How to Study Blog » How to Study

The Study Guide Exchange: Great Group Study Method

Brian — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 18:14:47 +0000

Sometimes group study can be a productive thing, and sometimes, not so much. Group study becomes less than productive when your study sessions turn into occasions for friends to get together to have a good time and share gossip. Often, there’s little actual study that goes on during these sessions. However, that doesn’t have to be the case. With a little planning and hard work, your study group can really help each other master your course material. One of the best ways of doing this is through what’s called the Study Guide Exchange.

The Study Guide Exchange means this: Each of you in your study group (an ideal number is 4 to 6) is responsible for creating a study guide for the class chapter or unit, based on your own notes. That is, you should put your notes into a logically-flowing order and type it out in such a way that it can teach OTHER people what you’ve studied during the past few weeks. After each of you has produced your study guide, you then make copies and share these with the other members of the group. Let’s look in more detail at the steps involved in your Study Guide Exchange.

1) First, be sure that you have what’s necessary to make your study guide. This means your class notes and textbook, computer, and computer paper.

2) Decide which subject you’re creating the guide for. Most likely, this will be the class that your entire group shares.

3) Now study your textbook and lecture notes, highlighting all key points that you think you’ll need to understand for the test. This is an important step, because each of you might have slightly different views of what is and isn’t important. That’s what makes this idea so powerful: You’re pulling in four or five different ideas about what you should learn.

4) Try to keep your study guide to 8 to 10 pages. More than that, when you consider that everyone will be reading three or four or five of these, will be overwhelming.

5) Emphasize important points through the use of bold-faced or different colored fonts.

6) Throughout the guide, after you go over a couple of important points, include questions with blanks after them. Then in the back of the study guide, have an answer page, so that everyone can check their answers.

7) While you’re working on the answer page, double check to be sure that all of your answers can be found by the others without too much of a strain.

To distribute these, you can do one of two things: Either print out enough for everyone, or just get everyone’s email address and email it to them. Make sure that they have the program that they need to open the file (Word format, or .doc,, is a standard that most people should have, but make sure before you email them). Either way, everyone will wind up printing one copy.

Theoretically, you can all now study each other’s study guides individually, but feel free to get together as a group and quiz each other on them as well.

As mentioned earlier, this idea works better when you don’t have too many people in your study group. You can imagine how overwhelming it would be if you have 10 friends in the group, all creating their own 10 page study guide. This would be a 100 page study guide for each unit in your class, and that’s a bit much for any student to digest. Keep it to a small group, though, and this method will benefit the class grade for anyone who truly studies the guides.

Making a Winning Study Plan

Brian — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 18:52:47 +0000

Most students will agree that the hardest part of any course is the out-of-class studying. Usually there’s so much to study that people start to procrastinate, putting of their studying until the last possible moment. Then, after cramming all night for a test, students arrive at class feeling tired and dazed by how much information they tried to remember. The easiest way to avoid this problem: Make a study plan.

A study plan should be put down on paper, so you can refer to it, and you that you feel committed to it. On the study plan, you’ll list the following:

• Days and times when you’ll be doing your studying. This should be considered your number one priority for the week, and therefore, you should not alter it without good reason.
• For each day and time, list whether you’ll be studying by yourself or with a group. This is an important factor, because if you’re in a group, it will change where you study, what times are available, and other parts of the plan. Remember: The needs of the others in the group are as important as your own needs. More on Studying with Groups
• How much time you plan to study for each course. This is different from the “dates and times” section above, although one will determine the other. If you decide that on Thursday, you will be studying by yourself from 6 to 9 p.m., you still need to decide which courses you’ll study for, and how much time to allot to each course. If you’re limited on how much time you can study, then give priority first to the subject where you have a test soon. Give second priority to courses where you’re struggling the most. Other courses go third and fourth.
• What you’ll be studying. This doesn’t mean what subject; that’s already been determined. But rather, if you’ve decided that you’ll be studying biology on Thursday, then you should include in your plan what materials you’ll be studying. Is there material in the textbook that you feel you need to review? Maybe you feel like studying your class notes will be good enough. Or maybe this course is one where you need to get a book from the library and study from it. Include this in your plan, so you’ll be ready to go at the right time. If you are studying for a test like the Nelson Denny, you will need to practice reading comprehension. There are also two primary ways that you can study; it’s up to you to decide which will be better in your circumstances. The first way is to study in chronological order (The order in which it was presented in class). The second way is to study the most important information, working your way down to the less important information.

