Studying effectively can be hard. You’re busy and have a million other things to do, so it’s easy to get distracted. But to ace your next exam, you must ensure that your study time is spent wisely by employing effective study strategies.
It is that time of the semester again when students are scrambling to study for their exams. Here is how to study effectively so you can ace those exams. These 17 secrets on how to study effectively will help you do just that:
Avoid cramming.
When you cram, your brain is forced to take in a huge amount of new information in a short period. This can lead to forgetting information, stress and anxiety, and poor performance on the exam.
The best way to study for an exam is by taking small steps over time or having a distributed practice. This will help you retain the material longer than if you tried to cram everything into one big study session at the last minute.
Use active recall.
Active recall is a way of remembering that involves using your senses and imagination. When you study actively, you try to visualize the concepts or information you learn in your mind. You might also try to replicate real-life situations with the material, such as writing down what you have learned or doing practice tests before the big test.
This active recall helps you remember what you’ve learned and makes it easier to recognize when something is wrong or doesn’t make sense later in an exam or test. This strategy is particularly useful for memorizing lists or other factual information that needs to be recalled from memory during an exam or test.
Ask Questions If You Don’t Understand
If you have questions, ask them. Ask for clarification if you don’t understand what the teacher is saying. You can use any of the following methods:
- Ask your teacher to clarify. Teachers are eager to help students who show initiative and interest in learning the material, so be sure to let your instructor know when they have not made something clear enough.
- Ask other students—either those in the class with you or on an online forum—to explain any confusing concepts. Other people often find it easier than we do ourselves to articulate what we understand and what needs work on our part!
- Use Google (or another search engine) as a resource for finding answers about topics that confuse you during your studies at home or in school, but remember not all sources are reliable!
Create a study plan.
One of the most important components of effective studying is having a plan. This should include:
- The amount of time you will study each day
- The location you will study (e.g., home, library) and what is needed to make that location conducive to studying
- What materials will be used (e.g., books, notes, laptop), and where are they located
- How long breaks between subjects/exams need to be taken (sobering up with coffee or water helps me relax my eyes and refresh my mind so I can retain more information). Spacing out your studying by 30 minutes will help you in recalling information you have read.
Take breaks often.
Taking breaks is a great way to keep your energy up and your brain fresh, so it’s important to ensure you do this often. It would help if you tried to split your studying into smaller chunks every hour or two.
For example, if you have an exam in the morning, go through one chapter at a time and take a break after each chapter (or even just half of each chapter). This will help keep your mind sharp and give you plenty of time for other things like eating or sleeping.
As well as taking regular breaks during study sessions, try eating healthy snacks such as fruits and vegetables throughout the day. They’ll help provide extra vitamins that can boost brain function while reducing stress levels—from tired to lacking sleep!
Teach other people what you’ve learned.
Research shows that teaching others helps you to learn something better. You’re forced to explain the material, which makes it easier for you to understand and remember it yourself. But there are other benefits as well:
- You can learn more quickly by teaching someone else what you know. If someone is having trouble understanding something or needs help with their homework, this allows you to practice explaining an idea differently than your teacher does in class.
- Teaching people allows them to see whether or not they want to learn something (such as math). If they don’t like how things are taught in class, they may feel discouraged from continuing their studies.
Identify your weaknesses and work on them first.
This is a cliche, but identifying your weaknesses is the most important step in studying effectively. It’s also one of the most difficult things to do as you often don’t want to acknowledge what you find out. If you’re bad at math, you should supplement that knowledge and ensure it’s fully integrated into your brain before attempting questions in other subjects (or when taking tests).
If you’re weak at vocabulary, spend time each day reviewing flashcards or reading articles about words that are likely to appear in exams. You get the idea—it all comes back to identifying your weaknesses and working on them early on, so they don’t hold back other parts of your preparation later on down the line!
Steer Clear Of Distractions
The first thing you need to do is avoid distractions in your study spot. Whether at home or in a coffee shop, steer clear of social media and your phone. The same goes for the television; turn it off and enjoy a few days without it if you have to. It’s not that these things don’t matter—they do!
