Study Tips

Andie
Jan 5, 2018
2 min read

I know I know, this is not the usual thing I post, but I’ve seen many people… struggling with their studies and how to keep track of important notes and all that mess. So I have decided to share a few of the “not so secret” secret tips that I use to help me focus on my studies. I do not use all of these, some of which I found online and plan to start using as well. Some of these may work on you, and some may not. I’m just here to help others focus and do well academically.

Don’t just memorize content, understand it as well. I’ve seen people memorize textbooks and then on the day of the exam they run around asking for people to explain it to them. This is wrong. If you understand it, memorizing becomes much easier.
Use sticky notes to add extra points or provide explanations here and there throughput the topic. When you go back to study these lessons later, these will be very very helpful.
Make a checklist to tick off. This will help you keep track of what you’ve done and haven’t done.
Use wordhippo to find words you can’t think of, but can describe.
If you want to but find it hard to memorize, then use this method: Read it 10 times. Say it 10 times. Write it 2 times.
Don’t get distracted. Keep all your devices or any sources of entertainment away from you. If you need it for studying, use getcoldturkey.com to block the sites that distract you.
Memorizing dates (especially for history): Make a timeline. Add big events and more important dates first, and then add on the smaller ones in between.
When reading, look over the chapter outline first. I know many people skip this (including me) but after I started doing it, I realized it’s actually helpful. It gives you a brief review of what you’re in for in this lesson.
Always go over key-terms, ALWAYS. Most marks for a question depend on your correct use of the right term. You can do this by writing them down as you go by thrugh your lessons on a separate sheet of paper, or by re-reading the textbook.
Test yourself. Solve a lot of past papers. And for extra benefits, set a time limit for each past paper you solve. It helps you in managing your time and maintaining your speed. If that causes too much pressure on you, then just stick to solving questions.
Summarize what you’ve read in your own words. It will stay in your memory for longer.
If highlighting points help you, then go ahead. I personally prefer using a pencil because once I start using highlighters, I highlight everything and just passively read it. I also noticed the things you don’t highlight are explanations, which I find really important,

Hopefully these may have helped you in any way. I may do a part 2 if you need some more tips, since I feel like I haven't tackled some problems here. If you have any advice of your own, feel free to leave them in the comments for others to see.