Hey guys! Today I'm going to be talking a little bit about something that a lot of quizzers have trouble with, and that I've had trouble with, too! It's a very common issue, something that stunts a quizzer's progress, and/or their motivation to keep working hard - and it's especially common around this time of the season. So what is this thing we'll be talking about? Well I guess you can see from the title, that it is none other than... REVIEWING! :P Yeah, yeah, big surprise, I know. But it is actually one of the most (if not the most) important things to learn how to do, if you want to be the best quizzer that you possibly can. But before we hop right into that, I just wanted to mention really briefly, about something that happened this past weekend, that has never happened before, in the history of TBQJ.... I posted THREE SEPARATE YOUTUBE VIDEOS in two days! These three videos were, in order, "Vlog #12 - The Aspects of God", "My Testimony, Part 1", and finally, "My Testimony, Part 2". And I'm so excited for you guys to see them! If you haven't seen them yet, you can check out my YouTube Channel ("Mallory Leake"), scroll down to the previous two posts, or click/tap on the "Vlogs (Season 1)" category, in the sidebar. I really hope that you enjoyed them if you have already seen them, and that you will enjoy them, when you watch them after reading this post :P LOL BUT ANYWAYS, lets get into the awesome topic, of REVIEWING..... First of all, if you didn't know, reviewing is really important. Often, it's the single stepping stone between 20th place, and placing in the top ten, or even the top five (or higher ;)). Also, it saves you a TON of time, especially if you're memorizing any amount of the material. Why? Because you won't have to go through the process of re-memorizing a bunch of stuff. And that's usually not much fun :P. And for something that important, and something that vital to your success as a quizzer, it's actually pretty darn simple, and easy! So I'm going to be showing you a few different ways that you can learn how to review like a pro in no time. Kinds of review: Basically, a quizzer learns the material in one of two ways; memorized, or learned-in-essence. This generally depends both on how competitive the quizzer is, and what question type(s) they specialize in (and sometimes, even what kind of studying they've done in past years, and what kind of studying they learned to do first, when they first started quizzing). Here are a few of the main ways that you can actually go about reviewing the material, for each of these ways: Memorized:
Learned-in-essence:
Three extra tips about reviewing:
Like I mentioned in a previous post, I think it was 10 Result-Focused Study Hacks, a super fun post by the way (:P), doing recall/review FIRST is extremely effective - probably a lot more than you think. It's like doing cardio first thing in the morning, before breakfast - it's really hard and it sucks, but you'll be surprised by how big, and rewarding, the results will be. Doing review, especially recall practice, when you haven't seen/thought about the material since the previous day (or a few days ago :P), then your brain will have to think a lot harder, and eventually, your recall speed and accuracy will be really, really good!
Learning it in your spirit, and learning it in regard to how it actually pertains to you and your life, and the people around you, is the absolute best way that you can go about really remembering something. Why? Because it will mean something to you on a whole different level. If we study our quiz material, whatever it might be, like a textbook in school, then it will only penetrate our intellectual side. But, if we look at it, study it, and quiz over it like it's supposed to be (as the Word of God), then it will penetrate into our spirit. And only then, will God be able to teach us about something that's in our quiz material - and only then, will quizzing begin to have an affect on the rest of our lives.
