What may seem like a bother can actually be rather easy to fix.

There are tests for everything these days... driving, certification, school, and sometimes even employment. Many of these are often very comprehensive (for many of my teaching credential examinations, we need to study everything about how and what children play on the playground, how every living creature breathes and uses energy, how to examine a poem, how to calculate the areas of irregular shapes, and so on).

Studying for these can be tough, especially by yourself. You might not have the connections or knowledge other people have, and you certainly can't afford every study book and materials out there (and not one book has everything you'll need!). There already may be a lot of people who have already taken the test and can help you out! There may be study sessions available, but if the time does work out for you, you might have to drive very far and even pay a lot of money for a little extra help that might not even work.

A simple way to solve this issue is to help organize your own study groups. I needed to make study groups for one of my teaching tests, and my department didn't have any or advertise any study groups or sessions. So I contacted the department office and asked if I could organize some myself. They thought it was a great idea and gave me the go-ahead. I created flyers with my e-mail on it, publicizing my desire to create groups of people who wanted to study together... for free!

I soon got many responses, so I created a little questionnaire to be sent and returned by e-mail with questions such as:

• Days/times of availability
• What materials you have that you can bring for others to use and share
• Where do you live and how far are you willing to travel
• Are you willing to meet in (choose a centralized location)

Also, for the particular test I formed groups for, there are different subtests to take, so I asked respondents to specify which subtest they wanted to study for, and what test dates they were interested in taking the tests on. That way, I could try to form different groups of people with different interests and availabilities.

I used the info I got from respondents to choose a place, day, and time that worked for most people. I then compiled all of that information in a spreadsheet, along with the e-mails of each person, so if the study group I formed didn't work for them, they could find other people who also would prefer not to meet at the designated place, day, or time. I tried to make it so those interested in studying with others could have resources and freedom for their convenience.

So far the study groups are working well. Don't feel like you have to wait for sessions to come around... you can make them work for you!

Some extra tips:

• Don't let the groups get too big; if there are many people interested, separate the groups into smaller units. That way, they are more specialized, and people can really work on helping everyone in the group well. Try to group people up based on knowledge and interests.
• Stay consistent. If you pick a day to meet that works for everyone, then stick to it.

• Find a place to study that has enough resources and materials in case you need some outside help. Also, make sure it's okay with everyone to meet there; it might be too far for someone, or it might be too loud for another.
• More shorter sessions are better than a long, dreadful one!