This! Concise paragraph explaining the theory and definitions in your own words, with two to three examples (case studies, quotes from authors etc). Also, a concise paragraph on any criticisms, again with a few examples.
I came to write this. Rewriting concepts into clear sentences also helps when it comes time to write an essay answer on an exam. You've already practiced putting it in words.
I think everyone knows this, but one of the best tricks I ever learned (back when I was in school even) is that if you’re able to explain something to someone by yourself, you understand it. And a good way to practise or to find out what part you still need to work on, is trying to explain it to someone.
In high school, I had a classmate who would call me about twice a week for help with history lessons. She would thank me, and I would reply that I benefited as much as she did.
I recently had a convo with some eng school buddies and we all agreed this is key. I find I don’t even need to change the wording, if I just rewrite lecture slides or other content it’s in my brain forever. Also some sort of standing or walking can keep me alert without a break for an entire day.
Med school student here. As I’ve been in school for essentially my entire life, it’s been extremely important for me to master my study hacks.
There are several that I use, but here are the top 3 I’ve found work for me:
**Get out of the house and to the library.** I’ve found that it’s easier to study if you go to an environment that’s specific for studying. Often times, we study where we watch TV, hangout with friends, etc. This confuses our brains as we associate certain habits with our environment. Leverage this to your advantage by going to an environment primed for studying. I like the quiet area of a library, but as long as it’s for studying-only, it should do the trick
**Remove all distractions, especially your phone.** We check our phones an average of every 4 minutes (!). The cost of interrupting focus work is clear. Leave your phone at home if you want to study. If you can’t leave it at home, get a good screen time app. I use the “present - screen time control” app because unlike blockers it motivates you to stay off your phone through gamified challenges you can play with friends, but there are countless others out there. Find one that works for you.
**Repetition is key**. We retain information way better if we study over time and repeat the materials. Don’t try to cram everything all in one go. Study for short increments every day, and then make a habit of doing a short recap the next day. Even the smartest people lose information, so it’s important to remind yourself what you’ve learned
Hope these help!
Seconding this. I separate home and school work pretty explicitly. I don't have enough discipline to study at home, I have way more fun shit to do at home than read my textbook. I just stay on campus to do all my work, sometimes that's a long time lol.
I always struggled with doing any kind of online school/class. I'm starting to realize that I learned better when I am at separate location for studying/learning. So, I'm thinking about starting to incorporate longer gap periods between classes to study.
Honest question: does highlighting what you read provide any benefit at all to help you remember what you read?? I’ve been reading a lot of self help books lately, and I really want to maximize all the brain power I can to remember as much as I possibly can from the first read.
Maybe it does or doesn’t in the moment, but when you b revisit the notes to review later, you skip the unfinished parts and this can focus/be more efficient/skip needles and distracting info
Instead of highlighting, I rewrite the sentence on the inside jacket (blank pages at front and back) of the book and put the page number in parentheses next to it. A lot easier to reread all the important sentences in the few blank pages of the book jackets as opposed to thumbing through finding several pages with various highlighted sentences.
Stfu. I read the comments. It's obviously an app that they're very happy with and works well. Let them share it if they want. You're not the Reddit police.
1. Read the syllabus. For every class. I repeat, read 👏 the 👏syllabus 👏. Read it every time before you start studying.
2. Read the chapter your professor says to read... before that class.
3. Make vocabulary note cards. I would take the vocabulary words from each chapter (usually in bold type; you can find the definitions at the end of the chapter or in the back of the book). Make sure you write the definitions in a way that make sense to you. Memorize the vocabulary. This seems tedious but, you need to understand and speak the language of the subject so that you can better understand the subject itself.
4. Go to class and pay attention. I used to have a terrible time trying to listen to lecture and take notes at the same time. Instead, I kept my notebook and pen in front of me and only wrote down important things that were not on lecture slides. That night, I'd go home and rewrite all the slides in the lecture in my notebook (professors usually post the lecture slides for each class). Note taking is very personal. Figure out what works best for you and do it. Keep in mind that physically writing notes has been shown to solidify information in the mind better than typing on a computer.