There's no need to have a whole, elaborate reviewing plan - that just gets confusing and discouraging, most of the time :P. Instead, we can go about it in a super simple, straight forward way, and still reap a ton of great results from it! Here's a way that you can do that: Take the material that you're studying right now, and count how many chapters you have in total. Next, take the total number of days THIS WEEK that you'll be able to study (be real, too - don't set unrealistic expectations or goals, if you have a super busy week! :)). Next, figure out how many chapters you'll be able to, and want to, work on really reviewing this week (remember to take into consideration any quizzes/tournaments you may have coming up!). And finally, separate that many chapters into each of your studying days this week, and WRITE IT DOWN! You don't want to forget your plan, after all of the hard work you just did, to figure it out ;). But of course, a plan is always just a plan, unless you put in the dirty work, and get it done during the week. You can do it!!! Well, my friends, that is the post for today. I hope that this helps you in your quizzing journey, and that you are now better equipped to study and review more effectively, this week, this season, and in the seasons yet to be! :P
Don't forget to check out those new YouTube videos I just posted a few days ago, if you haven't seen them yet, and I will see you guys in our TBQJ Newsletter this Sunday, and then back again next Monday, for another exciting "God-centered, quizzing-oriented" blog post! Keep quizzing and living victoriously, because it is your birthright that no one can take away. You're a beautiful, beloved and treasured, perfect, holy, strong, and courageous child of the Most High King of Glory, today!! I love you guys, but God loves you so much incredibly more <3. Keep calm and quiz on (and out)! Your fellow quizzer, Mallory
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Hey y'all! Today I'm going to be sharing with you my top ten, results-focused studying hacks, that I've been using, and that help me use my study time effectively. But before that, how are you doing today? I want you to know how incredibly loved you are, and how fondly the Father thinks of you, and especially how much He cares for you and your well-being - in every aspect, and in every part of your life. He cares a whole lot! And real quickly, I wanted to tell you about this revelation I got the other day, when I was studying through the second chapter of 1 John... You can skip over this and go ahead and go to the next section, if you want to get to the hacks - but this is pretty cool ;) I was really kind of confused when I first started to read that chapter, because it sounds an awful like John is telling us to keep the Law, or at the very least, obey all of Christ's teachings (both of which, of course, are impossible for us to accomplish in the natural). Verses 3-6 say, "And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He that saith, 'I know Him', and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby do we know that we are in Him. He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked." (sorry for the -eth's, I use KJV :P) Kind of confusing, to the New Covenant believer, at face value, right? Right! But I wasn't taking into account the truth about reflection, and producing fruit. That might not make a lot of sense, but let me explain... In the Kingdom of God, there's this law about effortless change on the outside, when change happens on the inside. This is demonstrated in a few different places, but one of the ones I was looking at was Mark 4:26-28, which describes the effortless growth of a seed: "For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear." I've said this before, but any kind of plant that produces fruit doesn't have to try to produce fruit - it just kind of happens, and that's how it is. Of course, it has to be healthy, and being fed and watered, and looked after. But if those things are happening, it's just a matter of time before you can start seeing the results. That's the law of producing fruit. But what's the law about reflection? It's that, in the way that people think of, or perceive God, that's what they're going to involuntarily reflect. It doesn't matter if how they think of/percieve God is accurate or not. Christians under the bondage of the Law, who are trying to fulfill it in of themselves, will typically see God as demanding, condemnatory, hard to please, and even mean. And unfortunately, that's what they're going to eventually reflect (to some extent or another) - and they'll probably experience a lot of frustration, whether or not it's visible to other people. Basically, what these two laws mean, is that our relationships with God greatly effect how we act, and who we become. Pretty simple, right? So when we read these verses in that light, and in the light of the previous chapter (when it's talking about walking in the light with Jesus), it becomes more clear, and easy to understand. Through fellowship with our God - which we now have access to, because of Jesus cleansing us and making us pure and holy before Him - we begin to change from carnal, to who He originally intended us to be, which is pretty much like Him. But what even is that? It's full of love, for God, ourselves, and other people; full of truth about who He is, and who we are; compassionate; all of the other fruits of the spirit; etc.. Becoming like God comes from having a relationship with Him, and getting to really know Him. So you see, "keeping His commandments/word" really just means becoming like God, because we'll start to operate how He operates, as a reflection of seeing