If what comes to your mind when you hear the word ‘study’ is long, exhausting hours at the library, staring at an academic material and trying to get most of it between your ears, then think again. There is something you are probably not doing.
Studying should never be boring. Neither should it be dull or dreary. I have a few, Super-effective tips that I have tried, and worked for me. And well, they just might spice your study sessions up and ensure that you ace that coming exam. Ready? Here you go!
Aim at Recalling as much as you Study:
Examinations don’t test your knowledge or how much you’ve read but how much of the coursework you’ve assimilated, understood and can recall unaided.
Studies have found that the most effective way to impair a concept in your mind is to first review it thoroughly (study) and then explain it unaided in your own words. Most students spend an inordinate amount of time on the first part and then skip the second part entirely.
They make the mistake of relying on passive review; they read and re-read their notes assuming that the more they read, the more they’ll remember. Reading is cool but making the extra effort to get the material into your head makes all the difference. Make this the goal of your study sessions: to be able to close your eyes or stare at a blank sheet of paper and reproduce the core aspects of what you’re reading from scratch – without a mistake.
Start Youtubing
No, I don’t mean making videos.
Although there’s no scientific research to support this, finding and interacting with YouTube videos related to your coursework is an amazing way to supplement what you learnt in classes and improve your understanding. Audio and visual content can aid your retention of textual materials on the same topic.
So, go grab some popcorn and start studying.
Study in Bits
Multiple studies have shown that you retain faster and better when you study in short, frequent sessions. To be specific, dedicating about 30-50 minutes per time to learning new material with a 5-10 minutes break in-between is the way to go. Have you noticed how lethargic you feel after trying to study for, say 3 hours at a stretch? That’s the aftereffect of loading your brain with too much much info at once.
Not to mention the fact it is generally more difficult to remember information, the longer you study without a break. Constant and short study sessions are far better than much longer, irregular ones.
Teach a class on what you’re studying
No, not really. I meant pretend to.
After you deem yourself done on a studying a topic, pace the length of your room or library cubicle, or whatever study area you’re at and pretend to teach a class on what you just read.
Point is, if you imagine that you’d have to teach the topic or concept you’re trying to grasp to someone else, it does something positive to the rate at which your brain assimilates and retains it. This change in mindset pushes you beyond the sphere of just reading to pass. It causes you to seek out the core points of a topic, and then expound on them in an organized structure.
This is a sure-fire way of ensuring you put down A+ answers in your exams!
Flash and Post ’em!
A life-saving hack for memorizing anything – whether it’s a word list, mathematical formulas or historical dates – is imputing the info boldly on brightly colored flash cards or post-it notes and then sticking them on places you’re sure to look at everyday – your mirror, on your phone, backpack, study table, on your TV, your room wall etc.
Even better, you can carry a pack of flash cards with you everywhere, so that when unexpected pockets of time pop up, you can review and see how far you’ve memorized them – even without your brain being in active study mode. Smart, huh?
Take study naps
I regularly fall asleep in-between my study sessions and usually feel guilty for “wasting time” when I wake up. Lol.
So, imagine my glee when I stumbled on a research by Psychological Science stating that sleeping in-between study sessions can aid recall and retention – by up to six months!
Sleeping after a study session causes you to wake up refreshed, ready to tackle the next one. Plus, it gives your brain time to “digest” the info already read.
Now, this is probably not the first time you are reading of or hearing these tips. But what matters is, are you willing to consciously use them?
If your academics is on a spiral or you want to up your grades. Then, you need to do adhere to these tips with intention.
We know it will work for you.
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