What top 5% students do differently?

There are a lot of studies going on to find the distinguishing factor which separates the top student from the average one, out of that research I've found some clues which hugely impact our study’s quality and of course the results.

There aren’t something special about them, according to a survey, they merely have the same IQ¹ the average student, so its not a matter of brain’s efficiency. They have certain habits and attitude which contributes to their success in academics.

Photo by Museums Victoria on Unsplash

Here are some of those habits which I found relevant and going to give it a try:

1. They study in their focus time²: We all have that one specific time on our day on which the distraction is minimum. It’s that time of your life when your interaction with people is minimal, you generally doesn’t receive any call or text during such time, your surrounding remains silent and you have a peace inside your mind. Top learners take advantage of such time where they can dive deep into the concepts.
2. They don’t worry about results too much: They have certain attitude, like “I’m going to rock the exam”, which motivates them to focus more on preparation rather than the results. Average learner study just to score good marks and to pass the exam, but it is found that top learner are usually those who enjoy studying itself.
3. They just don’t work hard but smartly organize their study: They don’t study randomly, they have practical plan backed by facts and logic. They have to-do list³ which they genuinely follow, they create practical approach and are disciplined to finish their tasks.
4. They include things they love to their to-do list: It may sound ridiculous but in their to-do list you can find something like dancing, playing guitar, singing etc. they give priority to their extra- curricular⁴ activities too. They are the one who also consider their hobbies and passion as important as their study. This keep them motivated to complete the tasks of to-do list.
5. They practice the exam pattern before the actual exam arrives: They are the one who practiced the time bound pattern of exam many times before the actual exam arrives, this make them stronger to face the day of battle. Whether it be the physical fitness exam or it could be the pen-paper exam, they practice it as it is before the actual day of exam.
6. They don’t feel ashamed to accept that they did something wrong: Other put their ego to deny the fact that they mistakenly did something wrong, while the top learners never feel bothered about making mistakes and accepting them too! The difference between a successful person and an unsuccessful person is that the person who succeed in life accept his mistake and learn from it, while the unsuccessful one don’t show that much strength to accept their mistake and be vulnerable to change.

These are the things which creates a huge line of separation between an effective learner and the average one, and the fun fact is that the one who is average, can any time choose to be top learner by putting a bit more of effort and willingness. Top students aren’t built differently; they just do thing differently and have certain mindsets which make them stand out from the crowd.

I hope you enjoyed reading and found it helpful!

What are your opinions about the same?

Thanks for reading!

Appendix

1. IQ : An intelligence quotient is a total score derived from a set of standardized tests or sub-tests designed to assess human intelligence. (Definition according to Wikipedia)
2. Focus time: The time when your mind can focus easily and distractions are least.
3. To-do list: The list of tasks you need to complete and things that you want to do in a time bound fashion.
4. Extra-curricular: A.K.A extra-academic activities, it includes sports, student government, community service, employment, arts, hobbies, and educational clubs.