Your study plan will not look like anyone else’s; they’re as unique as the students who make them. There’s one thing that all study plans will have in common, though: They always take into consideration the student’s schedule, the amount of material that he must study, and the circumstances and times that allow him to study best.

More on Making a Study Plan from Cornell (PDF)

Snacking When You Study

Brian — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 19:08:25 +0000

Ahhh, the late night study session. It’s challenging, it’s aggravating, with friends it can be fun, it’s important. It’s so many crazy emotions rolled into one. It’s also a time when you often just have to have a snack. Seriously, it’s not just fun to snack when you’re studying with friends, it’s actually a good idea. It’s easier to stay alert if you have a little something in you. Conversely, it’ll interfere with your ability to concentrate if you’re thinking about how hungry you are. However, it’s important that you eat and drink the right things during your midnight study sessions.

Here are some tips:

1) Keep plenty of cold fruit or cut-up, fresh vegetables on hand. This is actually the ideal snack. They’re good for you and they’re delicious. When you crave something sweet, go for the fruit. The sugar content will give you a little extra energy.

Among the best fruits to eat while studying are apples. They’re easy to eat, not all that messy, and they don’t go bad quickly.

Sometimes though, you don’t feel like sweets. That’s when you go for the fresh veggies like sliced cucumbers, celery, carrots, and so on. Get some dip and they’re delicious! You might also consider having some bagged salad on hand. It’s fast and appetizing to whip up a quick salad.

2) Resist the Ramen! Ramen noodles are especially popular among college students. However, you should never eat them late at night. Ramen noodles are high in sodium. In addition, they are loaded with MSG that might wind up keeping you awake later than you wanted. And that might mean missing your class the next morning. So avoid the Ramen noodles. In fact, ideally, you should stay away from any high-sodium snacks.

3) Keep away from caffeine. This might seem counter-intuitive. After all, many times when you’re staying up late to study, you feel like you need a cup of coffee to help you stay alert. The problem is that caffeine at this late hour often makes it difficult to fall asleep. Sometimes you might be tossing and turning for hours, thanks to that late night brew. And again, this puts you at risk of missing the very class that you studied for.

4) Starch it up! We sometimes think of starchy foods as not a good snack, but they’re actually good when you need to stay up late studying. Snacks like Triscuits or breakfast cereals (low-sugar, please) are good choices. They’re fairly healthy, they fill you up enough to concentrate on your work, and they won’t keep you up later than you want to be up.

5) Avoid having too many drinks. It’s so much the content of the drinks, it’s just that if you drink too many, you’ll be making many trips to the bathroom. That, in turn, takes away from time that you should be studying.

So go ahead: Have that snack when you need to spend a few hours studying with the gang. Just be careful about what you eat and drink.

Pros and Cons of Studying with a Computer

Brian — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 21:58:41 +0000

The question of whether a computer can help students in high school or college was settled long ago. It’s nearly impossible to find a student who doesn’t use a PC to help him type papers or look up things in encyclopedias. But what about major study sessions? The traditional form of studying has consisted mostly of pulling out your textbook and class notes and sitting at your desk or on your bed and trying to memorize as much as possible.