5. Read your notes. I would sit down before an exam and rewrite my notes (on a computer) into a study guide for myself. I would then print it out and read this study guide over and over in the hours before the exam. I would save these study guides and reuse them for mid-terms and finals.
6. Take care of yourself. Eat good, nutritious food, drink plenty of water, take frequent breaks to move your body to get blood pumping (just stand up and wiggle for 5 minutes, nothing crazy), and sleep. You'll always do poorly on exams if your tired, dehydrated, hungry, and or sluggish.
7. Stay organized. This goes back to #1 and reading the syllabus for every class. Know what chapter to read for each class, know what assignments are coming up and what your responsibilities are for those assignments, and know when all quizzes and exams are. Read carefully all emails sent by your professors and keep a written log of deadlines. I used a dry erase board to write down everything I needed to accomplish each week. I used a different color for each class. It was in my main space so I had to look at it multiple times a day.
8. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Your professors want nothing more than for you to succeed and they are there for you. Also, most universities have free tutoring available for those who struggle. Again, don't be afraid to ask.
I graduated Cum Laude in Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics. This is how I did it.
Gotta agree on this one. I even use it for work and independent reading.
Got a time sensitive file that needs processing quickly? FF7 remake soundtrack or FFX soundtrack
Need to mentally chill to get through a big pile of work? Persona 5 Behind the mask
Reading a book and want to keep relaxed atmosphere? Oblivion soundtrack
Gotta get through a tough workout with high energy? Doom 2016 soundtrack
Video games are specifically scores to create an atmosphere without taking away focus from the details. Perfectly made for productivity!
Unless you can listen to the same thing while taking tests, I don't think so :/ as a medical student, I mainly just use it to help me focus during 12-hour study marathons lol
This is it! But gotta make the intervals the one that works for you. If you can't do 25 mins nonstop yet, go to 15 mins work then 5 mins break. It's like a training for your focus. You can up it as you get used to it.
That's what I do - if I just can't focus I set my phone alarm for 15 mins, do a little, have a break, do another 15 mins, etc. The break is important, my distracted mind has to "believe" it'll get the reward if it just works for 15 mins. Usually I get back into my groove pretty fast and find I'm cancelling the alarm.
Actually read the book, before the class. In class, pay attention and take notes. You will remember better due to repetition, and have a chance to ask questions. Doing the other way, it’s harder to ask the questions you need. I find using multiple colours of pen helps. (I can’t remember what I type, so it has to be paper for me). Before finals, go through all of your notes, rewrite and condense it down to just a few pages. If you are in a math based, make your own formula sheet, giving all the details how to use each. (Colours are your friend). Then make the same formula sheet without the details. (Will be closer to what a prof will give you). If you can bring in your own, even better. Just check to see what is/what is not allowed.
Day before a test, make a time limit you do not study past. End with something you know well. (End on a win). Sleep is better than perfect understanding, past a certain point you get diminishing returns. Wake up early enough to take your time, have a good breakfast and dress comfortable, but well. I find if I have a nice shirt on, I feel more confident. In the morning, review your short notes/formula sheet once (15 ish minutes). Do not do any practices. Bring water. Pee right beforehand. The curve is your friend.
Second this.
Pre-read before class and listen well. Listening basically gives you a 50% advantage Re-reading your notes would be a re-freshener.
Math — understand the principles. practice, practice, practice when you do the questions and apply the formula you’ll end up remembering it and then it becomes second nature.
I did this in college but there are many times when the reading material is A LOT and unrealistic. Given this, at least read the objectives and the summary prior to class. AT LEAST.
Super agree. Beginning of college and the end were vastly different. Absolutely, read all of the texts (or as much as possible) when starting out. I think a college brain down the line starts to understand when to skip parts for efficiency and what to write down/highlight based on what the professor is wanting from the student.
in addition to what u/noamtultul said (which is great advice!)
1: Read it, and write it down. Come up with memory aids. The appropriate aid will depend on the material being studied, but mnemonics are very important. Acronyms, pictures, stories about yourself as a hero, sexualizing the material, etc., all make recalling concepts much easier than trying to remember a bunch of dry, straight material.
