They say you should work smart, not hard. Fortunately, the same holds true for studying. You don’t need to be overwhelmed with the amount of work before your next important exam. You don’t need to believe in superstitious beliefs of playing that low-fi playlist while studying either. Here are 5 study tips that will help obtain fool-proof grades.
1. Quit Owling
This may come as a surprise, but you don’t need to be up all night to score better grades. It does more harm and no good. When you sacrifice a good night’s sleep and don’t get the proper amount of rest before a test, your key skills of creative problem solving, reasoning, and memory is affected adversely. Conduct your study sessions from the early evening so that you don’t stress yourself out before sleep.
2. Don’t Cram It All In
When you try to cram in a lot of knowledge in a short amount of time, your brain doesn’t respond over a few days or weeks to consolidate it in your memory. Instead of limiting your study session to short four or five hours before that crucial test, it is better to spread it out over a more extended period with alternative 30-minute sessions of studying and rest. This allows you to focus on specific sections of the syllabus and organize all your knowledge more logically.
3. Get to The Right Spot
This study tip may sound weird, but it works surprisingly well. Have you ever noticed that you seem better at crafting in Minecraft when you sit in a particular position or learn things faster in a specific spot? When you study while sitting at the same location repeatedly, you train your brain to become more focused in that area. Identify such a learning spot for yourself or create a new one and fill it up with the necessary things, including books, pens, highlighters, and notebooks.
4. Create Your Study Guide for Fool-Proof Grades
When you have all the material and have reviewed all your notes, break down all that knowledge into keypoint. Make a list of things you expect to see on the test. This action of handwriting and making a checklist lets you go over the necessary material before the test and also etches it in your memory. Don’t forget to organize important sections and include important dates, names, terms, and places along with the relevant topic.
5. Explain It to A Friend
One of the best exercises to test your understanding and organize your ideas fruitfully is to discuss it with a friend. It helps you relieve test anxiety and improves your processing capability. You can also share these study tips with your friend. Sharing allows for both of you to be prepared for the exchange at the same time.
If you don’t have a partner, you can talk loudly about the points you have noted without help from your notes. When you can break down complex topics and simplify them into a couple of sentences, it shows your improved understanding of the test material.