The dawn of the computer age, though, changes things up a bit. Now there are increasingly more ways to enhance your study sessions with the computer and especially with the Internet. But do computers help or hinder your study time? The answer might be: a little of both. Here are some ways that computers might be a boost to your grade–and a few ways that they might actually detract from your study time.
How Computers Boost Your Study Time
Honestly, there are more ways that computers can assist you with study than ways that they detract from it. For starters:

• Computers help you stay organized. In the old days, college students kept papers in their desk, in folders, in shoeboxes, and anything else they could find. Pencils and pens were lying everywhere, and five, six or a dozen books were laying all over the place. The modern student, thanks to computers, can be far more organized. Creating a separate file for each of your classes is as simple as creating a desktop icon. All of your research can be copied and pasted into that folder. Most printers now also scan, so you can even scan your class notes into the computer and place them into the appropriate folder. Want to be even more organized? Consider going to www.zoho.com, where you can create a notebook for each of your classes, and also have an online word processor to help with your assignments. All of that, plus there’s an online “to do list,” to help you be even more organized.

• Some students start taking their notes directly on their computers rather than on a regular paper notebook. This makes keeping notes much faster, especially if you type fast enough. Plus it keeps your notes together with all of your Internet research on the subject. Suggestion: If you want to use a computer to take notes, consider getting a netbook. They’re far more portable and easier to carry with you from class to class. Or if you can afford it, you might buy a tablet PC (either an iPad or other). These allow you to type on a virtual keyboard, thus eliminating almost all typing noise.

• Increasingly, there are advanced programs that enhance your study experience. For instance, there are programs specifically designed to create flow charts, and others that create easy-to-follow outlines. Some programs help you make diagrams and charts. Best of all: Many of these programs can be downloaded for free. Just go to www.download.com and type in the appropriate keywords.

How Computers Might Detract From Your Study Time

There are a few precautions you should consider when using a computer for your study sessions. For instance:

• Typing your notes in class could prove disastrous if you’re a slow typist. You’ll find yourself panicking, trying to keep up, and probably missing out on a lot. Not to mention that if you have a noisy keyboard, you risk irritating your fellow students and the instructor. Suggestion: Only type in class if you type fast and if you know your keyboard is fairly quiet.

• One of the biggest drawbacks is that there are a multitude of distractions on the computer. When studying at the PC, you’re risking being interrupted by countless instant messages, Facebook notifications, e-mails, etc.

Bottom line: Computers make great study aids, if you’re disciplined enough to ignore the distractions and if you’re skilled enough to operate it as required.

Why Study Study Skills?

Brian — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 21:42:56 +0000

As a student, your time is already limited. Maybe you already have a full class schedule, and in addition, you have to spend several hours a day to study for each course. So who’s got time to add something else into the mix? Yet there’s one thing that you need to add, which will actually improve the effectiveness of your study time, and help you get better grades: Studying about studying. That’s right: You need to devote some time and energy to studying some techniques and strategies that make for better students, and that lead to better grades. Here are five good reasons that you should try to master some proven study techniques:

1) The tricks you once learned for studying are not as effective as you might think. For instance, although the SQ3R method does give you a better grasp of the course material, this is only true for the person who is a good reader. Those with not-so-great reading skills won’t find SQ3R (“survey, question, read, review, re-read”) to be as helpful as good readers will. Similarly, although we tend to think that a study group is always a helpful thing, it’s not. In some cases, a study group can actually hurt your study time–since many times, unrelated chit-chat will get in the way of real study.

2) When you learn good study techniques, you actually wind up with more free time. And what school or college student couldn’t use that! The person who doesn’t know how to study finds himself trying to remember all of the material in his notes or textbook, but usually to no avail. He’ll spend hours cramming, and seemingly making little progress. On the other hand, the person who knows exactly how to study can master his notes and text in half the time–and have more time to spend with friends.

3) Proper studying strategies increase your confidence and reduce your stress level. When you have some techniques that you know will work, you can approach any test knowing that you know the material. This will mean less stress throughout your week, and especially right before the test.

