10/03/2015
17 ways to study smarter
1. Attend classes.
Your teacher has already identified the
highlights and important points of your
textbook. Since it's the information
your professor thinks is important that
will appear on the test or exam, it makes
sense to go to class and find out what
that is. Pay attention to last five weeks
of the semester. It's been said that
50% of course's work takes place in the
last third of the term.
2. Know your instructor.
Learn what's needed to get through each
subject. Study the syllabus (course
outline) and refer to it periodically to
make sure you're on track. Find out
your instructor's testing format, grading/
marking system and expectations. You'll
be able to tailor your work to meet his
requirements.
3. Schedule regular study periods.
The most effective way to learn anything
is to rehearse it regularly. Whether you
are practicing the piano, sports, or
reviewing your notes, you are learning
through the principle of repetition.
4. Be realistic.
When you make up your schedule,
decide how much time you really want
to study and divide that time among
your courses. It's better to spend half an
hour on each subject than to plan one
hour for each one and not follow
through.
5. Establish a regular study area.
When you study in the same place every
time, you become conditioned to study
there. Your mind will automatically kick
into gear, even when you don't feel like
studying.
6. Study short and often.
Your brain takes in information faster
and retains it better if you don't try to
overload it. Four short study periods a week are more effective than two long
ones for two reasons: (1) frequent
repetition is the key to building your
memory, and (2) if you leave a long time
between study periods, you may forget a
good portion of the material you studied.
7. Start study sessions on time.
It sounds like a small detail, but it's
amazing how quickly those 10-minute
delays add up. Train yourself to use
every minute of your scheduled time.
8. Study when you are wide-awake.
The majority of people work most
efficiently during daylight hours. In most
cases, one hour during the day is worth
1 1/2 hours at night. That's one of the
reasons we encourage you to use the
hours between classes and other small
pockets of time during the day wisely.
Decide what your best time is and try to
schedule your study time accordingly.
You accomplish more when you are
alert.
9. Set a specific goal for each subject you
study.
You'll accomplish more, faster if you set
a specific goal for each study session.
Let's say you've set aside 30 minutes to
read your accounting text. If you start
reading without a particular purpose,
you may get only 9 pages read. But if
you set a goal of 15 pages in that time
period, you'll probably finish all 15.
10. Start assignments as soon as they are
given.
If you do nothing else from this chapter,
do this. A little work on an assignment
each week will allow you time to give
attention to its quality. Your workload
will be spread out, so you'll avoid a log
jam near the end of the semester.
11. Study your most difficult subjects
first.
You're most alert when you first sit
down to study, so you'll be in the best
shape to tackle the tough stuff. You'll
also feel better getting the worst out of
the way, and you won't be tempted to
spend all of your time on easier or
favorite subjects.
12. Review your notes regularly.
Taking good notes is the first step;
reviewing them regularly is the second.
As we keep saying, the best way to learn
anything is to review the information
(aloud, if you will) often.
We've outlined a review schedule below.
You may want to add to it if you're
having difficulty with a particular
subject.
1st review Same day (reduce to key
words)
2nd
review Later the same week
3rd
review 1 week later
4th
review 2-3 weeks later
5th
review Monthly
You'll retain up to 80% of the course
material in your long-term memory.
13. Take regular breaks.
The general rule of thumb is a 10-minute
break for every 50 minutes you work.
Don't study through breaks. They
rejuvenate you for your next hour of
studying.
14. Vary your work.
Try to give yourself some variety in the
type of studying you are doing. For
example, if you tried to read textbooks
for three hours, you'd not only get
bored, you'd have trouble processing the
information. Instead, alternate reading,
taking notes, doing homework, and
writing papers.
15. Problem solve.
For courses that require you to solve
problems, such as math, physics,
chemistry and statistics, spend a good
portion of your study time working on
problems. If you get stuck on a
homework question, don't spend the rest
of the night on it. Go on to the next
question and ask for help the next day.
16. Reward yourself.
When you complete one of the goals you
set for yourself, give yourself a reward.
The reward system gives you an
incentive to reach your goals, and a pat
on the back for achieving them.
17. Keep on top of it.
Letting work pile up can leave you with
an overwhelming task. It's easy to feel
that you'll never get on top of it again. If
you find yourself falling behind, you
may need to improve your study skills.
Maybe your time management skills
need some work. Or maybe the solution
is as simple as cutting down on your
social time. Identify the problem as soon
as you can, and don't let it become
unmanageable.
