Ultimate Guide to Studying
By: Abbi Gunter
Studying can be a total drag sometimes, especially if you don’t know what you are doing. Have you ever studied for a test or quiz, but when it came time to take it your mind was blank? So many students are wasting hours trying to study and getting nothing done in the long run. If you are one of those students I have a way to help. Behold the Ultimate Guide to Studying like a Pro; made just for you. The complete guide to make sure you have everything you need to be prepared for your next test.
Creating a study schedule
If you are anything like me then you will need to make a schedule to keep you on track. The first thing that you should focus on is minimizing the time you spend procrastinating, this will mess up your schedule and make it more difficult for you to efficiently take in all the information you need to.
When creating the schedule it is important for you to take into account all of your responsibilities outside of school and classes. Do not overwork yourself. Think about how many classes you have to study for and how long you will need for each one. Set out a specific time and subject for each day (there could be multiple times a day).
It’s important for you to prioritize your classes and work when creating your schedule. For example, you have two tests coming up. One is in a class you struggle with while the other is in a class you do very well. Schedule more time studying for the class you struggle with most.
Finally, in order for you to be efficient when planning and studying, try to gather as much information as you can about each subject. For example, you could see how long the test will be, what specifically you should be studying for, or what the format will be (multiple choice, question and answer, or something else). Doing this will help you in planning your study time efficiently and be more organized in what you are going to study.
Preparing for your test
Now that you have everything planned out you can start preparing for your actual test. To begin preparing for your test the first thing you should do is create a practice test or a few practice tests to help you. This should consist of things that are in your notes and things that you know you will be tested over in the exam. If you do this you will not only be making yourself comfortable with all the information on the test but you can also use this to see where you are at.
The next thing you should do is sit down to take the practice test you made. When you do this you should try to replicate the same type of environment you will have when taking the actual test. It’s important that you are honest with yourself when doing this. When you are done you should pay attention to what areas you need help in and what you have already learned. This will help show you what you should be studying and going over when preparing for you test.
After you have taken your practice test and found the areas where you need help in the next thing for you to do is to freshen up on those areas you are struggling in. When you are doing this a good way to get the information you need and retain it is to review your notes and to do practice problems.
Once you are completely confident that you have learned everything you possibly can the next thing you should do is go back to the test you originally made for yourself and give it another try. If you aced the test this time around then you can give yourself a pat on the back because your good to go. The only thing you have left to do now is to keep reviewing bits of the information to make sure you don’t forget it before you need it.
Helpful tips
You now have a plan and a way to study so you are almost good to go. Before you go of on your own however, I’ve gathered a list of just a few more helpful tips that you can use to help get yourself ready and prepared.
My first tip is to create a study group, you’ve probably heard it before but it really does help. Your friends, or the people in your study group, can help you in subjects you may be struggling in and you may be able to help them too. This goes along with my second tip which is to explain the concept to someone else maybe another person who needs help. If you can teach someone a subject then that shows you have mastered it as well.
Take regular breaks. While you may think that this is unnecessary and you should try to get as much studying time as you can in before the test, it’s actually quite the opposite. Studies have shown that if you want to be able to put the material into your long term memory, taking break actually helps. Its like if you were getting ready for a marathon you wouldn’t run for 24 hours a day, you would take breaks in between.
My final tip to you is to take care of your physical health. Make sure to drink lots of water and get plenty of sleep. Water is key, you need to stay hydrated if you plan on doing well in all your classes. Eat a well balanced diet; remember you are what you eat. Sometimes it can be hard to remember stuff like food, water, and sleep when we are busy packing all the information we can into our brains, but that does not make them any less important. Good luck on your exams and remember to hydrate!
works cited
Thomasfrank. “How to Study for Any Test or Exam (Even If You Feel Unmotivated).” CollegeInfo Geek, 7 Dec. 2018, collegeinfogeek.com/how-to-study/.
