Unfortunately, many of us study without having a clear idea of how to do that. The result you end up having is hardly the one you expected to have.
So, before studying you should learn how to do that right!
There is a method for every action we take: think about that. But the paradox is — we know how to do something because someone showed us how to do it. That’s it — nobody is born an expert.
Some people try to succeed by doing everything on their own. Unfortunately, few of them realize that it’s nothing but a waste of time.
Today, I will share with you 10 useful tips for studying. Using them will allow you to save hours and hours of your time. Some of the tricks may seem strange and unconventional to you, but there’s a reason for that: traditional methods don’t always work.
So Here They Are.
1. Have an Overview of the Topic
Frequently, we don’t have a clear idea of what we are facing and how to create links between the information we are studying and the information we already know. For this reason, it would be appropriate to have an overview of what we are studying. How do you do that? To begin with, you should analyze the topic by asking yourself the following questions:
- What do I already know about this topic?
- What can I learn again?
- What could its most important concepts be?
- If I were to question a person on this subject and I only knew the title, what questions would I ask them about?
This way, you can see what aspects of the topic are complicated for you.
2. Focus on the Most Important Concepts
The average student often does something completely meaningless, like reading books from cover to cover. In fact, everything in our life is governed by the 20 to 80 formula. What this means is that, for example, we get asked only 20% of questions during an interview or exam. The remaining 80% is never even touched upon. The trick is to identify that 20 % and focus on studying them in-depth. Of course, it’s easier said than done! To help you in this “mission,” you should first look for:
- The table of contents
- The titles of individual chapters
- The summary at the end of the chapters
- Subtitles
- The words in bold or highlighted ones
- Any images and image captions
After that, you will know how the book is organized. That, in turn, will help you find the necessary information easier.
3. Come Up with a Plan and Follow It
In the study, as in life, one should be able to set goals. In our case, if you don’t do that, you may lose more than you can imagine. So, define your academic objective and, most importantly, a deadline by which you intend to reach it.
For example, that can be done by calculating the number of pages you have to read. Then you should write down not only the number of pages you read every single hour but also the topic you are going to cover within that hour. Whenever you visualize this agenda in your mind (knowingly or unknowingly), you will already be prepared to tackle the topic. Don’t try to hasten things: do them step by step.
4. Divide Your Study Time into 40-Minute Cycles
After a certain time, the human mind may have a decline in performance. We’re not cyborgs, anyway. The ideal decision would be to study at maximum intensity for 40 minutes. After this time, it would be necessary to pause for 15 minutes. In the following 5 minutes (before resuming your studies), you should do a quick “check” of the topics learned within the 40 minutes. If you don’t have even that hour to manage your education, you can ask experts for help. For example, on websites like https://www.buy-cheapessay.com/buy-argumentative-essay, you can cooperate with seasoned writers and be confident about your assignments and academic record.
5. The Study Environment Matters
The place where you study should be calm and relaxing: you should be able to achieve maximum concentration there. Here are some essential elements of an excellent study environment:
- A table with nothing on it (apart from what you need to study with)
- A flipchart or whiteboard with coloured markers
- Pencils, markers, or coloured pens
- Sheets of paper to create mind maps
- A laptop, tablet, or computer, in case you want to create some digital materials
When nothing distracts you, and you feel comfortable, you have better chances to concentrate on studying and even enjoy the process.
6. Always Study with Your Mind Rested
If you usually study when your mind is tired of other activities or thoughts, you shouldn’t expect your performance to be at its peak. With a fresh mind, however, you will be able to retain and process much more information…and in less time! For example, studying early in the morning is always a good idea, but only if you have rested for at least 8 hours. However, some students (especially working ones) tend to study after dinner. In my opinion, it would be better to get up earlier and study for an hour in the morning.
7. Use Different Techniques
Each topic studied will need different techniques, such as:
- Speed reading techniques
- Mind maps creating skills to process and synthesize information
- Memory skills for remembering information.
It’s important to understand what skills you have to develop to study, remember, and analyze materials better.
8. Long-term Memorization
To remember information for as long as possible, make sure you have the key concepts in mind. Revise what you’ve learned or read about at reasonable intervals. If done correctly, it will allow you not to forget the information even after you stopped studying a certain topic. So, I advise you to recall the information a day, week, and month after you have studied it well.
9. Study…. To Explain!
There are different levels of learning, such as active and passive learning. And, our retention capacity is based on the type of strategy we use. Unlike active learning, passive one leaves us with an inadequate percentage of memory. Therefore, I advise you to study with an active approach. Just imagine that someone you love has asked you to explain the concepts you are studying right now.
10. Attention to Detail
If you describe a topic in a non-fluid or unclear way, your examiner may get the impression that you aren’t prepared. Here are some useful tips on how you can fix that:
- Film yourself while talking about a topic, behave exactly as you would behave in an exam.
- Imagine the questions you might receive and think about possible answers in advance.
- Imagine being your professor and look at yourself with their eyes.
- Ask yourself, “What would I recommend to those who want to achieve a high grade/good performance?”
If you don’t want to use a video camera, you can repeat your arguments standing in front of a mirror. It creates a psychological trick that can effectively simulate an interview with the examiner. During this phase, you can even recreate emotions you’ll have on the exam day. Good luck!