to Answer Multiple Choice – How to Study – How to Study — What Students Say

    High School Equivalency

    CHSPE      Canadian GED     HiSET     TASC

    Study Practice APPs

    CHSPE — PERT — Canadian GED — Nelson Denny

    Catholic and Private School Entrance Tests

    HSPT      ISEE        SHSAT     COOP      TACHS

    More

    ACCUPLACER  — Canadian GED — Nelson Denny — PERT — SHSAT —  SSAT — TABE — TASC

    ACT — SAT

    College

    Accuplacer    CLEP    CUNY      MAT

    The complete guide to multiple choice!

    Discover 15 secret strategies that will raise your score on any multiple choice exam regardless of the subject.

    Learn More >>>

  • Math

    How to Take a Test

    Practice Test Questions          How to Prepare for a test          How to take a test      How to Answer Multiple Choice          Study Skills             How to Study for a Math Test

    Most Popular

    HESI   GED   CHSPE

    College Math – Practice and Workbooks

    ACCUPLACER      College Placement      COMPASS     CUNY

    High School Math Workbooks

    ACT — HiSET — HSPT  —   PERT —  SHSAT — TABE

    Nursing Math – Practice & Workbooks

    HESI     NLN PAX      PSB HOAE      TEAS

    More

    ASVAB      CBEST      CSET      NYSTCE       PRAXIS

    The complete guide to multiple choice!

    Discover 15 secret strategies that will raise your score on any multiple choice exam regardless of the subject.

    Learn More >>>
  • Practice
    • Algebra
      • Algebraic Equations and Word Problems
      • How to Solve Inequalities
      • Linear Equations with 1 variable
      • Quadratic
      • Polynomials
    • Anatomy & Physiology
    • Basic Math
    • Geometry
    • College Level
      • Congruence
      • Geometric Transformations
      • Graphs of Polynomials
      • Inverse Functions
      • Linear Equations with 2 Variables
      • Logarithms
      • Number Sequence
      • Prime Factors
      • Trigonometry
    • Listening Comprehension
    • Logic & IQ
    • Mechanical Comprehension
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Science
    • Situational Judgement Practice
    • Vocabulary
  • Canadian
    • Alberta Provincial Achievement
    • BC Provincial Exam
    • Canadian Border Service Officer
    • CAAT
    • CAEL
    • Canadian Cognitive Abilities Test – CCAT
    • CELPIP
    • CFAT
    • Citizenship
    • Canadian Firefighter
    • Canadian GED
    • Canadian Police
      • BC Police
      • Canadian Police Test Strategy
      • Corrections Officer
      • Ontario Police Constable
      • Ontario Security Guard
      • RCMP
    • Public Service Tests
      • GATB
      • GCT
      • WCPT
    • Réussir le TAFC
  • Occupations
    • Elevator Industry Aptitude Test (EIAT)
    • Firefighter (USA)
    • IEBW Practice
    • Ironworkers
    • Laws Enforcement
      • Correctional Officer Practice
      • Deputy Sheriff Practice
      • Police Officer Practice
    • Mechanical Aptitude
    • Wonderlic
      • Wonderlic Cognitive Abilities Test
  • Test Prep
    • How to Answer Multiple Choice
    • How to Prepare for a Test
    • How to Study – The Complete Guide
    • How to Study Math
    • How to Study Science
    • Test Anxiety Tips!
    • Flash Cards
  • Medical
    • CMA
    • CNA
    • DET
    • HESI A2
    • NET
    • NNAAP
    • NLN PAX
    • PSB HOAE
    • RMA
    • TEAS
  • Armed Services
    • ASVAB
      • ASVAB Online Course
    • AFQT
      • AFQT Online Course
    • CFAT
      • CFAT Online Course
    • TAFC
      • TAFC Online Course
  • Gifted
    • NNAT
    • SCAT

How to Study

  • Home
  • How to Study
  • Pros and Cons of Studying with a Computer

Pros and Cons of Studying with a Computer

  • Posted by Brian Stocker MA
  • Date February 8, 2011
  • Comments 3 comments

Help or Hinder?

The question of whether a computer can help students in high school or college was settled long ago. It’s nearly impossible to find a student who doesn’t use a PC to help him type papers or look up things in encyclopedias. But what about major study sessions? The traditional form of studying has consisted mostly of pulling out your textbook and class notes and sitting at your desk or on your bed and trying to memorize as much as possible.