Him for who He really is. Under the Law, and the Old Covenant, we were really dirty, stinky, and unholy - we couldn't be in God's presence, because of how much holier He was. So we had to try to keep the Law, and offer sacrifices to clean ourselves up a little, in order to be saved and have the hope of eventual relationship and fellowship with God. We had to do things, try to be like God in our natural state, in order to have relationship with Him. However, under the New Covenant and Jesus' blood and sacrifice for us, we are completely holy - Jesus gave us His holiness. Now, being holy and clean, we can be with God and have relationship and fellowship with Him. And through that relationship, we can effortlessly become like Him. And it does a full loop, because becoming like Him will cause us to walk like He walks, which is what the people under the Law had to try to do, all in of themselves. We have gone, through Jesus, from "doing the right things in order to have relationship" to "having relationship and becoming someone who does the right things". That's pretty awesome!! But anyways, sorry that was so long... I get excited :P. But let's get into these cool study hacks now! 1. Learn the material as an overview, before learning the details, or memorizing it This is what makes memorizing the material so much easier for me, a lot of the time. I usually read the material more than anything else (especially at the beginning/middle of the season), because I want to get a good understanding of everything that's going on. I want to be able to see in my mind, all of the chapters laid out, and what's in each chapter. After I know it pretty well, I start learning the details (like lists, or the genealogy), and going full throttle in memorizing whatever I'm memorizing that year. It's a lot easier, because these things have been floating around in your head for a while already, and now you're just perfecting your knowledge! This is one of my very favorite hacks, for sure, because it saves me not only a lot of effort, but a lot of time, and it also is a great way to really solidify these things in your memory. 2. Block out your study time, and do other things between sessions This is a simple thing that a lot of quizzers do, but it's so beneficial, and it really enhances your over-all results. It's pretty much taking the studying that you plan to do, and then dividing it up into a couple of pieces, that you'll work on one at a time. These divisions could be in regard to study techniques (i.e. memorizing, reviewing, reading, etc.), or in regard to time. But however you decide to do it, the most important this is to remember to give your brain a good break between these blocks of studying. This is especially helpful when we're trying to cram in as much study as possible before a big or important quiz, because it's a way to get a lot done, but not overwhelm yourself (or your memory) with too much information, too quickly. Plus, it's a great way to be a good steward of your energy, because you're allowing time for intense work, and a good amount of time for necessary rest. 3. Pace, exercise, or move around while studying This is helpful, not only to get two things done at once, but also because it helps keep you focused. It might be just me, but when I really need to learn something, I have to get up and move around. Sometimes, but not always, sitting still can be like letting your body distracting your mind (to some extent). If you really want to learn something, one of the best ways to help your brain do that, is to give your body something to do while your brain works - i.e. exercise, pacing, or going on a walk with the audio in your ears. 4. If you're in a slump, and discouraged about studying, put on a smile and a playlist of your favorite songs while you do some simple, light studying (i.e. reading) Music is a great way to snap you out of slump, frustration, or a bad mood. Purposefully associating studying with some of your favorite songs, will kind of trick your brain into thinking about studying in a different way - in a better, happier, more fun way. Also, music can be really motivating and encouraging. Picking some really good songs can not only get you out of a slump, but also propel you into an awesome sprint of hard work, and accomplishing a lot of things! 5. Repetition over long periods of time As admittedly boring repetition can be, it's really the only way to move something from short-term to long-term memory. This hack has to do mostly with memorizing and review, but it can probably go with any kind of studying you apply it to, anyway. When you're reviewing what you learned (probably the most important part of learning it), it's important to regularly revisit what you committed to memory, or else you'll eventually lose it entirely (which is really frustrating, as I'm sure most of us know :P). When you're learning new material, just try and remember to review the material that's older, and that you may have had down cold in the first few months of the season. The most common occurrence of failing to apply repetition, was called "chapter one syndrome" by my team back in South Texas as a joke :P. It's when a quizzer knows the first chapter forwards, backwards, and upside down, so they study the new stuff, and leave the first chapter (or first few) un-studied for months on end, until they begin to forget it entirely. In the end, the quizzer will get a really easy question/bonus from chapter one, but will miss it entirely, and we'll say that they've come down with "chapter one syndrome". Don't do that! Remember to review. 