4) Here’s maybe the most obvious point, but one that needs to be said: If you learn and use proper study techniques, you’ll get better grades and marks in your course. It’s a proven fact that those who know how to study get better grades.

5) You’ll be studying for the rest of your life. Good study skills aren’t just something that you’ll use while you’re in school. There are numerous other opportunities for you to study throughout your adult life. When you’re taking a driver’s test, attending a career-related workshop or seminar, studying your religion’s holy book, teaching a Sunday school class, and much more, you’ll need to know the best way to study.

So what’s included in the process of studying the best study skills? You’ll want to learn how to take notes, how to read textbooks, how to listen proactively in class, how to use other people, how to use technology such as computers, how to use the library, and more. It’s also helpful to learn test-taking strategies, to help you get every point correct that you possibly can on your next exam. For Teachers, see our Effective Study Skills Lesson Plan.

Here is a great page with more tips and details, Study Strategies for Success.

Bottom line: Learn to learn; study your studying. Get better with your study habits and you’ll reap rewards for years to come.

How Long Should I Study For?

Brian — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 20:35:53 +0000

Let’s consider two typical college students. Mary feels passionate about getting an “A” on the next economics test. So for one week solid, she studies in three hour increments. She scarcely takes a break during these marathon study sessions. Yet, to her exasperation, she still only manages to get a C+.

Rodney is in the same economics class. He has spent the past four weeks studying class material, about 45 minutes a day, in 20 minute chunks, separated by a five minute break. To some people’s amazement, he gets A-Pluses regularly, and he did so on the economics test.

So what made the difference? Shouldn’t that A-Plus belong to Mary? Not at all. Because Rodney learned to master his study time better than Mary did. He learned that: a) Effective time management (studying over a long period of time instead of just a night or two before the test) is better than cramming; and b) the brain is not as effective in retaining knowledge after a certain amount of time–usually 20 to 50 minutes at a time. With all of that said, here are four time-management tips that will make you a more effective and efficient studier.

1) Start by understanding how much you should be studying each week. If you’re in junior high or high school, or studying for a high school entrance exam like the SSAT, ISEE or HSPT, there’s a good rule thumb that goes like this: Study the same number of hours per week as your current grade level. Seventh-graders study seven hours a week; 10th graders study 10 hours, and so on. Once you know this, you can divide these hours by the number of days you plan to study. If you’re a 10th grader and you only want to study five days a week, that means you should plan two hours of study each day.

2) If you’re in college, the rule of thumb is a bit different. The traditional rule says that you should study two hours for every hour that your class meets. In reality, every student has easy courses that require much less study time. Still, for the difficult classes, the two-for-one ratio is a good idea.

3) As we alluded to earlier, study in 20 to 50 minute periods. The brain has to take time to form new memories, and if you keep studying flat out, you actually hinder this memorization process. Between every 20 to 50 minute study period, take a five or 10 minute break. If possible, during this time, do something physical, in order to start the blood pumping again and make your brain more alert. You might do some jumping jacks, jog once around the house, play with your dog or cat–anything that gets you moving! Don’t wear yourself out, though, or you’re just defeating your purpose. More on How Long Should You Study.

4) Finally, don’t get so involved in extended study sessions that you neglect sleep time. It’s important for your health and for your grades that you get ample sleep time. If you don’t believe it, consider this: If you sleep just four to five hours, you’ll probably have to double your amount of study time to be as effective as if you’d slept seven to nine hours. That’s right: You’ll get better grades if you sleep more and study a little less. And if, despite your best intentions, you’re still a bit sleep deprived, try taking a snort 20 minute nap before you study. You’ll be amazed at how effective a quick “power nap” is at restoring your alertness! More on Sleep.

Remember: It’s not always how much you study, but how well you manage your study time.

