A student guide on how to study smarter
There are only 168 hours in a week. As a student, you are probably thinking that it’s not enough, especially at the end of the semester, when you have to spend sleepless nights reading up for exams and writing your endless academic papers. Feeling tired and stressed, many students have to look for online services where one can order essay.
Wondering how you can get the most of your study time? In this article, we will discuss some of the best tips that will help you study smarter, remember essential information, and live a balanced life.
Stay organized
You should plan ahead and schedule enough time for writing assignments and exam revisions. Note due dates for your papers and exams date on a planner and make sure that you have enough time for doing research, revising, and polishing your assignments. The key to success in studying is to stay motivated. That’s why you should make a list of study goals. It will help you stay organized and focused on what you need to learn during study sessions. When you complete certain tasks, you should tick them off.
Create an ideal study environment
You should develop smart study habits. First, take time to organize your study space that enhances your personal study style and improves your productivity. Keep all your books, notebooks, pens, and other items in proper places. Take measures to avoid distractions – leave your smartphone alone, keep off social media websites, listen to music without lyrics.
Study in short chunks
Don’t try to absorb a lot of information and study for a long time. You will learn more if you study in short sessions (30 minutes) because your brain will easier process information if you do it this way. If you have to learn a lot of material, you’d better break up the studying into separate sessions. You should also start reading for your exams early to avoid all-nighters.
Use different ways to learn the same information
Use different media to stimulate different parts of your brain. In this way, you will easier understand information and retain it. When learning a specific topic, you can read the notes of your lecture and a textbook, watch videos on YouTube, make a mind map, find other relevant online sources, teach other people what you have learned. It’s impossible to do all these things during one session so you should use a different method every time you review your topic.
Do not multitask
If you want to study productively and learn more, multitasking is a bad idea. You should focus on one thing at a time. You can’t achieve good results while learning something if you intermittently speak on the phone, watch TV, reply to text message.
Test yourself
Self-testing is a great way to improve your academic performance. Reading your notes and textbooks is not enough. You should regularly practice short tests to see how well you understand the information. You will be able to determine areas you need to focus on more. While studying a certain topic, you should quiz yourself on the key concepts. You can find a lot of different tests online. You can ask your teachers to give you some practice papers.
Teach someone else
You will absorb information more logically if you explain it to someone else – your friend or significant other. This is a useful technique when you study difficult concepts. You will need to reorganize the information you have learned and use your own words to explain it to other people. You may also use your creativity and imagine your invisible audience.
Join a study group
You can organize study sessions together with your friends. It will be easier to stay motivated because you will learn new material and still have a social life. Working together, you will be able to share your ideas and test each other. Your friends can teach you how to approach the assignment and help you cope with complex questions. You may even get a new perspective on the topic. When you do it in a group, learning can be fun, and you may even enjoy it.
We hope that our easy tips will help you achieve academic success. Do you know any other proven study techniques?