Study tips

 

Before you begin a new study project, consider your past successes. Think about a project you did, and what you did to successfully complete it. Which of the following applies to you?

What do you do first?

In order to get the most out of what you’re studying, you need to be in the mood. It helps if you’re relaxed and comfortable. It also helps if you’re studying where, when, and how you like to work.

 

PRIME YOUR MENTAL PUMP

As you first begin looking at a chapter or section of a book, it helps to take a “picture walk” through the chapter, glancing not only at the graphics, diagrams, and photos, but also at the section headings, summary, and even questions at the end of the chapter, if the book has them. It helps prime your mental pump. So go ahead now and glance through this chapter and the questions at the end of the chapter. You’ll be surprised at how spending a minute or two glancing ahead before you read in depth will help you organize your thoughts.

LISTEN TO MUSIC

While some experts argue the ability to concentrate during silence or listening to music while studying is left up to personal preference, many agree that playing certain types of music can help students engage parts of their brain that help them pay attention and make predictions.

EXERCISE FIRST

The benefits of exercise on the brain have been well established in the fields of health, fitness, and psychology. Studies show our brainpower gets a boost following even a short workout, as our bodies are pumping oxygen and nutrients to the brain.

 

RELAX

Stress hinders learning. Taking study breaks to exercise or drawing a few deep breaths will help your studying if they lower your stress level.

 

CHANGE YOUR SCENERY

A change of scenery impacts learning and concentration abilities. Psychologist Robert Bjork suggests that simply moving to a different room to study (or going a step further and learning amongst the great outdoors) could increase both your concentration and retention levels.

 

STUDY METHODS

Scientists have been investigating information retention and the studying process for decades. The best way to find the most effective study method for you is to test various tips, such as the ones listed below.

 

THWART THE "CURVE OF FORGETTING"

Scientists started exploring the "curve of forgetting" in 1885, but the concept remains useful to today's study habits. The gist of the "curve of forgetting" is this: The first time you hear a lecture or study something new, you retain up to 80% of what you’ve just learned -- if you review the material within 24 hours. Fortunately, this effect is cumulative; so after a week, you may retain 100% of the same information after only five minutes of review. Generally, psychologists agree this type of interval studying -- as opposed to "cramming" -- is best, and that students should study closer to the day they learned the material than the day of the test.

 

USE ACTIVE RECALL

This controversial method of studying was a hot topic in 2009, when a psychology professor published an article advising students against reading and rereading textbooks -- which, he argued, merely lead students to thinking they know the material better than they do since it is right in front of them. Conversely, he suggested students use active recall: closing the book and reciting everything they can remember up to that point to practice long-term memorization.

 

USE THE LEITNER SYSTEM

Named for its originator, German scientist Sebastian Leitner, the study method forces students to learn, through repetition, the material they know least well. The system involves moving cards with correctly answered questions further down a line of boxes and moving incorrectly answered cards back to the first box. Thus, the cards in the first box are studied most frequently and the interval becomes greater as the student proceeds down the line, forcing her to review again and again the information she doesn't know.

 

TAKE THE PRACTICE TESTS

As you would with the ACT, SAT, or GMAT, take advantage of professors and instructors who make old exams available as practice tests. You can get a sense of the instructor’s testing style and a become familiar with how the information might be presented on the real test day. A 2011 study finds students who tested themselves with a practice test after learning the material retained 50% more of the information a week later than their peers who did not take a practice test.

 

MAKE CONNECTIONS

Experts argue that the difference between "slow learners" and "quick studiers" is the way they study; for example, instead of memorizing, "quick learners" make connections between ideas.

 

TRY THE FEYNMAN NOTEBOOK METHOD

Physicist Robert Feynman created this organization-based learning method by writing on the title page of an empty notebook, notebook of things I don’t know about. From there, he developed a technique of deconstruction and reconstruction of ideas, in an effort to understand even the most complicated of concepts. To use this method and learn how to study effectively, first identify what you want to learn. Then, try explaining it as you would to a five-year-old. The Feynman method is ideal for using analogies to further illustrate your concept (e.g., a bonsai tree is just like a big tree, but smaller).

 

TAKE ON THE ROLE OF TEACHER

Research shows that students have better memory and recall abilities when they learn new information with the expectation of having to teach it to someone else.

 

THINK ABOUT YOUR THINKING

Metacognition, or thinking about thinking, thrives on self-awareness. To achieve this, students need to be able to assess their level of skill and where they are in their studies, as well as monitor their emotional well-being around potentially stressful studying activities.

 

DON'T OVERLEARN

Once you’ve been able to cycle through your flashcards without making a single mistake, you may feel a sense of satisfaction and call it a day, or you may feel a charge of adrenaline and be tempted to continue studying.

 

STUDY USING STUDY TECHNIQUES OR HACKS

This is quite similar to understanding concepts by going back to the fundamentals. But this is actually you trying to use shortcuts or mnemonics.

Mnemonics are techniques used to fast track learning process and some examples are

1. Acronyms - like PEMDAS that stands for parenthesis, exponential, multiplication, division, addition and subtraction or even BODMAS and ROYGBIV (for the seven rainbow colors).

2. Visuals or imagery - this involves the use of images or visuals that you have seen before or know of, to relate some concepts.

3. Rhymes - this is even common among small children because that’s how they could recall the multiplications table or even the state and capital.

4. Splitting up - is a way of taking large information and break them up into pieces that can be recalled easily like a phone number that is written as 07040402001 - can be recall as 070 (zero seven zero) 4040 (forty forty) 2001 (two thousand and one).

BONUS TIP: DON'T FOCUS ON ONE SUBJECT FOR TOO LONG

If you’ve never felt "burned out" from repeatedly studying pages of history notes, scrutinizing chemistry formulas, or practicing music scales, consider yourself lucky. But know that the threat is real. It's best to vary your material rather than zeroing in persistently on one area. (It is acceptable to join related or similar subject areas together; for example, instead of only memorizing vocabulary, mix in reading as well. If doing math, tackle several concepts together instead of just one.)