But now isn’t the time for them. Instead, try studying in a quiet place where it’s easy to focus on one task at a time: listening closely while reading over notes and writing out an answer sheet correctly without making mistakes.
If there’s no such place available (like if your roommate keeps blasting music while they study), invest in earplugs or noise-canceling headphones so that even when there are distractions nearby, they won’t be able to affect what’s going on inside your head too much!
Review Notes From Class Every Evening
The first thing you’ll want to do is review notes from class every evening. This will help you remember and understand the material, and it will also help you retain it.
Reviewing your notes after each class allows you to process what was covered in that class, making it easier for you to remember the information later on. This retrieval practice is one f the important study techniques that will also improve your study skills in the long term.
Talk To Teachers
Another way to get the most out of a class is to talk with your teacher.
- If you aren’t sure about a topic, don’t be afraid to ask questions.
- Ask them if they can give you an assignment schedule so that you know what’s coming up and when.
- Let them know if any topics seem difficult or confusing so they can help you work through those issues.
- Ask if they have any extra credit opportunities available (especially important for classes that don’t have much room for creativity in grading assignments).
Designate A Study Area
Do not study in your bedroom or on the couch. These are places where you relax, so they’re likely to be full of distractions like TV and pets who like to sleep on your bed. Instead, find a spot that is quiet and free of other people (so no school libraries). Your local library might be an option if it’s quiet during exam season (or all year!)
Simplify Study Notes
To learn more effectively, you should simplify your notes. The first thing to do is use bullet points and diagrams, then charts if possible. This makes them easier to study from later on.
You can also use color to highlight important parts of your notes with highlighters. This will help you remember what’s important regarding an exam or test!
Study With A Group
Studying with a group can be a beneficial way to study and help you remember the material better, learn new material and stay motivated. This is because when you are studying with someone else, they will usually ask questions you might not have thought of yourself. This helps you go over all kinds of questions from different angles, making it easier for you to answer them on the exam.
It’s also possible that if you are doing the same type of assignment as your friend or classmate, then even if they don’t know how to do something, they may be able to help by sharing their notes or other completed work.
Use mind maps, charts, and graphs to condense information visually.
If you’re like me, you probably have a lot of information stored in your brain that needs to be organized and consolidated. Mind maps are a great way of doing this. But what is a mind map?
A mind map is an image representing information or ideas that you can use for learning, brainstorming, and planning. They are often made up of different colored circles and lines connecting them to form webs of knowledge. In this way, they help us make connections between different topics or even use them as summary tools for the material we want to learn about (see below).
Don’t just re-read — summarise and recite aloud.
Summarise the material you’ve just read and recite it aloud.
Don’t just re-read the material – summarise it and then recite what you have written down or recorded on a digital device. This will help you to remember the information better. It is also helpful to practice saying your summaries in different ways so that they become more memorable.
Pay Attention In Class
The first way to study effectively for exams is by paying attention in class. The better you listen and take notes, the more you learn about the material. Ask your teacher for clarification during class or after school if you don’t understand something. If a question comes up later on, write it down and make sure you ask again before the exam so that it doesn’t slip through the cracks!
Get a proper night’s sleep before an exam.
The last thing you want to do is go into an exam after a few hours of sleep, or even worse, no sleep. Sleep is crucial for memory and recall. Your brain works best when well-rested: the more you sleep before an exam, the better you’ll perform on that test.
Sleep helps you retain information longer than if you were awake all night studying (this is because while sleeping, your brain consolidates what it learns). It also improves your overall memory by helping with concentration and focus—both important factors in passing exams!
Research has shown that sleep helps people think more clearly; this means they can solve problems faster. Not only does sleep help us be more creative in problem-solving, but it also helps us stay focused during our day-to-day lives too (like studying for exams!).
Final Thoughts on How to Study Effectively
If you want to ace that test, there are plenty of things you can do to improve your studying habits and make sure it’s the best preparation possible. Just make sure you follow these tips and don’t forget about any of them when it comes to an exam!
Experienced writer and dedicated professor with a passion for crafting compelling narratives and nurturing the next generation of critical thinkers