5 Steps to Making a Strong Study Plan

Brian — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 16:41:23 +0000

Have you been floating through life? If so, here’s a warning for you: Students can’t float through their classes and do well. You must be organized and disciplined. In short, you must have a plan. The “study plan” has different meanings to different people. At the college level, a study plan is a formal, highly-structured way to not only do well in your individual classes, but to get from your first freshman course to graduation. For others, a study plan is some notes scratched in a notebook about how to survive this week’s tests and papers due. What we’re going to present here is a strong study plan that will work for most typical students in high school, college, or external study situations. It’s an intricate plan that should be committed to writing, and that starts broad and then gets very specific. Our plan has 5 key steps to it. Once you’ve completed this plan, you should live your life by it, consulting it daily to know what you need to do today to stay on track to achieve your academic goals.

Definition

First, if you’re still not clear, a study plan is more than a “to do” list. It is an “I will” list pertaining to your classes. It is a written commitment that today, this week, this month, and this year, you will achieve certain listed goals that directly relate to your classes.

The Good Study Plan Is . . .

What you have your study plan committed to paper, it should meet the following criteria. A good study plan is:

Simple – never complicated
Specific – never dwelling on generalities. It should state exactly what you’re going to do, when, where, and how you’ll do it.
Positive—never negative. That is, don’t state what you’ll stop doing, but what you’ll start doing.
Possible—never impossible. A good study plan details things that you’re capable of doing frequently.
Immediate—not eventual. That means that after you have your study plan in writing, you should be able to start using it the next day.
Written—not dependent on memory or willpower. That’s because you’re more likely to do something that you’ve put down on paper.

The Five Steps

Now that we understand what a study plan is, let’s get started. As mentioned, there are five steps involved.

STEP ONE is the easiest: Assemble your supplies. You need to make this plan a permanent part of your life, so buy a good quality notebook to hold it in. It will be neater and possibly easier to read if you make it and update it on your computer. However, pen and notebook paper is fine, if you find that easier. If you do choose to use the computer, then you’ll obviously need a hole-punch as well.

STEP TWO: Start with your broad education goals. You’ll need to dedicate a couple of pages to this. If you’re in a college or higher-education program, list the courses that you must take to satisfy your degree or diploma requirements. As you progress through one semester after enough, highlight the required courses that you’ll be taking that semester. This will be a constant visual reminder of what else needs to be taken to get your diploma. You can work similarly with high-school courses, since there are also classes that you must take to get your diploma, and other courses you need to get into most colleges. If you’re a high-school student, before doing this portion of the study plan, it’s a good idea to find out what most colleges that you’re considering will require for admission. Include these on your study plan, and again, highlight them as you sign up for each course. Keep in mind, the only courses that you highlight are those which you are required to take. Everything else is “for fun” and not important for your study plan.

STEP THREE: Now we get into passing each individual course. That involves keeping a weekly study schedule that includes all of your courses. A weekly study schedule keeps you aware of how much time you have available each week, and helps you determine how much of that time to allocate to each course. Here are some important points to keep in mind as you develop your weekly study schedule:

When you first start, if you’re in high school, you should devote at least one hour each week to each course you have, in addition to “emergency” studying. Emergency studying is when you have something due the next day, such as a paper or a test. For instance, if you have a biology class that meets everyday, and you also have a biology test on Friday, you should study one hour for biology sometime during the week, in addition to studying for the test on Thursday. In college, the study time is different. It’s common for classes to meet one, two or three times a week. On your study schedule, allocate one hour of study for each hour that the class meets. If your economics class meets twice a week, then you allocate two hours on your study schedule for it.
Schedule regular hours for study. If you don’t set aside specific time for each class and stick with it, then you’ll quickly lose control of your schedule.
Fill out your weekly study schedule in one-hour increments. If you schedule something for less than an hour, you’ll be ready to stop right as yu’re getting warmed up.
When possible, schedule your study times immediately before and after classes. For instance, if your economics class meets on Wednesday afternoons, then when you’re done for the day, go home and immediately study economics for an hour or two. Or alternatively, have your study time for a particular class an hour or two before going to class. During this study time, be sure to look over your notes from the previous class session and from your previous study session, just to keep your memory fresh.
When possible, you should work on the hardest subjects when you’re at your best. Courses that you find fun should be saved for when you’re least motivated, since the course content itself will motivate you to work.
Balance other activities with your weekly schedule. Allow time for extracurricular activities, friends, family, sports, TV, music, etc. Some people prefer to keep several open blocks on the weekend for some of these things.
Reward yourself for those times when you’ve been especially productive in your study time. For instance, maybe after a good period, you could let yourself watch TV for an hour or talk to a friend on the phone. These rewards will make you more likely to use your time effectively. Don’t cheat on the rewards! Otherwise, you defeat the whole purpose.
Remember to keep a very specific format in this section of your study plan. Your pages are divided up into one-hour blocks. Each block will have a statement such as: ”I will spend two hours studying economics. I will read the textbook from pages 110-125. I will review my previous day’s class notes. I will highlight all key points in the textbook that I think might be on the test. I will write these key points on a study guide, to refer to later.”
After you’ve completed each block as planned, highlight it to show that you followed through on your plan. If for some reason, you did not keep the commitment for that time period, leave it as is–with no highlighting.

STEP FOUR: Keep a daily “to do” list in your notebook. Most successful people make a habit of keeping a daily “to do” list. They consider it a necessary step for making the best use of their time. It’s also one of the best habits that you can incorporate into your study plan. However, it does not replace your detailed weekly schedule. It supplements it. The study plan’s “to do” page is for those items that somehow didn’t make it onto your weekly study schedule. Keep in mind that you’ll make up the weekly schedule at least a week in advance (Maybe even a month in advance). In the meantime, however, things come up. Maybe you missed a goal of studying on one day, and it needs to be made up sometime during the week. Then put it on the “to do” list for another day during the week. Maybe you have a Tuesday and Thursday biology class, and you’ve done your studying for the week on Tuesday morning, but then the instructor assigns something that’s due on Thursday. Put that on your “to do” list for Wednesday. As early as possible, before you’ve completely worn yourself out, tackle the items on your list. This should NOT, however, be done when you have other studying on your schedule. Do the “to do” items in between the other study time-blocks.

STEP FIVE: Evaluate. This is one situation where “last” is certainly not “least.” Your study plan needs to have several evaluation pages in it. There should be an evaluation page following each day’s page, and an evaluation page following the Broad Plan that tracks the courses you’ve taken.

At the end of each day, before you retire for the night, you should go through your study plan. Look at your blocks for that day. Did you complete everything that you had on your agenda? If not, you need to write down where you fell short of your study goals for the day. Using the “I will” format again, you need to write down how you will make it up. For instance, “Since I did not study my economics textbook for two hours two, I will allocate two hours for it on Sunday, between 2 and 4 p.m.”

Finally,at the bottom of the page, you need to give an action plan for how to avoid missing this goal in the future: “Next time, if someone asks me to run an errand during my economics study time, I will try to schedule it for later in the evening.”

You need a similar evaluation section for your Course Tracking section, where you’re tracking your progress toward getting your diploma or degree. In this case, though, at the end of the semester, jot down a note as to whether you passed each course or not. If you failed one, you need an action statement as to when you can take that course in the future. If you didn’t take enough courses for the semester, then you need to mention how you’ll make up the credits in the future. For instance, if your degree requires 128 credits, that means you need a minimum of 16 credits per semester. If you only managed 14 this semester, note that in the evaluation section, and then tell how and when you’ll make up those two credits.

Finally, all of these action steps should now be penned into your goals, so that you’ll remember that these are two more courses that you’ll need to take. The same holds true of your weekly schedule and evaluation. When you’ve noted that you fell short of your study goals for the week, then you should pen in that extra time needed, either over the next couple of days or during the following week.