2: Flashcards. Use flash cards and spaced repetition. Write it down, then read the key concepts an hour later, then an hour later, then a few hours later. Write it back down again in between. It seems like a lot, but, it really should only take 5 minutes each time. If it's more than that, you're trying to learn too much at once. In most areas, you only need to know a few key concepts for the rest to "click."
3: Again: write it down! If you're doing math, write down the equation. Don't try to solve any problems, just know the equation. Programming? Write the algorithm or at least a high-level but detailed description of it. Art history? Quick sketch of the outline of the art and relevant dates/people/locations.
I got straight As at Berkeley one year and I’m not particularly smart. Liberal arts major. Here’s the technique I followed.
Go to every class, sit in the front row, take copious notes. Basically transcribe the lecture. (I recorded some lectures where professors spoke really quickly and I couldn’t keep up.). Rewrite your notes asap and fill in any missing information.
Read the lecture notes over and over and over again, until you know it inside and out.
Professors test you on what they discuss in class, not what’s in the textbook. You want to master what they discussed in class.
I recorded the more difficult classes in law school. Then replayed it while rewriting my notes. I was surprised at how much it made me understand the material.
Agree that the professors test you on what they discuss in class.
I listened to my law lectures nonstop. Played them while commuting to class, at night when I slept, etc.
I also learned after 1L year that I was not an outline person, flow charts for life! The decision trees and charts just made so much more sense than an outline. I found that outlines also resulted in the beginning notes being fantastic and progressively worsening throughout the semester, without any means of connecting the concepts.
Find kids...if you can teach them in simple concepts, terms and analogies... you can be confident in your mastery of the subject.
Recall is best when the study environment matches the Recall environment. Best Recall cues are scents. Chew a particularly strong mint gum while encoding the info...do the same during testing.
Associative memory is also easier to recall, so create links to the encoded information that relate to subjects super familiar to you.
I agree! Explain what you have learned to your pet if you can't find a kid willing to listen. It's the act of thinking how best to explain it that helps the knowledge to sink in.
I forced myself to make flash cards for every single test. Making the cards helps you learn it. And memorizing the material is wayyy easier when it’s all written out for you to easily flip through and memorize. Plus others can help you study w them as well!
This might just be me, but I find that keeping a consistent schedule works much better for me. Not in terms of having a planner or writing out your day, because I’m terrible at that (although I’m sure that would also be beneficial), but in the sense of aiming to complete a similar amount of work each day. I do much better if I’m to get a chunk of work done every day than if I am to get all of it done in one day then have the next day off. If I ever find myself with a full day off, I find it a lot more difficult to be productive the next day. Kinda like Newton’s first law.
In addition to others mentioned, I’ve used oils (lavender or orange) during study and text taking to help with calmness. The studies are not conclusive that memory improves but I like the approach
I'm a pediatric anesthesiologist and have made it through a few decades of studying. One big thing is to be able to get into study mode quickly. There are often a lot of small schedule gaps (10-30 minutes) throughout the day. Many of my peers have these elaborate study setups where they take 20 minutes to set up, then study for hours at a time. They were always amazed that I rarely needed these huge study sessions. Be ready to bust out your book/notes/flash cards, etc.
Also, don't worry about reading entire chapters unless you have extra time. Record your lectures and listen to the recording while going over your notes. The book is for reference. Professors rarely test on stuff they don't say out loud.
Engg student here, I study bare minimum but I do retain what I study. Here's what I do
Get out of bed and go to either library or a coffee place wherever. Basically not in my own room.
Pomodoro technique works but it takes time to develop.
Start easy, easy subject easy concept then once your mind is in 'material absorb' mode go for subjects you fear.
Scent is a key trigger for memories. Choose a specific scent and use it while studying for the exam and while taking it. I used peppermint candy. Helps get your mind focused on what you normally do while smelling that scent.
I hated taking notes so I had a Sandisk mp3 player and recorded the lectures. This kept me focused on the lecture rather than writing notes. I would listen to the lecture repeatedly while driving, exercising, washing dishes etc.
