Are you frustrated of the cookie-cutter study ideas that pop up when you search for study help on the internet? Do you respect people who seem to have an easy time studying and always obtain the outcomes they want? There will be no more pointless Googling, everlasting jealousy, or irritation! Here are 7 recommendations to help you boost your performance.

 

1) Take effective and systematic notes

Choosing the correct study tactics and techniques is an often-overlooked strategy to boost your productivity.

Don’t forget to bring something to class! Bringing printed handouts or a laptop to class can make a big impact, especially if you know how to use them effectively.

For disciplines that need a lot of note-taking, such as the social sciences or the humanities, printed handouts may be less valuable as a learning tool. Bring your laptop if possible. However, using electronic devices for disciplines that typically require graphing or special symbols (can you type “” on your keyboard easily?) may not be a good idea. For such subjects, printed handouts will make taking notes less of a chore.

What if your subjects are somewhere in the middle? We suggest that you bring printed notes with you.

Finally, while it may seem tedious and time-consuming, hand-writing your notes from scratch is an option! According to a scientific research, taking notes by hand is better for memorization than typing on a keyboard since writing keeps you more involved in class.

You don’t believe it? Next time, try it with Cornell’s famous note-taking technique, which requires you to divide your page(s) into two primary columns. The right column is for taking notes, while the left column (the ‘cue’ column) is for queries or keywords that will act as revision suggestions. Allow room below for a summary section that you will complete after each class.

 

2) Apply what you’ve learned in class to real-life situations

There is no more effective approach to learn than to put what you’ve learned into practice. You’ll see that what you learn in textbooks isn’t only “theoretical,” but also relevant and even beneficial in your everyday life. That’s how powerful application can be.

Hands-on application isn’t always required. In truth, many of the things that students learn in university are not practical. However, you can put your knowledge into practise by observing, reading, and listening. Reading the newspapers will help you grasp economic theory in action if you study economics. The physical civilization, with its diverse architecture, is your classroom if you study civil engineering. If you study psychology, every human being you meet becomes your research subject. You may start by examining the bystander effect in real life, or how advertisements use the familiarity principle to their advantage (or mere-exposure effect).

Try to look at the world through the prism of your own research. That’s a lot more enjoyable and a great motivator to learn more.

 

3) Start again with the same questions and come up with new answers

You should already be aware that practice makes perfect. However, you do not need to create pages and pages of practice papers in order to practice. It is preferable to retake your instructional questions.

Your professor has hand-picked those questions. Even if your professor has gone over the answers with you, going over the entire process of solving the questions again is really valuable.

Is it a waste of time? Not in the least! Even if a question is simple, going over it again might help you remember basic principles. If the question is challenging, you are unlikely to have learned all of the processes and concepts in one sitting. In logical thought, there could be certain gaps. You might forget what the following step in a solution should be, and you’ll need some help from others. Repetition of the same questions will help you identify and fill up the gaps in your comprehension of the same problems.

This is a research technique known as active recall at work! You can also try out the Feynman method. This method asks you to pick a concept or topic and try (or pretend) to teach it to an eight- or nine-year-old child. If you’re having trouble simplifying what you’re talking about or connecting the dots, read over the material again and polish your explanations until you have it down pat.

 

4) Continue to study on a regular basis, little by little

You’ll also need the correct timetable in addition to the right tool(s). There are only a few courses for which you can do well if you start revising two weeks before the finals. However, we understand that some of you have busy schedules that make it difficult to study every day.

Consistent study, on the other hand, does not necessitate a great deal of work. It entails attending all of your lectures (or watching lecture recordings) and attending all of your tutorials. After each lesson, ask questions right away. Quizzes and midterms can also be used as motivators to study more and harder during the preparation period.

“Lazy students show up for all courses,” an anonymous lecturer puts it perfectly. If you’ve ever tried to grasp a university-level idea on your own, you’ll understand why skipping a lecture might literally double or quadruple your study time.

 

5) Make a mind map of your ideas

Because it resembles how your brain operates, a mind map is also a useful tool. Your brain works via associations of ideas rather than a linear flow of logic. In addition to chunks of texts, it works with keywords. As a result, a mind map is nothing more than a picture of how your brain processes information. As a result, it is “brain-friendly.” When you use a mind map to organize your learning, you’ll be surprised at how easy it is to retain topics.

You can create a mind map for each chapter if your subject is content-heavy, or just one for the entire module, depending on the nature of your subject. If your mind map is going to be complicated, you can also employ some internet tools.

 

6) Get a personal helper: A notepad with important concepts and questions

You may jot down all the tough topics and critical questions in one location while revising notes or checking answers for practice papers. You can use a real notepad or a word document on your computer to keep track of your ideas. Once you’ve gathered all of the important information, the notebook becomes a useful tool because you can read through everything even right before the tests begin. It’s a shortened list of the items you should pay close attention to.

However, be judicious about what you put in the notepad. The standard should be set quite high. It should include concepts and problems that are tough to grasp and master. Your understanding should grow as your revision develops. When a result, as you mark out things you’ve learned, your notes should become shorter. Your notebook should not exceed 3-4 pages and contain information that you can rapidly read through right before entering the exam hall, ideally a few days before the real final exam.

 

7) Get to know and understand your examinations

Some students are only interested in understanding their tests a few weeks before they begin. That is why the vast majority of them fail. As soon as you start a module, you should begin to understand it.

You must be familiar with the exam format. If the test is MCQ-based, you won’t have to worry about graphing and proving anything. Instead, you should be concerned about “factual problems” that do not require much thought.

If your exam requires essay writing, you should devote more time to reading additional resources, comprehending the author’s points, and memorizing certain instances.

You can also inquire with your professor about whether your exam will be qualitative or quantitative. Information Technology, for example, can be tested in either way. It’s critical that you know what will be tested and that you study diligently. Make sure you’re facing the right way. When it comes time to revise for tests, you will be far ahead of your peers, and they will begin to wonder why you are so well prepared.

 

What Will Happen Next?

Finally, putting all of the other suggestions aside, you must understand yourself. What motivates you to study or why do you feel compelled to do so? What causes you to procrastinate? Are you concerned about how much rewriting you’ll have to do?

Have a conversation with yourself, and then use the seven suggestions above. You may be confident that if you use them consistently, your outcomes will increase. Each of these seven suggestions will help you improve your studying skills and, as a result, your chances of getting a “A,” but at a rate that you can maintain. Take one suggestion from this article and put it into practise, and you’ll find yourself studying more easily than before.