Study tips 101: Study smarter, not harder
Keywords: Studying, study techniques, reading, study guide, high school, study resources, Planning, exam, test, resources, college, classes, education, explanation.
Do you ever feel as though your study techniques are simply inadequate? Do you ever consider how you may be improving your grades and test scores? Many students are aware that their high school study techniques don’t work well in higher education. This makes sense given how different college is from high school. Classes are far more demanding, tests are worth more, reading is more demanding, and teachers are less directly involved. You don’t need to change anything about yourself; you only need to develop more efficient study techniques. Fortunately, there are numerous active, successful study techniques that have been proven successful in college courses.
Reading texts or notes repeatedly is not considered to be actively participating in the subject. It’s just reading your notes again. Studying does not just involve “doing” the assigned readings. It’s just reading for class, that’s all. Rereading encourages hasty forgetting.
● Create a study guide by topic. Formulate questions and problems and write complete answers. Create your own quiz.
● Become a teacher. Say the information aloud in your own words as if you are the instructor and teaching the concepts to a class.
● Derive examples that relate to your own experiences.
● Create concept maps or diagrams that explain the material.
● Develop symbols that represent concepts.
● For non-technical classes (e.g., English, History, Psychology), figure out the big ideas so you can explain, contrast, and re-evaluate them.
Planning ahead and being organized will enable you to actively study for your classes. Organize your materials before starting your active review by topic when preparing for an exam. On the syllabus, professors frequently list subtopics. To help you organize your materials, use them as a guide. As an illustration, compile all the resources for one subject (such as PowerPoint notes, text book notes, articles, assignments, etc.) and arrange them in a pile. Study by subjects, tagging each pile with the relevant topic.
Act as a teacher, attempt to explain the subject in your own terms. This can be done on your own, in a study group, or with a study partner. And if you don’t have a study partner, you can join our discord server, where you’ll meet people like you, who are willing to put an extra effort on yourself. You can study, chill and vibe with them.
Speaking the information out loud can help you remember it and identify any areas where you need extra explanation or clarification. Make links between concepts and use examples to illustrate the content as you are explaining it (just as a teacher does). To accomplish this while holding your notes in your hands is acceptable and even encouraged. To explain the content at first, you might need to refer to your notes, but gradually you’ll be able to do it without them.
Sometimes, especially when no one else is there, we experience doubts. You can visit DoubtConnect, our website, to get around this situation. DoubtConnect is a platform that instantly answers your questions and connects you with experts who are knowledgeable about the subject.