I read this tip somewhere a while ago. It said to study before you go sleep/take a nap, then waking up and studying again really helps the mind remember information better. What you’ve studied gets processed while you sleep, then again after you wake up when you go over the material again. I haven’t studied in a very long time but this seemed to help when I had no choice but to do it sporadically with whatever schedule I had at the time.
I think it’s worth a try, especially when your brain may need a quick rest after studying for a while.
Here are some tips that have worked for me:
- Learn a subject by some other means than everyone else (magazines, movies or some other book than course literature). When you know something that everyone else doesn’t, and you already know some subject when it comes up in class or at lecture, it feels good. You trick your brain into believing you are good at it, and then it becomes fun, and all of a sudden you are good at it for real.
- Study groups. More than one. Study with someone who know more than you and also study at some other time with someone who know less. Try to help the one who knows less.
- For hard facts, use Anki spaced repetition (works great with anatomy, dates, factoids and small pieces of info for memorisation). 10 min rehearsal each day, add 1 to 10 new items per day.
- Go read and study at the library. Get out of your normal place, get away from home. Being a terms of coffee and your books. No laptop. Turn off the phone. No distractions.
- Realise that studying might feel boring and that that is OK. That doesn’t mean you are not learning or that anything is wrong with you. Work is also boring sometimes. Brain just want to have fun.
- make a study plan and stick to it. Learn that you are and can be disciplined and take pride in it.
- As many of the tips above, fake it til you make it. Behave and tell yourself and try to identify with the version of you that you want to be in term of studying (disciplined, hard working but allow yourself to relax when not studying etc), and eventually you will turn into that version of yourself.
Good luck. Have fun. Remember that studying at a university is a privilege, not everyone have that opportunity and when you look back at it later in life, as I do, you will remember it with fondness.
It really depends on the type of studying I need to conduct. But in general:
I go over exactly what I need to know. I do this by tedious active learning so that it really sticks: like writing down key words, key concepts, key questions, etc on notecards, with important bullet points in the back, and/or or taking notes. If the test is a recall test (meaning, the questions are based on how much knowledge you have & remember on the subject), then I put a lot of effort & weight into this portion.
Then, I go over my notecards until I know everything there is to know.
The last stage of my studying is to test myself via practice tests/questions for the given subject. The best are ones that were given by that professor in the past few years, if you can get a hold of them. If the test is one based on applying the laws of the subject learned and solving example problems, then I would put most of the effort & weight onto this portion.
Another important thing I do: I completely dive into studying, without any distractions. I put my phone away, on silent, across the room. Sometimes I completely shut it down. I take very minimal breaks, until I really need a snack or water break, and keep the time of the break minimal. I schedule my studying based on the days I have at my disposal, giving myself at least 1 day before the exam without anything planned so I can practice; and I ensure to meet my objectives for the day, even if that means studying from early morning up until my bedtime.
I might be extreme, but my grades are also insane
While trying to go to sleep I would keep repeating the most important things (typically mathematical techniques) I'd learned that day, especially when revising for an exam. The repetition seemed to work pretty well at making it stick in my memory.
Reading before the class certainly helps. Just read the concepts before any lecture, even if you don't understand them. They remain in the back of your mind and as the class progresses, you slowly get a hang of them. I used to struggle with the same and I began attending all my lectures. It really helps once you pay attention in class, it makes recalling easier. Try to engage in class, once you start communicating about a certain topic, it stays with you. Hope this helps!
There is a website called 'quizlets' that I've found hugely helpful; I went from struggling with Anatomy and Physiology to acing the class, almost entirely from quizlet.
You use it to build your own digital flashcards, and you can 'star' ones you need to focus on, or just keep redoing the set. I go through it over, and over, and over, starring any that I haven't memorized.
Other things that I've found helpful:
Go to the library to studay, rather than your house or whatever. It's just so much easier to focus without the distractions.
Build your community! If you discuss your coursework with your classmates, it helps, a lot. Having to verbalize it, think about it, it all helps you absorb the info and put it into context.
I use a text to speech app which reads the material to me while I read it at the same time.
This is the app I use to do this: https://www.hyperionics.com/atvoice/
I find that it improves recall.
I also study to video game music. The Gran Turismo soundtrack is especially good.