Make Technology your friend

Audio Version of this Post

https://www.test-preparation.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Studying-Computer.mp3

How Computers Boost Your Study Time

Honestly, there are more ways that computers can assist you with study than ways that they detract from it. For starters:

Computers help you stay organized

In the old days, college students kept papers in their desk, in folders, in shoeboxes, and anything else they could find. Pencils and pens were lying everywhere, and five, six or a dozen books were laying all over the place. The modern student, thanks to computers, can be far more organized. Creating a separate file for each of your classes is as simple as creating a desktop icon. All of your research can be copied and pasted into that folder. Most printers now also scan, so you can even scan your class notes into the computer and place them into the appropriate folder. Want to be even more organized? Consider going to www.zoho.com, where you can create a notebook for each of your classes, and also have an online word processor to help with your assignments. All of that, plus there’s an online “to do list,” to help you be even more organized.  More on setting up a productive study space

Taking Notes

Some students start taking their notes directly on their computers rather than on a regular paper notebook. This makes keeping notes much faster, especially if you type fast enough. Plus it keeps your notes together with all of your Internet research on the subject.

Suggestion: If you want to use a computer to take notes, consider getting a netbook. They’re far more portable and easier to carry with you from class to class. Or if you can afford it, you might buy a tablet PC (either an iPad or other). These allow you to type on a virtual keyboard, thus eliminating almost all typing noise.  Lots more information on taking notes

Study Programs

Increasingly, there are advanced programs that enhance your study experience. For instance, there are programs specifically designed to create flow charts, and others that create easy-to-follow outlines. Some programs help you make diagrams and charts. Best of all: Many of these programs can be downloaded for free.

How Computers Detract from Study Time

There are a few precautions you should consider when using a computer for your study sessions. For instance:

How Fast can you Type?

Typing your notes in class could prove disastrous if you’re a slow typist. You’ll find yourself panicking, trying to keep up, and probably missing out on a lot. Not to mention that if you have a noisy keyboard, you risk irritating your fellow students and the instructor. Suggestion: Only type in class if you type fast and if you know your keyboard is fairly quiet.

Watch Distraction

One of the biggest drawbacks is that there are a multitude of distractions on the computer. When studying at the PC, you’re risking being interrupted by countless instant messages, Facebook notifications, e-mails, etc.  More on how to concentrate

More on concentration – How to Swim without Cramming

Bottom Line

 Computers make great study aids, if you’re disciplined enough to ignore the distractions and if you’re skilled enough to operate it as required.

Written by: Brian Stocker MA, Complete Test Preparation Inc.
Share
Tweet
Pin
Share

Tag:featured, how to study, Study Tips, Teaching Study Skills

author avatar
Brian Stocker MA

Previous post

How Long Should I Study For?
February 8, 2011

Next post

Snacking When You Study
February 15, 2011

You may also like

Memory Palace Technique – How to Memorize
1 January, 2021

Mind Stories creates stories with familiar places and objects which are associated with certain information.  Let me explain the process, let’s us an example to help simplify. We are going to memorize the number five hundred twenty two. To begin …

Tell a Story!
14 December, 2020

Plato once shared that “wise men speak because they have something to say”. Frankly, I find this short-sighted. Those who are wise do not become so by keeping silent, no, speech is the path to wisdom! Since the dawn of …

Study Tip – Sing your Textbooks!
1 November, 2020

Just as you would normally silently read through an assigned section of your textbook, sing the words instead. For example, here’s a song in the tune of Agony from Into the Woods that I would sing as I draw out …

    3 Comments

  1. Tarek
    February 13, 2011
    Reply

    Hi,

    Thanks for the valuable post. In general, I believe computers help students in terms of organizing their materials. However, when it comes to subjects that require conceptual and/or artistic thinking, computers hinders our ability for coming up with creative ideas.

  2. Anon
    January 17, 2014
    Reply

    Useful Post! Students who study with digital textbooks perform just as well on tests as do their peers who use print textbooks, but the digital books pose some problems. The biggest drawbacks of digital texts cited by the participants were eye strain, cost and potential technological problems.

  3. JOHN
    November 30, 2019
    Reply

    Thanks for the post. It’s very useful for students preparing for tests on computers. What a valuable post!
    I am sure that everyone would like it!!

Leave A Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

Study Skills



Effective Study Skills
The Complete Guide

Get Serious
Get Organized
Get Better Marks!



How to Stay Focused Studying

How to Make a
Study Plan


Memorization

Getting Motivated

How to Study a Novel

How to Study
Textbooks


Time Management
for Students


Forming a Study Group

Learning Styles - The
Complete Guide


How Long Should
You Study?


Studying on a Computer

How to Study
your Notes


Procrastination

Learning How to Study

How to Take Notes

Study Techniques

Memory Palace

Mindfulness

Clustering

If you are a volunteer or non-profit organization, we are happy to provide test prep materials at reduced or no cost.  Please contact us with details of your organization.

About
Contact Us
Charities we Support
FAQ
License our Content
Online Practice Courses
Scholarship
Add Your Course

Share
Tweet
Pin
Share

Visit our Test Prep Learning Center

Learning Center
Copyright -- Privacy -- Returns -- Sitemap