SOUND COMPLICATED? Does it seem like this is a rather involved way of approaching your schooling? Maybe it is. But it’s systematic and those who use an approach like this almost always stay on top of their course load, rather than getting overwhelmed by it. In short, the time invested in this study plan inevitably pays off in the way of better grades and a higher GPA.

How to Turn Good Study Skills Into Great Study Skills

Brian — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 16:30:37 +0000

To be honest, even if you’re a good study-er, you’ve probably not really taken time to think about what it is that makes your study skills so much better than your friends’. It’s just one of those things where some students seem to naturally grasp what’s needed to study effectively, without even thinking about what they’re doing differently. However, when an outsider looks at the person with excellent study skills and compares him or her to others, there are certain common elements. Here is a look at the traits that can change you from being a good study-er to being a great one.

First, remember that great study skills start with having the right attitude. You’ve got to realize that it takes time to read and grasp information and to remember what you’ve read. The great study-er knows that 15 or 20 minutes after school won’t lead to real success in your classes. Here are seven specific skills you need to put into action.

When you read your textbook material or re-read your class notes, jot down notes about the important points. Important points are usually those that the instructor emphasized.
Don’t depend on just reading the text or notes over and over again in order to remember it. Instead, make flash cards to commit important facts to memory. A pack of 3 x 5 index cards at the star costs less than a dollar and is a great investment in your studies.
In addition to the flash cards, create other study skills that are entertaining, challenging and productive. Use these activities each week. For instance, you might have an evening when you write down key facts on a sheet of paper strictly from memory.
Look up “lesson plans” on the Internet and notice how teachers create course lesson plans. Now develop your own lesson plan for each subject. On this plan, include the important points that you would be covering if you were the instructor, as well as test-taking ideas that students should use for the class. After you’re done being the “teacher,” be the “student” and study using those test-taking ideas.
Fight test-anxiety like it’s the plague. You can decrease your anxiety by spending plenty of time preparing for each class and each test.
If there’s one resource available to students that is under-used, it is their own teacher. Don’t be so proud that you’re afraid to go to her and ask for her help and / or study suggestions. If needed, get a tutor who can help you even more.
Got a test coming up? As part of a week-long study process, write down a “Test Day Review Sheet.” On this sheet are the facts that you think are key that you’ve been struggling with. On the morning of the test, before you head to class, review this sheet a few times.

Study skills should not be considered an annoying thing that you get done as fast as possible. Instead, look at them as the main reason you’re in school in the first place. They’re an important part of learning the material. As long as you believe that and act accordingly, you’ll be on your way to mastering great study skills.

Equipped for Studying: What You Must Have

Brian — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 16:36:35 +0000

It’s 6 p.m. and you’re behind in your studies. Tests and papers are coming up, so that means it’s not to hit the books and study, study, study. But then you hit a few roadblocks. You look around the house and can’t find a pen. Then you need some scratch paper, and can’t find it. Fifteen minutes later you find some and sit down to begin. Now where’s that calculator? Is it in the other room? Did your roommate or brother take it? After you find it, you notice that the batteries are dead. Now it’s time to find extra batteries. And on and on it goes.

You can waste a good hour just looking for all the supplies you need to study and do your homework. The good student, though, doesn’t take this chance. He’s prepared by always making sure that he has everything he needs for his study sessions. Especially when studying for High School tests, or College Exams. This means having a good place for study and a “kit” full of all of the things he’ll need. Here’s what the successful student should make sure he has:

1) A good place to study. This is important because obviously, this is where you’re going to keep all of your other supplies. That means it needs to be a place where you can conveniently store all of your study supplies. I should also have a comfortable chair and good lighting. Preferably, it is turned away from things that will distract you, like windows or open doorways. More on Creating a Productive Study Space.