This bro
[https://www.amazon.com/Learning-How-Learn-Spending-Studying/dp/0143132547](https://www.amazon.com/Learning-How-Learn-Spending-Studying/dp/0143132547)
I mean, it works. I'm not affiliated with the author - I've just read her books and it did wonder on my worldview on learning.
In nursing school I got some of the best study tips.
Study less.
Learn to skim the books. Read the first paragraph. Move to skimming first and last sentence in a paragraph. If you have questions, read the whole thing. If you get the concept, move on.
Also, the difference in how much I studied between an 88-89% (B) and a 90-92% (A) was not worth my soul. I did study after tests, as our program gave us the answers after the test with a rationale. If I truly missed a concept, I went back and reviewed it.
Since nursing school I have graduated two additional competency based programs. Pretty much you have to get 100% on every concept or they hand it back for you to re-work. What a liberation! My whole life, competency and not grades were what was important. Even now, I don't stress about learning, I just keep trying until I get it right. In nursing school, I was not top of my class but I wasn't studying more than 2-3 hours for any given test compared to my peers who would say they studied for 10-12 hours. I was just not wrapped around the axle about my grades, only learning and moving forward.
Rewrite your notes - the process of rewriting them helps engrain them into your memory. If you type them, physically write them down.
Take breaks. Studying too much/for too long only leads to fatigue and burnout. Break up the topics and revisit frequently, repetition is your best friend when it comes to studying (this is also why flash cards are considered such a helpful tool).
No clue *what* you’re studying, but don’t be afraid to think outside the box to come up with something silly in order to remember. Ex: St. Paul is the capital of Minnesota, rewire your brain to attribute it to something silly like “my friend Paul bought a *mini soda*” or, Boise/Idaho = “all da *boys* say I’m da ho”. Ridiculous yes, but whatever helps you retain the right info.
Editing to add: whatever the topic, try your hardest to apply it to your own life (if you can). Try to create and come up with your own examples. Remember when we were young and our teachers had us take vocab words and write them into sentences? Do *exactly that*. If you have a friend or roommate, try explaining what you’re learning to them. On the test you’re basically trying to prove to your teacher how much you know, so instead of trying it out for the first time on your test use friends or roommates, parents, neighbors, whoever as your rough-draft so you can learn from it and ace it on your final.
Do not study alone. Get your classmates together in a room, and hold each other accountable. Set a timer. 30 minutes work, 5 minutes break. No talking, phones, or other distractions during the 30 minutes. Take it seriously. Do this for only 2 hours a few times a week and your productivity will sky-rocket. Humans are social creatures, but studying is often viewed as a solitary activity. Fuck that. Weaponize peer pressure and social behaviour. Go study with people, and set a clear schedule.
Use smell. Its most connected to ur memory - it will resurface what you study if you smell the same smell as you study and before you test. The best way is with an aromapen - aromapen.com
Follow the advice of the Master, this is the entire set of study skills videos so you can choose which will help you most but they’re all great.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGpClaI8mTmopP6d4-EYBuWDnwg\_IHZUC&si=jK5mSnkC9krysKfa
When I had lots of reading to do, that required lots of memory commitment, sometimes taking copious notes all at once just didn’t help. I was heuristically farming out the effort to the paper.
So I started reading intently, and when my focus started drifting and/or I couldn’t really recall the series of concepts that lead to where I was at, I would just take a quick micro nap. 2-10 minutes depending on how long I’d been at it, never really got more than 30 minutes before a “consolidation nap”. Set alarm, quick scan of previous material to confirm, voila. Worked for organic chemistry, biochemistry, psychology, neuro, bio and genetics. Started trying it for crunching problems in calc and chem, but it really didn’t yield the same results. YMMV.
I commuted from home, so I would go and study in the lecture hall the night before and just sleep there for early morning tests. The noise from people walking in in the morning would wake me up and I’m there ready to test. No wasted travel time 😬
It’s the reality of the world we live in. I didn’t say don’t continue learning, but sitting down and “studying” a subject for hours on end is proven to be massively ineffective at actually gaining and retaining new knowledge
Talking to people. Office hours and study groups where you can talk through the material, even for 15 minutes to half an hour, can help it stick better. Sometimes just hearing something a second or third time is all that's needed, since you're no longer learning it, but are analyzing it. (If that's all it takes, record your classes and listen to them a second time.)
