PrepSTEP - Practice Tests & Careers This link opens in a new window
PrepSTEP is designed to help students and adult learners improve skills required for academic and career success. There are 10 learning centers to choose from. It provides a comprehensive selection of educational resources—including interactive tutorials, practice exams, microlessons, flashcards, articles and e-books—for basic skills mastery, academic success, job preparation, and career advancement.
----------------
CREATE A LOGIN: Users must create personal accounts in order to save their work in progress, store score reports, and revisit any practice tests, tutorials, or eBooks. Registration only requires a valid email address and a password. We recommend that you use your @email.vccs.edu account.

Smart Moves

Study Skills Handouts

These documents are tips and tricks to increase good study habits.

Learning is a never ending journey!

Cool Tools - Use to Study

These tools will assist you in various subjects to increase success.

You must login first to MYDCC in order to see the information in the links below.

Skill Surfer: Live skills building and a comprehensive library of lessons and practice tests in a variety of core subjects.. Sample tests for various professional tests. Practice skills or tests are available in the areas of Math, Writing, Reading, ESL, Nursing, and Microsoft computer programs.
Practice career preparation exams are available in twenty-three fields. Accuplacer, GED and U.S. Citizenship practice tests are also available!

LEAP Learning Platform: A diagnostic test center with targeted lessons, quizzes, and live, online tutoring. It helps build academic skills and creates a learning plan based on a skills assessment that you take at the beginning of the course. To begin learning, click on the link to one of the courses assigned to you in the "Pending Courses" section below. You can also click a completed course to review your work.

FlashBulb: Create and share flashcards, tests, and games

eParachute: Discover the college majors and careers that match your skills and interests.

Language Lab: Live help for language learners

BrainWave: Brainwave is a breakthrough tool that allows you to record a movie of your activity on the Brainfuse whiteboard. Create brainwaves for note-taking purposes or send them when an ordinary email isn't enough. Brainwave is ideal for recording solutions to homework problems, class projects, or any other concepts that involve motion or sequencing.

Important College Skills

These skills will increase your chances of success.

Attend class regularly
Be alert and engaged in class
Carve out time to complete homework
Complete assignments on time
Resist digital distractions
Take care of personal health
Seek help from campus services

Higher Learning Skills

When you develop executive function and self-regulation skills, you experience lifelong benefits. "These skills are crucial for learning and development. They also enable positive behavior and allow us to make healthy choices for ourselves and our families." Harvard University

8 Key Executive Functions

Executive functions are skills everyone uses to organize and act on information.

Impulse Control – think before acting

Emotional Control – feelings in check

Flexible Thinking – adjust to the unexpected

Working Memory – keep key information in mind

Self Monitoring – able to tell how you are doing

Planning and Prioritizing – set goals and plan to meet them

Task Initiation - take action to get started

Organization - keep track of things physically and mentally