Do you study so hard and still end up with poor grades? Does your child read for long hours and you always feel disappointed about their result? It is a fallacy to think reading for long hours and studying hard is enough. The missing variable in choosing a plan out of the various study strategies.
Study strategies involve picking the best study materials that are right for your unique learning style, your budget, and your prior understanding of the exam topics. Every study manual isn’t right for every person.. we’re all different!
As the saying goes, different strokes for different folks. There are many study strategies students can choose from depending on the one most convenient for them. The reason for poor grades by students most times is because they have chosen to totally ignore a plan of study, or follow a plan that is not convenient for them but many most times are ignorant of a study plan when preparing for an exam.
If you are a student, then you are in luck because this post will give insight and tips on the Top study hacks every student should adopt for a guaranteed exam success provided you are hard-working and intelligent. And for those that are not students, you can always share at least with a student you know to help them study better.
Table of Contents
Why you should adopt a Study Skill?
Skill is required for most of the activities we carry out on a daily basis. studying also is no exception as there are various study skill strategies you can choose from. Depending on what you are studying for, there are enough study skills strategies to utilize.
There are study strategies for college students, effective study strategies for people writing professional exams, and lots more.
Given below are some of the key reasons you should have a study skill:
- Acquiring study skills helps you to improve your ability to learn and also retain what was learnt for a longer time period.
- As a student, study skills helps you reduce anxiety about deadline for tests or exams, thereby increasing your self esteem, confidence and efficiency.
- By adopting a study skill, it helps you understand yourself better and help cut down the number of hours you use for studying which allows you more time for indulging other things.
Are you a mathematics student? if yes, check our article on How To Study Math: 10 Best Study Tips For Students.
Top 20 Study Strategies Every Student Should Adopt
Below are effective study strategies that every student should adopt:
#1. Create a Space for Study
This is one of the top three study strategies listed in this article. A viable and efficient way to make the most out of your study sessions is to have them organized properly. And to have it organized involves finding a particular place for study which may be in your home or anywhere else that is quiet and help you concentrate more.
All materials that are helpful for study should be placed or taken along while going for study, and all materials that have the tendency for causing distractions should be avoided. Preferably, your phone(s) should be switched off.
#2. Schedule Your Study Plan
Scheduling is one of the most effective study strategies for college students. What it means is that you choose the number(s) of days that will be appropriate for you. These days should be convenient for your study and must not be used for other things. Having chosen the days you should also pick the time for study for each day.
The time selected should not coincide with any of your other activities and you must be dedicated to keeping to your time.
#3. Find or Create a Study group
Get some set of students in school or who are likely to write the same exam with you to study together. Or sometimes if study groups already exist you can join any. A group study helps to understand things from different perspectives.
And also when choosing a study group make sure your group mates are as serious in their study like you are or maybe even more serious than you are.
#4. Target Oriented
Being target-oriented is one of the study skills strategies every student should adopt. Objectivity in your study is key. For every day of your scheduled study, you should have set targets.
That is, You should list out the knowledge you wish to acquire after the study for that day. This tends to set your mind in a state to learn. And after the study for the day evaluate yourself on the ones you were able to achieve.
#5. As a Study Plan, Take Some Time off
I guess a glance at the heading will be misconstrued to mean taking time off from study… but that is not the case.
What it actually means is to take some break time in the course of your studying. This is also a study plan as sitting for hours can be quite tiring, so taking a walk or doing something else for at least 10 – 15 minutes will help the brain better assimilate what you had studied earlier.
#6. Make Weekly Assessment
Making weekly assessments is one Study plan every student of all levels should adopt. Answer questions weekly on what you have studied so far. Even as you study you should find out if still recall all you have studied during the week, and the best way to know this is to create test questions daily for yourself or ask a friend to help with the questions and see if you can answer them or not.
By doing this you can actually tell for yourself if you are making progress in your studies or not. This hack particularly helps you in remembering what you read.
#7. Create a Time Table For Study
Make a list of all the subjects or courses you are being thought in school. Or for those writing a professional exam, create a timetable of the topics for the courses.
The Time table will help in ensuring you cover up all the topics. For students, it can even help you read ahead of your teachers in school.
#8. Eat Enough But Not Too Much
Energy is required for anything we wish to do as humans. Studying is no exception.
Ensure you eat before going to study as this will help your brain stay sharp and your mind ready for learning. Even as much as I advocate eating before studying, the food you are to eat should not be too heavy as this will make you feel lukewarm.
Therefore a moderate intake of food is required, not too much and not too little.
