Study methods... when you are on your own...

I have big plans and I'm trying to sharpen my study skills. I'd love to hear your tips.

Basically I have to read through a number of books to prepare for an exam to be certified as a nutrition counselor of sorts. (I'll explain more about that later.) My plan is to thumb through each book and get an overall idea of what goodies are in there. Then start at the beginning and read each section, highlighting the parts that are most important. After doing this for the entire book, I'll go back and write down everything I have highlighted. (If I write things down, they just stick in the old brain better... I'm sure that has something to do with my age.) Then I'll go on to the next book and do the same thing.

So... how do you study to retain information best?