We have given it the name of PREMS, taken from the initials of the consecutive steps it is made up of:

Prereading

Have a look at the index and, in particular its sections and subsections to see what the subject is about.

In reality, if you have paid attention in class, then this will already be done.

Reading

You need to read actively, looking for the main ideas (and looking up the words in the dictionary if you don't know them). To do this, underlining can be of great help.

Underlining does not mean marking the whole page to be studied, but indicating the key words. There are many advantages in underlining:

• It transforms passive reading into active reading.
• It increases concentration.
• It helps you to understand the text.
• It helps you to revise and makes it easy to make a general outline of the subject.

The outline is like the "skeleton" of the subject: it must be graphic, organised into levels and brief enough to fit on one side of a page. In this way you have a general view of the subject. If the subject is too broad to fit onto one side of a page, we must make a general outline that does fit and then outlines of each section, for example, that fulfil the same condition.

Memorising

You must:

• Not learn by heart what you don't understand.
• Memorise the main ideas and repeat them.
• Relate what you learn to previous thoughts.
• Write it over and over again (thus gaining both visual and motor access to the brain).
• Put an interest into studying.
• Repeat out loud or to yourself what you study

Self-evaluation

This can be done by explaining the subject orally to someone. As this is often not possible, we can make out a written exam that does not involve writing out the whole subject, but putting down the key words for each question in writing while we recite the whole subject. We can then compare this with our book or notes. Don't deceive yourself by saying you've done it very well when you haven't!

A last point for consideration.

Nothing we have mentioned above is unfounded theory, but part of what has been observed and tested. Certainly each person has specific characteristics that make them different from the rest and, therefore, it is perfectly possible that some of the questions we have set out do not correspond perfectly to you but just think that these variations from the norm must not be very many because, if this is the case, then they are indicating to us that something is wrong.

We must continually ask ourselves: ¿Does my study method give me good results?.