How To Study Better: 6 Tips To Study Smarter

I want to talk about studying. How to study better:

I wish I had learned about this when I was younger, so that I wouldn’t have to learn this from trial and error. First of all, I am not a straight A student, I am the struggling to pass this course student. I just don’t have a lot of luck on exams.

Tip 1: Set your game plan

Set an action plan for your study or project. In the action plan, specify out each of the major task by chapter/milestone. Section your studying material or project into different stages with measurable deadline to have accomplished this goal by date. This way, you can monitor as you go though studying to see if you are on target with your overall plan.

When setting up your goal, be accurate and as detailed as you can. Set out the plan in advance, but make sure it is achievable. When your goals get abstract, your action gets abstract. Eg. I need to finish reading 2 Chapters by the end of second week.

The goal must be realistic. What is a realistic amount of work you can put in each day? If you can only squeeze out 2 hours in a day, don’t pack in 4 hours worth of studying material in your action plan. You get discouraged when you aren’t on top of your plan, and the overdue actions drag on as you progress through time. It fails the whole purpose.

The goals must be measurable. You must be able to measure your achievements by setting up a way to review your achievement. This is set out later in Tip 4

Tip 2: Consistency

Consistency is always key. Spend a little bit of time everyday to study. Set a schedule for “reading time”. It works a lot better than crunching day before exam.

Best tip: study right before you sleep. I find studying before bed is the best. Often times I would wake up next morning and still be able to recall what I read last night.

Tip 3: Review, Review, Review

Review your notes when you wake up to refresh your memory. Keep thinking about that question; keep those formulas in your head throughout the day. When you’re brushing, review those formulas in your brain. When you’re sitting down for a coffee break, review those formulas! It could be as short as 2 minutes, but it will pay dividends.

What I do is I start with 5 formulas, once I have memorized those five by hear, I will add 5 more to the list. With this technique I was able to memorize 50 pages of information in a few weeks.

I needed to memorize for an exam that was 6 hours long and consisted two back to back exams. This tip has helped me tremendously. Again, that is that consistency and dedication you have in your heart.

Tip 4: Set Deadlines

This tip ties into your Action Plan in Tip 1. You need to reference back your action plan and cross check to see if you are on track with your goals. The deadlines must be measurable. You need a way to review your current progress. Reviewing the material is a great way to affirm what you have achieved so far.

I set aside a weekend just to do review questions. For example, by x date, I will have finished chapters 2-4 and completed the mock questions of the said chapters.

Tip 5: Take A Break

Spending long hours of studying never works. Just like cramming for your assignment due in an hour. It’s never going to be the best project you can do when you are strained on time. You may be able to finish on time, but you know in your heart, it’s not the best outcome you can achieve.

Since you have broken down your studying into actionable sections. You can also plan in breaks in between study sessions. Take a one day break as a reward for staying on top of your action plan. You know you have deserved it.

Another type of break is mini breaks from studying. As you study, your attention and efficiency drops by a little. Instead of going 6 hours marathon without stopping, take a 5 min break after studying half an hour. You can have a cookie, take a walk, or listen to some soft classical music. Come back after the 5 minuet break and study for another half an hour. After a 6 hours, you will have put in 5 and a half hours of efficient studying and 30 min breaks. This type of breaks increases your productivity and efficiency. You will learn the material more deeply and retain much more in the long term.

Tip 6: Be the Teacher

I find that when I try to explain a theory to somebody, I am able to examine if I know my stuff. Becoming a teacher is the best way to asses if you‘ve really nailed it. You can do this in a study group, with a study partner, or on your own. Ask each other questions and try to explain as detailed as you can. As you are explaining the material, use examples and make connections between concepts. You may be surprised to find how easy it is to retain all the materials when you discover the connection between.

These are the tips that I have on studying that I wished I knew when I was in school. More importantly, you need to learn how YOU learn the best.