6. Recall at the beginning of your study sessions, to stretch your memory muscles Honestly, this sucks almost as much as doing cardio before breakfast in the morning - but just like that, it is very effective. Typically, from what I've experienced and seen in other quizzers, a quizzer will start off by quoting what they've memorized by chapter, or by listening to or reading the material. Then, later, they'll follow up with doing flashcards or the reference tool on QuizMaster, to practice their recall. However, the recall practice is a lot easier when the material is already fresh on your mind from that same day - it's a lot harder when you haven't thought of the material in 24 hours or so. This stretches your recall/memory muscles, and will really benefit you (especially if you're doing memory or according to's) in a quiz. 7. Drawing/writing pieces of the material out (for visual people) Learning best from visual/audible aids, I benefit a lot from things like writing the genealogy out on a poster, or looking at a map of Paul's journey's (for Acts), or even writing out lists, verses, and references by hand. Being able to see what you need to learn, especially if it's pretty and color-coordinated (:P), is an awesome and fun way to get it stuck in your brain. 8. Listen to the dramatized audio of the material (for light-studying) This is an awesome way to learn the material when you're doing other things (like cleaning, in the car, or playing a video game), and it made up about half of my total studying my second year, when I made first in the quiz off at the regional qualifying tournament. Especially during the gospel/Acts years, the dramatized audio CD's are definitely worth getting. 9. Look up different versions of confusing verses/passages, to better understand them Especially in 1-2 Corinthians, but in other materials too, some parts can be really confusing, and even hurtful or offensive, if we jump to conclusions about the meanings of these verses too quickly (guilty!). But there are a lot of ways that we can go about easily understanding our quiz material, and looking them up in different versions is probably the quickest, simplest way possible. 10. Study in different place, when you study sections for the first time This is also for visual people, because when I study different sections for the first time, in different rooms/places, I remember the place matched with the section, and it's just another easy alleyway to remembering things in a quiz. Well that's it for today, fam - I hope you enjoyed this post, and got something out of it that will make your studying more fun and effective! Until next time my friends, keep quizzing and living victoriously, because you're not only blessed, not only favored, but abundantly blessed, and highly favored. Love you guys! Keep calm and quiz on (and out)! Your fellow quizzer, Mallory Hey guys! How are y'all doing? Corinthians treating you alright so far this year? I don't know about you, but even this early into the season, I'm already impressed and encouraged by all of the progress I'm seeing in the quizzers around me - both in the competition, and in Godly character. Today I've got something pretty awesome for you... a Q&A with a (very) experienced according to quizzer, Nathan Bizeau! After the Q&A, I'm going to come back in and wrap up the post with the three top things that I've learned, in my (much less impressive :P) according to experience. So lets do it! Question #1: Why have you chosen to specialize in According To's in the past? A: "Three reasons: (1) doing them makes me more helpful to my team, (2) they are a tremendous asset to me in high-level competition, and (3) According To's are AWESOME, and great fun to do!" Question #2: Can you describe the most effective review strategy you've found for According To's? A: "After memorizing a chapter, quoting it backwards, verse by verse (beginning with the last verse in a chapter and working back towards the first) is the review method that I most often use. This helps me to be able to identify each verse individually, without depending on the verses preceding it." Question #3: What is a good answering strategy for beginners in According To's? A: "Go through the verse in your head, phrase by phrase, and ask questions so as to cover all the information in the verse. Then go through it again, giving complete answers to your questions. That's the general idea, but you can always experiment with it to find a good answering process that works for you specifically." Question #4: What is the number one thing that has helped you compete well in According To's? A: "Jumping on them... at practices, at quiz meets, basically anywhere I can. That way, when it comes time for the end of the quiz season and the highest levels of competition, I don't have to do much differently than I've been doing all season long." Bonus Question (#5): What is your number one tip for being a captain? A: "Remember that you're not there to make sure the round goes your way; you're there to help keep the round fair (for your team especially)." Woah, guys... that's what a ton of great value looks like! Thank you again, to Nathan, for taking the time to write out all these answers, and for being more than willing to share some of your insight into your question specialty with us! And I know I have no chance at topping the previous section, but since I already promised, here are the three top things that I learned about doing according to's, in my quizzing career:
Memorizing for according to's is a big job - you're memorizing whole books of the Bible, after all - so do your best to stick to your schedule, but remember that it's okay to allow some healthy deviation from the plan. Because, let's be honest, rigidly keeping your schedule isn't the funnest thing ever :P.