2) Computer and printer. We don’t need to say much about this, except that many of the school-related tasks that once required a trip to the library can now be accomplished on the Internet. Also, many assignments must be typed. That’s why you also will need a printer.

3) Get a box or holder to store other supplies in. You could use a drawer in the desk, a storage tote, or even an old shoe box. The most important consideration is that it needs to be easy to access. You should keep all of your study-related items in there, ready to go. This storage container should never move from your desk area. Make sure that family members or roommates know that these supplies are important and that they should not be used without your permission. They’re to be used only in that area. You might even place a label on them to avoid any confusion.

4) Inside this box should be kept the following items (Some variation is allowed, depending on what classes you’re taking): pencils, pens, erasers, calculator with appropriate batteries, markers (Make sure lids are tightly attached), highlighters. You’ll also need printer paper, but it will be kept at your printer. Your books will stay with you in your backpack. Everything else can go in this “study kit.”

Now, with your handy kit, you should be prepared the next time you’re ready to study–and you won’t be stymied by not being able to find the right supplies.

More about a good study environment

30 Days to Better Study Skills

Brian — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 16:00:07 +0000

The study “strategy” for most students is the same: Wait until the night before an assignment is due or before a test to hit the books and study. Unfortunately, for most of us, that strategy eventually catches up and hits our grades—hard.

Good news: There’s a better way! Here’s a systematic approach that in 30 days can turn you into a master student. We’ll start with week 1.

DAYS 1-7: Take some learning assessments. It’s a fact that professional educators have known for generations: Everybody learns differently. Fortunately, there are tests available now (Many on the Internet) that tell you what kind of learner you are. Once you know how you learn, you can base your study strategy on these facts rather than on speculation about what might help you. Do a google search on “learning style” or “learning assessment.”

DAYS 8-15: Meet with a career counselor. Often the career counselor can give you the assessment we discussed above. Even if you take the assessment online, though, it’s still helpful to meet with her. There are career counselors at high schools, colleges, and even employment centers. Ask the counselor for information on learning strategies based on your own particular needs. Alternatively, you can again do a Google search on “study strategies.” There are scores of good articles available. Print them all out and compile them in a notebook and spend several days doing nothing but reading through these strategies.

DAYS 16-20: Begin implementing at least one of the strategies in your notebook that you believe meshes with your learning style. Usually you should implement only one strategy at a time so that you can determine which one works for you and which one you can discard. Having said that, it’s possible that different classes will be helped by different strategies, so don’t forever limit yourself to just one strategy. And again, remember: All strategies that you try should match with what you have determined is your learning style. For instance, maybe you’ve decided that you’re a visual learning. Then use the strategy that is heavy on visual aids.

DAYS 21 -30: Spend time assessing your progress. It’s pointless to stick with a strategy if it’s not improving your study time and your grades. During these 10 days, therefor, you examine your current strategy and see how well it’s been working for you. If it’s going well, keep it up. If not, move on to another strategy on your list.

These last two steps are key. Any time you determine that a strategy has not helped you in real, detectable ways (Your grades improve and you’re able to learn the material better and faster), no matter how much you like that strategy, discard it. There should be plenty more ideas on your list, so find something else and try it for a week or 10 days. Then assess again. Eventually you’ll latch onto something that works, and your grades will eventually start reflecting your new, better study habits.

How to Study Blog » How to Study

The Study Guide Exchange: Great Group Study Method

Related Posts

Making a Winning Study Plan

Related Posts

Snacking When You Study

Related Posts

Pros and Cons of Studying with a Computer

Related Posts

Why Study Study Skills?

Related Posts

How Long Should I Study For?

Related Posts

5 Steps to Making a Strong Study Plan

Related Posts

How to Turn Good Study Skills Into Great Study Skills

Related Posts

Equipped for Studying: What You Must Have

Related Posts

30 Days to Better Study Skills

Related Posts