#9. Designate a location for your study
Make a decision on where to make your permanent study abode. If you will be studying at home, the library or at your friends. Whichever makes you most comfortable will do.
#10. Strive for total understanding of a particular topic.
For topics that might not be really clear to you when it was explained in class. Make extensive research on that topic in order to get a thorough understanding of the said topic
The research can be carried out online or by going to a library close to your house. You can also discuss the topic with your friends perhaps they might have a better understanding of it than you do.
#11. Get Adequate Sleep
In as much as you are studying in an attempt to increase your performance as a student, sleep is also good for your health.
As a student, you might sometimes try to boycott sleeping at night for studying sake but this is not ideal as it is detrimental to your mental health. And when mental health is in jeopardy it tends to deter you from being in the right frame of mind to study.
Sufficient sleeping should be part of your study plan.
#12. Design Adequate Reward for specific goals.
Sometimes your body system can be somehow that you would feel like not studying for a particular day. This is not entirely the fault of the student as we are all humans. as you should attach a price for even small study accomplishments
Rewards should be allocated to specific goals accomplished. This will stimulate the body to work hard in order to get that price or reward. You might feel like not studying but remembering the reward would make you study against all odds.
#13. Equip Your Study Area With The Necessary Tools For Study
Distractions can occur in diverse ways when studying. Hence, it is advisable you make adequate preparation in getting all your tools for study right there with you in your study area. Getting up and sitting down would make the study tiring for you.
#14. Have your personalized Summary Note of What You Study
Keep or assign a particular note to be your study note. It should be more like a jotter where everything written is exactly how you understand it.
Taking the note to class is also advisable as this will help remind you of some vital points or questions you didn’t quite fully understand and wanted to ask your tutor.
#15. Create Mnemonics
According to Literaryterms, A mnemonic, also known as a memory aid, is a tool that helps you remember an idea or phrase with a pattern of letters, numbers, or relatable associations. Mnemonic devices include special rhymes and poems, acronyms, images, songs, outlines, and other tools.
It simply means associating letters to words. For example, “United State of America” the Mnemonic is popularly known for this is “USA”. So it helps in remembering things easily.
From the numerous study strategies, Mnemonics is relevant for the study.
#16. Understand The Purpose For The Course(s)
Before even practicing any of these tips, this point should be done first. Get firsthand knowledge of why you are studying the course, how the course can be used by you in the future.
The purpose of doing this is for it to be a drive for you. As the saying goes. “when the purpose of a thing is not to know”…. You know the rest.
#17. Practice Past Questions
When studying for a course also go through past questions on that course especially when you are a student preparing for an exam.
Attempting past questions gives you an edge as teachers/lecturers mostly ask questions from past questions they just tweak the questions a little. So once you understand the answer methodology of the past questions, it would help you in structuring how you study for that course.
#18. Make A Record Of All The Lectures You Attend
For every class you will be present in you should make a recording of it even for the once you would not be around for you should ask your friend to help you make a recording.
It is more like having a backup like phones do have backups. Sometimes lecturers might say things that are not in the material or textbook recommended by them and you might not actually write the point down with the belief that you already have the textbook.
So whenever you are listening to the recording you get to hear him say it again. which is instrumental to utilize as a study plan.
#19. Use Flow Charts and Diagrams as a Study Strategy
Remember when you were young and you learned the English alphabet using pictures?
This pattern can also be modified to understand better how the topics correlate with each other and the order in which they go. which can be achieved by creating a flow chart of a particular course. This is can indeed be really useful for students.
#20. Practice What You Have Learnt By Offering To Teach Your Class Mates Course Mates
Einstein once said, “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”
Putting yourself in the role of teacher, whether in a group study or with a friend, will steer you to structure and clarify the subject not only in your student’s mind but also in the mind of a teacher as well.
If your audience asks a question that you find difficult to answer, even better. This will help navigate specific weak areas that you need to understand better.
If you don’t have got a classroom full of people to teach, just explain the subject to an imaginary friend. Do a recording of yourself teaching as though you are in front of people teaching. Later listen to the recording and score yourself on how you performed, if you actually understand that particular topic or not.
Conclusion
These strategies are quite effective when applied properly but applying the strategies without actual study will yield an indifferent result. That is, studying and the right application is the guarantee for success in your studies.
Are you are a college student? see the 15 Best study tips for Students on how to study in college. It will benefit you a lot.
References
- focusme.com- Tips to Study Better that Actually Work
- students darthmout– General Study Tips
- questionsanswered.net– Studying Tips and Advice for Students
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