Exactly like in an actual round, practicing quoting the verses in a completely random order causes your brain to make the jumps between all the different passages and chapters. I've found that this teaches me how to quickly perform the process of (since I'm a visual person) envisioning the chapter, and finding the page, section, passage, and verse that I'm looking for. When I have practiced like this a good amount before a quiz, I usually always see an improvement in my recall time and accuracy in the actual tournament.
According to's are probably (at least in my opinion) the question type that employs "multiple-ing" the most. Because of that, it's good to know how you can multiple the best. This can include anything from learning how to talk quickly and enunciate well, to having a strategy of how you will cover the entire verse (like Nathan talked about), to remembering the questions you asked so that you can correctly match them with your answers. So there you have it! I hope that you enjoyed this post, and that you feel more confident if you are pursuing a question specialty in according to's. Well, I just got word that my family will be coming to the Olathe invitational next month! I'm looking forward to seeing you all there, and I will be making an effort to speed up my studying between now and then, so that I can compete with all the great quizzers! Next Monday we will be returning to our new series, "Question Specialty", with part two, and I can't wait. Until then, quiz and live victoriously like the royal son/daughter of the King you are. I love you guys! Keep calm and quiz on (and out)! Your fellow quizzer, Mallory Related Posts:Heyo Quiz-Journeyers! I hope you've all had a fantastic week, leading a victorious life in our wonderful Lord Jesus! Before we get into the topic for today, I just want to tell you about my little testimony from this week. If you don't want to/don't feel like reading it, you can go ahead and scroll down to the next section :P. I hit a few bumps this week that caught me off guard, but when I hit my lowest point, yesterday afternoon/evening, a friend reminded me that I was in a prime situation to make the devil really, really mad. So I put on my headphones, turned on some worship music and started reading some small passages - from John, Psalms, Ephesians, and especially First John. I remembered, when I got to chapter 4 of First John, that verses 18-19 had been our "Verse of The Week" the week before, and that I had even mentioned it in my vlog. It was a funny moment though, because when I was getting a download from God about there being no reason to fear anything, the chorus of "No Longer Slaves" was blasting in my ears. It was saying, "I'm no longer a slave to fear - I am a child of God!". I realized that I was having SUCH a hard heart (through focusing on everything that I had opportunity to worry about) that I wasn't hearing what God was practically yelling for me to hear. I'm so glad that my Jesus doesn't give up on me - even after I fail to (and even sometimes refuse to) hear what He's trying to get across to me. But anyway... I just wanted to share that with you guys, in case you were having a harder week like I was. I think it's awesome too, that whenever we (force ourselves to) sit down and have a coffee date with the Lord, that He never fails to communicate to us how much He really loves us personally. But that's enough testimony for today - let's go ahead and skip to the part where I get to give you some quizzing-oriented value in this post! :P Like the title of this post says, we are going to be hitting on the subject of "Going Full Throttle" - I'm super excited! What I mean by that title, though, is about starting to live with 10 times the amount of energy and passion that other people have, and 10 times the size of other people's goals and aspirations - and through doing those things, get 10 TIMES the results that those people get. You might be already shrinking back, thinking, "Mallory, I don't have time to do that", or "Mallory, there's no way I can keep up a lifestyle like that". But I'm going to show you how you can live by this philosophy, and get these kinds of results, and NOT become a recluse who's always in their home just working on things and who doesn't have a life. In addition, I'm going to show you how you can do this AND avoid any kind of burn out along the way. SO LETS DO IT! First off, if you're not totally sold on WHY you should go "full throttle", here are just a few of the awesome reasons...
This is a pretty common saying in the business (and education) world, but that doesn't make it any less true :P. If you want to end up being above average, then you're going to have to put in above average actions - that means reminding yourself to have above average thoughts, goals, and habits.
