Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 2: Learn the study material
• Part 2 of 2: Study the material
• Tips
• Warnings

While biology is a required subject for certain profiles, it doesn't have to be difficult to learn and understand. It's a topic that elaborates on its own, making it essential to understand the basics before moving on to the more complex topics. Learn biology vocabulary and keep track of your homework as it is the best way to improve your understanding of biology and prepare yourself for any exam or test.

To step

Part 1 of 2: Learn the study material

1. Have a positive attitude towards biology. Biology can be complicated, but it is also very interesting if you take the time to think about what you are studying. With the right attitude, it becomes a lot more fun to study. It can still be difficult, but if you are interested in what you are learning it does not feel as much of a burden.
   • Think about how your body works. How do your muscles work to move? How does your brain communicate with those muscles to tell your body to take a step? It's very complex, but all the cells in your body work together to keep you healthy.
   • Biology teaches you everything about these processes and how they work. That's pretty fascinating when you think about it.
2. Break complex words into their roots. You may find the vocabulary of biology complex and difficult. However, most of the words in this topic come from Latin and have prefixes and suffixes. Knowing the prefixes and suffixes that make up the terms will help you pronounce difficult words and understand their meaning.
   • For example, the word "glucose" can be separated into two parts; "Gluc" which means sweet and "-ose" which means sugar. If "-ose" is sugar, then you know that maltose, sucrose and lactose are also sugars.
   • Perhaps the term "endoplasmic reticulum" sounds difficult. However, if you know that 'endo' means 'inside / in', that 'plasmatic' means cytoplasm, and 'reti' means 'net' or 'web', then you know that this is a web-like structure in the cytoplasm.
3. Make flash cards for the vocabulary words. Flash cards are one of the best ways to learn the meaning of the many words you will encounter in biology. You can take it with you and study it at any time. On the bus or train on the way to school is a great time to go through your flash cards. While the flash card making process is already a useful way to study, the cards themselves are only useful if you actually study on them.
   • At the beginning of each new unit, determine which concepts you need to know and make flashcards from them.
   • Learn these cards while the topic is in progress, and you'll know them all by the time the exam approaches!
4. Draw and label diagrams. Sketching a diagram of a biological process can be an easier way to learn that concept than just read about it. If you really understand, then you should be able to draw the whole process and label all the important aspects. Also study the diagrams in your book. Read the captions and really try to understand what the diagram means and how it relates to the concept you are learning.
   • Many biology courses start with the cell and the various parts and organelles that make up the cell. It is important that you can draw this and name all parts.
   • The same is true for many of the cell cycles such as ATP synthesis and the citric acid cycle. Practice drawing this a few times a week to make sure you get the hang of it for a possible test.
5. Read the textbook before class. Biology is not a subject that you can learn in the short time that you have been taught. Going through the material before it is covered in class will give you a head start on the material to be covered, and you will also know what is coming. The text is an introduction to the topics and the lessons will be much more helpful if you are prepared enough to ask questions based on what you have read.
   • Consult your syllabus to find out which parts of the book you should read in preparation for class.
   • Make notes on the material and have questions prepared for class.
6. Learn concepts from general to specific. Understanding biology requires you to have a general understanding of the more general concepts before you can really get into the details. Master the broader topics before trying to understand how this works in detail.
   • You need to know that proteins are the blueprints of DNA before you can understand how the DNA is read and then translated into these proteins.
   • Summaries and overviews are a great way to organize your notes from general to more specific.

Part 2 of 2: Study the material

1. Answer the questions at the end of each chapter. Many biology textbooks have really good questions at the end of each chapter to support the concepts you need to understand. Try to answer the questions and see how many you can do. Notice which questions are more difficult for you to answer. Review your notes on these topics and read or reread that part of the chapter.
   • If you are struggling with many of the questions, ask a classmate or teacher to help you.
2. Review your notes within a day of each lesson. Don't walk out of class and then forget everything you just learned. Review your notes later that night or the next day to help you record what you learned. As you go through it again, ask yourself if you understand everything.
   • If something comes up that you don't understand, reread the material on that topic in your textbook. If you still don't get it, ask your teacher about it during the next lesson.
3. Make time especially for learning biology. Because biology can be difficult for many students, you should put in enough time to get it right. If you set aside time for biology every (other) evening, you will develop a good habit of studying regularly. You will soon be grateful to yourself for not having to study for the exam, because you kept track of everything all the time.
   • Stick to your study schedule and make it a habit. If you skip one day, you need to get everything back on track the next to avoid not studying for several days in a row.
4. Use mnemonic devices. Making mnemonic devices can be very helpful in studying biology.
   • For example, you can create a mnemonic to help you remember the order of the substrates in the Krebs cycle.
5. Go through previous tests and exams for the next test. If you have access to tests or exams from previous years, try taking them and see how many you got right. If you don't have access to these, study previous tests and quizzes you have had to get an idea of ​​the types of questions you may be faced with.
   • Answering questions from old tests will give you an idea of ​​what you still need to read and what topics you have already mastered.

Tips

• Go to a useful educational website to study from.
• Watching the news and reading scientific newspapers and magazines can help you learn biology. There are new technological developments every day (for example a breakthrough in cloning technology) and new developments may appear on your exam (as issues).
• By paying attention to current topics you can get a general idea about newly developed technologies. This can also make you more interested in this topic.

Warnings

• Don't try to memorize all the things from your textbook, this will work not; you just get frustrated that way. Learning to study effectively is really essential to enjoy a subject and perform well in tests.