Use the Black-Red-Green Method to Prepare for Your Next Test
Most of the time when you’re studying, you’re doing it because you have a test coming up. Yeah, it’s nice to retain information long-term to use throughout your life, but at crunch time, you want a good grade on that exam. One method for studying in a way that will help you during the test is by using something called the "black-red-green method."
What is the black-red-green study method?
The black-red-green method was developed through the Royal Literary Fund in an effort to develop solid study methods for students. It is meant to help you understand the questions on your test as thoroughly as possible so your answer hits all the points the grader is looking for. You consider each question carefully and underline elements of it in black, red, or green, depending on the criteria they satisfy.
How to use the black-red-green method on a test
The technique was developed specifically for test-taking and asks you to use black, red, and green pens to dissect test questions before answering them. You underline elements of the question like so:
Black is for "blatant instructions," or the parts of the question that must be completed and answered in a certain way
Red is for "reference points" and "required inputs," like definitions, terms, authors, citations, theories, and anything else concrete you may be studying
Green is for "gremlins" and "green lights," the subtler parts of the question that you might overlook (but nonetheless require action)
So, if the prompt is, “List the first 10 presidents of the United States in order of age,” you underline “list” in black because that’s a blatant instruction. Then, “the first 10 presidents of the United States” gets a red underline because it refers to the reference points and required inputs. Finally, “in order of age” is underlined in green, since that’s a detail you might overlook while you’re working on remembering the first 10 presidents.
How to use black-red-green when studying
Using the method on a test is helpful enough, as it forces you to slow down, critically analyze your questions, and address each element of what’s being asked of you. You can take the usefulness of this approach to the next level, though, by incorporating it into your actual studies.
When you’re reviewing for a test, keep your red and green colored pens nearby. Use the red one to underline your key terms, ideas, authors, citations, and other concrete materials that are likely to be asked about on the test. Basically, anything you’re putting on your flashcards should be underlined in red while you read through it. If you’re rewriting your notes or blurting (that is, hiding your materials and trying to write down everything you remember from your review before checking your output against the text), use red to jot down all of the key terms, too. Use green to underline anything that you think might be tricky, or the “gremlins” that could trip you up during a test. These could be more involved concepts, lists in order, or anything that is more difficult to grasp than vocabulary words and main ideas.
Using these colors to color-code your notes will help you remember their associations when it comes time to take the test, making it easier to match them up in your mind to the dissected parts of the prompt.