Keep in mind: These study tips that I am about to mention may not be suitable for every learner. However, from reflecting on personal experiences during my first year of high school, the following productive study tips are special ones I highly recommend without a doubt! Studying doesn’t always have a successful outcome overnight so studying not only diligently but through smart methods/habits is important. If you want to gain insight on possible ways to help you feel confident and prepared when studying for a nerve-wracking test or just in general, read on!
1. Block Out Distractions
It is good to take a break once in a while, but even one notification from your device can get you carried away from your main tasks. Before study sessions, clear out any unnecessary things and store your phone away from your desk; for instance, in a drawer or the kitchen cupboard. It is pretty irksome to stay focused on one thing for hours straight. That is why you should attempt the “Pomodoro Method” as it is useful to manage your work and improve fixed concentration. This routine is effective because it pushes you to identify and play out the “urgency” of completing your assignment in the time span of 25-30 minutes and as a result, motivates you to work proactively.
Pomodoro Method:
-Setting a timer for 25-30 minutes and working at a constant pace for the scheduled period.
-Take a five-minute break after the 25-30 minutes uninterrupted period.
-Treating yourself to a longer 15-minute break once 4 work sessions have been completed.
2. Work in Color
Colorful markers, highlighters and pens for studying subjects, beyond doubt, I genuinely enjoy using a variety of colors for things that require a lot of note-taking. Studies have long ago proved that colours help people memorize certain information by increasing attention level. Colour positively impacts learning by drawing on both symbolic and cognitive powers. Color-based notes and study sheets can legitimately boost one's motivation to look at the same page once more for revision. Be aware of the colors you use in your notes. For instance, blue can be used to help improve reading comprehension and red can help with memorizing key dates and information. The list goes on!
3. Ask Ask Ask!
This point is very handy to remember during the time of your semester(s). Your question may seem illogical in your mind but, if you have any doubts, avoid being hesitant to ask your own teacher in the classroom. You can easily ask questions through email too! Teachers are there to guide you and if you don’t feel confident with them, you should ask a friend/classmate, a tutor, or a parent. Reality check: Tests are going to represent your entire grade and what universities/colleges see on your transcript. Hence, minor or major questions can erase your doubts and give you one less thing to revise and study for the night before an examination. Taking a step further, take time to branch out, research and watch videos related to your uncertainty. In general, please do ask teachers when you feel uncertain about a concept and ultimately, the response will benefit you!
4. Quizlet!
Quizlet is an educational website for students to practice studying with virtual, quick-easy and interactive flashcards. You can do so many things on Quizlet. Make your own study sets for each unit/topic/subject, and quiz yourself based on existing flashcards. Quizlet can handle images, diagrams, various languages, and even audio uploads. It's ideal for self-paced, rote-style learning. I personally used Quizlet once for science vocabulary and french grammar. If you like to study and review on your own at times, this is one of the best tools for you!
5. Silence is Not Always Good!
The surrounding environment you study in is necessary to change every once in a while. Try going to your local library/café and do your schoolwork/projects there! Possibly, go to a coffee shop and sit at one of the tables while listening to the faint ambience. One thing I really recommend is to take along close friends/classmates to study together as groups. Having company and light background noise around you is something more suitable for many than being alone all the time. At least for me, I find it pretty comforting. Listen to your favorite Spotify music/white noise and make the most out of your study sessions!
6. Create Customized Study Sheets
Teachers in some classes luckily provide you with quick/informative study sheets. However, it is useful to make your own study sheets with written words, draw diagrams/visuals, and organized sections. For example, you can make a vocabulary definition portion in your sheet for solid reference. Mind maps work well because you can expand on one concept/term and connect between the main ideas. I believe making study sheets at the end of main topics/units is convenient before a big test. Memory is enhanced and exercised by putting the information in your own words and classifying it in ways that are meaningful to you. It is pretty satisfying to see your topic’s main lessons and ideas on visually-pleasant pages.
7. Keep Organized Academic Materials
To be honest, it is not as easy as it may sound; being organized for school can be a challenge especially if you manage multiple heavy-course work classes. One way is to store a binder with specific dividers per subject. Instead of shoving your project summary sheet or homework papers at the bottom of your bag, take an extra minute to put it in its designated location. Be consistent with it. In the end, this eliminates the stress of finding papers and feeling completely disorganized. If you like virtual platforms to cope and unclutter your schoolwork/schedules, a project management software called “Notion” is beyond awesome! I tried it and there are many similar softwares to use.
8. Prioritize Work
During the school year, prioritizing assignments and project deadlines involves practice and consistency. This skill can help students determine which tasks are the most urgent and how much time to allocate to each task. It is natural to go for the easy task first but managing things with “importance” in mind is a smarter way to go about it. To add, simple applications like “Google Keep” is helpful to create to-do lists!
9. Textbook Questions
Your big chunky textbook has quite a few questions right? Well, I kid you not, you should not avoid those entirely. I recommend flipping through the questions and aiming for the hard ones, so you can gain a solid understanding. Sometimes, the questions your teacher puts on a quiz/test are likely to be influenced by your class textbook’s questions/inquiry problems. From my experience, that was the case in some circumstances.
10. Make Class Time Productive
Have you ever found yourself daydreaming in class? You close your eyes and put your head on your desk for just a moment, and suddenly you wake up and you have no idea what’s in front of you. There are many ways to be engaged in a class where you are optimistically absorbing new things. During the class, write down questions about the content. Ask your teacher about the ones that are left unanswered and new conversations can spark too. Actively listen to the teacher and take notes of the keywords and ideas. It can become a good habit! Not all classes turn out to be everyones’ cup of tea but still, identify your root of motivation. Think about the positives of what you’re learning in class and the final reward of fulfilment at the end of your course/semester.
To conclude, all of the above were some of the main points I highly recommend if you want to study successfully throughout the year. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and hopefully, you gained something useful from this page!
Edited by Deepti
Hello! My name is Sharnu and I am a new blog writer for Just for You Tutoring. I am a grade 10 student from Milliken Mills High School. In my spare time, I love to watch mystery documentaries, cook pastries, and read amazing books like the Harry Potter series! My favorite subject is science because I find topics like biology very captivating.
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