Study Skills Self-Assessment

Read the following statements and score each one according to how true or false you
believe it is about you. To get an accurate picture of yourself, consider what IS true
about you (not what you want to be true). Remember, there are no right or wrong
answers. Assign each statement a number from 0 to 10, as follows:

 Totally False 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Totally True

1. I understand how the human brain learns, and I use that knowledge to study
effectively. 8___
2. When I read an assignment in my textbooks, I have trouble identifying the most
important information. 7___
3. I know effective strategies for memorizing important things such as facts, details,
and formulas. 7___
4. I don’t know how to create graphic or linear organizers. 0___
5. I’m good at figuring out what’s important during a class discussion or lecture. 6___
6. After I get a test back, I check my grade to see how I did and then throw it away. 0___
7. When writing a paper, I know how to add supporting details that make my main
ideas clear. 5___
8. After I finish taking a test, I have no idea what kind of grade I will get. 0___
9. While reading an assignment, I have an effective system for marking or writing
down important ideas. 7___
10. When I review my notes after class, they are complete and easy to understand. 5___
11. Before studying for a test, I condense all of my class notes, homework, reading
assignments, and course handouts into one document, and then I study from this
new document. 9___
12. I do most (sometimes all) of my studying on the day before or the day of a test. 4___
13. When I take a test, I feel calm and confident. 5___
14. When I write the answer to an essay question, I find it difficult to organize my
ideas. 6___
15. When I study for a test, I use a number of different learning strategies. 6___
16. After reading, I don’t recall much of what I just read. 7___
17. My class and homework notes include most of the information that later appears on
a test. 5___
18. I know at least three different ways to organize my study materials so the
information makes the most sense to me. 5___
19. I study for math tests by looking over the problems I solved for homework and/or
the ones the instructor solved in class. 4___
20. When I take a test, I have a plan to get the most possible points. 6___
21. I usually write one draft of a paper and that’s what I turn in. 0___
22. A few days after I take a test, I don’t remember much of what I studied. 6___
23. After reading a homework assignment, I take time to think, write, or talk with
others about the main points of what I just read. 4___
24. I’ve never learned how to take good notes during a class. 5___
25. I study in a quiet place where I’m not disturbed. 10___
26. I feel unprepared when I take a test because I don’t really know how to study
effectively. 3___
27. I don’t understand how to write a good paper in college. 3___
28. I know how to do well on a test no matter what kind of questions the instructor
asks: multiple-choice, true/false, fill-in-the-blank, matching, problems, or essays. 7___
29. How learning happens is a mystery to me. 0___
30. I’m good at identifying the important information in a reading assignment. 7___
31. While studying, I make a list of questions that I think will be on a test. 5___
32. During a lecture or class discussion, I have trouble staying focused. 6___
33. I’m bad at memorizing important formulas, details, and facts. 7___
34. After I get a test back, I analyze and correct all of the errors I made. 9___
35. My papers are pretty short because I have difficulty adding supporting details that
make my main ideas clear. 1___
36. I know how to tell how well I have learned a subject even before I take a test. 5___
37. When I read, I don’t write in my book or take separate notes. 1___
38. My class notes are difficult to understand when I look at them a few days later. 4___
39. I study for tests by re-reading my textbooks, class notes, and course handouts. 8___
40. I study each subject frequently, and I spread my study sessions over the whole
course. 5___
41. I lose points on tests because of things like spending too much time on one
question or taking too much time to answer a question that’s worth only a few
points. 5___
42. The papers I write are well organized. 8___
43. I don’t participate in class discussions or activities. 9___
44. When I finish a reading assignment, I remember most of what I read. 7___
45. When I take a test, there are questions about things that weren’t in my notes. 8___
46. When I study, there are often distractions and I can’t concentrate. 1___
47. When I study for a math test, I solve many problems of the same kinds that will be
on the test. 7___
48. Certain kinds of test questions are difficult for me and I don’t do well on them. 5___
49. I understand and use all four steps of the writing process: Prewriting, Writing,
Revising, and Editing. 5___
50. I ask questions in class whenever I’m confused. 10___
51. After reading a textbook, I don’t think much about what I read until right before
the test. 3___
52. I take good notes during a lecture or class discussion. 5___
53. When I take a test, I find questions I didn’t study for. 6___
54. I use an effective learning system when I study, so I feel well prepared when I
take a test. 6___
55. I know how to write a good paper in college. 8___
56. I feel nervous and my mind goes blank when I take a test. 7___
Self-Assessment Scoring Sheet
SAMPLE SCORE #1: Learning Actively SCORE #2: Reading
A B A B A B
6. 8 29. 3 1. 8___ 8. 0___ 9. 7___ 2. 7___
14. 5 35. 3 15. 6___ 22. 6___ 23. 4___ 16. 7___
21. 6 50. 6 36. 5___ 29. 0___ 30. 7___ 37. 1___
73. 9 56. 2 50. 3___ 43 9___ 44. 7___ 51. 3___
_28_ + 40 -- _14_ =54 39___ +40 --
22___ +40 -- 15___=___47 =___61
18___

SCORE #3: Taking Notes SCORE #4: Organizing SCORE #5: Rehearsing
Study Materials and Memorizing Study
Materials
A B A B A B
5. 6___ 24. 5___ 11. 9___ 4. 0___ 3. 7___ 12. 4___
10. 5___ 32. 6___ 18. 5___ 39. 8___ 40. 5___ 19. 4___
17. 5___ 38. 4___ 25. 10___ 46. 1___ 47. 7___ 26. 3___
52. 5___ 45. 8___ 31. 5___ 53. 6___ 54. 6___ 33. 7___
21___ + 40 -- 23___ =___19 26 ___ +40 --
29 ___ +40 -- 15___=___54 =___58
18___
SCORE #6: Taking Tests SCORE #7: Writing

A B A B
13. 5___ 6. 0___ 7. 5___ 14. 6___
20. 6___ 41. 5___ 42. 8___ 21. 0___
28. 7___ 48. 5___ 49. 5___ 27. 3___
34. 9___ 56. 7___ 55. 8___ 35. 1___
27___ + 40 -- 17___ =___50 26 ___ +40 -- 10___ =___56

Interpreting Your Scores

A score of …

0–39 Indicates an area where your study skills will seldom support deep learning.
40–63 Indicates an area where your study skills will sometimes support deep learning.
64–80 Indicates an area where your study skills will usually support deep learning.

Score (47) #1 learning activity indicates that my study skills will sometimes support
deep learning.

Score (61) #2 Reading indicates that my study skills support sometimes deep learning.

Score (19) #3 Taking Notes indicates that my study skills support seldom support deep
learning.
Score(54) #4 Organizing Study Materials indicates that my study skills support
sometimes deep learning.

Score(58) #5 Rehearsing and memorizing study materials indicates that my study skills
support sometimes deep learning.

Score(50) #6 Taking test indicates that my study skills support sometimes deep
learning.

Score(56) #7 Writing indicates that my study skills support sometimes deep learning.