I know this might sound kind of weird, but how awesome would it be to be so good that you're not only competing against everyone else, but completely dominating the quiz round? It's not pride or obsessive to try and accomplish this - it's Biblical principle to be "above and not beneath" and have everything that you put your hand to, to prosper (Psalms 1).
Again, this is obviously a very common phrase :P, but we all know it's accurate. Set your goals so high, that even if you miss your mark, you're still ending up in a better place than everyone (or most everyone) else. For example, one of my goals for this year is to get in the top five at Q2017 (specifically, 1st place :P), and I'm happy with that goal, and excited to work towards it! Why? Because even if I don't make first place, I'll still have a good shot at being in the top ten (the ones who get awards). The mindset of going full throttle, is based on determination to achieve greatness, and to be the very best. All you have to do to start implementing this way of thinking/living, is to decide that you want it the most. Once you want success as badly as you want to breathe, then you will be successful. Now, I still hold that quizzing should never actually be that important to you, and more important that everything in your life - because that's not the kind of obsession that God deems acceptable - but it's a helpful thought at times. Here are just a few practical ways that you can start to try out this mindset/lifestyle:
But anything that you can think of, that might seem a little crazy at first, would most likely result in a great "full throttle" aspiration. That's the post for today, guys - I hope you enjoyed it! Once again, remember to keep quizzing and living victoriously, like the incredible child of God that you are!
Love y'all, have an awesome week! Keep calm and quiz on (and out)! Your fellow quizzer, Mallory Hey guys! Today we're going to do a follow-up post to my previous "How To: Next Level Quizzing" post! A few things I will be talking about, I'm going to try and make full posts out of in the future, so that's why I'm not going to go into super deep detail with them. So let's get right into it! Studying - Priority and Persistence If we want to really get to our next level of quizzing, we have to make studying for it a priority - something I obviously still have trouble with :P. But in general, the things that you prioritize the highest, have the best chance at getting accomplished. Once we make quizzing a priority, and we finish the hardest part of actually starting to study, we come to the point where we have to employ a good dish of persistence. To reach our studying goals (and ultimately our competition goals), we have to strengthen our persistence and focusing muscles. This means sticking to our plans - whether that be long-term studying schedules, or just what we planned to do that one day. I can't tell you how many plans I've made that I haven't followed through with (quizzing or otherwise :P), but when I do manage to muscle through and finish it (or nearly finish it) the results are SO rewarding. Jumping - Ideal Jump, Practicing it, and Training your Brain Once you find your question specialty, you should find what the "ideal jump" is for that question type. Whether that be memory, generals, or any other type, find the best quizzers who specialize in them, and copy what they do. (Here's an extra post on memory and according to's, and generals part 1 and part 2). Once you figure out what that ideal jumping point is for your question specialty, the next step is to start practicing jumping at that point. Believe me, it's not a good idea to start jumping at that point at a tournament - start doing it at practices, and if you can, at home too. That leads me to the next one... Train your brain to start answering the question at the "ideal jump" point. This comes naturally when you're practicing it, as we just discussed, but you have to remember to go into the jump with the mind set that you are going to answer it, and answer it correctly. Question Specialty - Picking one, and Focusing on it If you haven't already picked a question type to "specialize" in, I'm going to be doing a post about that very soon - so stay tuned! But for now, you can refer back to the predecessor of this post, for a little more information on that: "How To: Next Level Quizzing". Of course, after you've decided on a question specialty, it's a good idea to just focus on that one type. Now, I'm kind of doing according to's (again) this year, for my team, but I still enjoy doing generals the best. But, when you focus all of your quizzing energy (haha is that a thing? :P) on one question type, you become a far more formidable opponent. Bruce Lee said, "I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who had practiced one kick 10,000 times" and that can apply to business, quizzing, anything! That's all I have for y'all today - I hope you got something out of this week's post! Have an absolutely awesome week, you guys, and I will see you next time. Until then, keep quizzing and living victoriously!
Keep calm and quiz on (and out)! Your fellow quizzer, Mallory |
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