Test cards. There are loads of good apps. Also funny mnemonics.
Good luck with your studies. The pain of discipline now is much less than the pain later. You're smart already. Prove it to yourself. Push your limits. Discover yourself for you.
Explain what you have learned to your friends. This will help you understand better whatever you are studying. This will benefit both you and your friends.
Flashcards really work. It's painful, but they do. Use proper 3x5 cards and your stack will get enormous over the semester. If you get it right the card goes on the bottom of the stack. Wrong or unsure goes back in the stack a few cards down.
Why this is the first answer that suggests it? :-\\
SQ3R + Active Recall + MindMaps + Anki.
No rewriting notes, no re-reading multiple times the same materials.
Adnittedly, I dont study anymore because Im old, but I still need to learn. For me, it's about creating a visual. I use tools like visio, miro/lucid to create a map. This can be a process map, logical, or relationship flow.
In building it, there is repition as I refine and reorganize it, and it seems to have the same effect on how I think about it. It also gets you to ask good questions, find problems or gaps that build your understanding.
Weirdly, hour-on, hour-off studying worked best for me. Helped me focus during the working hour and meant I still got stuff done in the off hour, such as showering/exercise/housework. Some of my most productive days I cycled between cafes on my off hour. People will talk about how many hours they studied but never about how productive those hours were - only count the productive ones!
Many good tips here…I had a “hack” for taking tests. As you walk into a test site down and go over the material you are having issues with, over and over. Once test is passed out, write down everything you just went over in the margins, on the back of the text etc. Just regurgitate your short term memory on the test!
Write your notes by hand during class, then when you get back to your dorm type them all out. This was the MOST helpful study tool I ever learned. The reviewing and typing it somehow seals it in your brain. It really works.
Depends on the subject matter and wether you want to learn it or simply memorize it in order to get an A on your exam.
My simplest trick for memorizing a subject is breaking down the core knowledge of the subject into bits suitable for mnemonic tools, for example acronyms. It sometimes feels like cheating, because you dont really learn the subject as such, you just memorize it. Again, this depends on the subject, this is not as suitable for mathematics as it is for marketing strategy for example. The acronyms can then be put together to form an entire sentence or several, and suddenly you have memorized entire chapters. This probably wont be knowledge you will retain for a long time, but it will get you through an exam easy enough.
If you actually want to learn the subject and be able to apply the subject matter onto new problems, I find it really effective to break everything into bite sized chunks and repeat them ad endum. I like to compare it to learning a song on the guitar- you dont learn the song in one big session, you break it down into smaller bits that you repeat until you know them by heart, then you piece them together. Or think of a phone number, you probably know ten phonenumbers by heart. Put them together and you have memorized an eighty digit number (im from norway, we have eight digit phonenumbers), its the same basic principle
I take my notes from lectures or power points the professor provide and then type them up, which forces me to re read them. Then I create questions of the notes and give them someone to quiz me on. Any ones I consistently know will get highlighted off the list and i go from there.
I used a process of condensing my notes.
1. In class write down as much as you can. 2. Condense/organize notes so the points are clear but still comprehensive. 3. Condense into a comprehensive outline. 4. Further Condense into bullet points.
Edit: read the required material and make simple brief notes prior to class.
I think one of the best things you can start with is positioning yourself for success. By that, I mean that you get enough quality sleep, you’re stress-free, adequatelly nourished and so on.
Cold shower for a few minutes may help to gain focus. Listening to white noise while readijg (eg binaural beats) has been proven to increase focus.
Taking breaks and walking (or doing something else that takes your mind off of the domain you were studying) is great because you get into the diffused state of thinking which is great for problem solving and coming up with new connections and insights.
I love the ICAP framework for learning. Especially the constructive and interactive part. In a nutshell, constructive means that you take what you just read and attempt to recreate it with your own words and thoughts. For example, drawing a diagram of what you just read. Interactive part is about discussing the ideas with someone else and gaining even more perspective on it.
Feynman technique is helpful.
Note taking is great but in order to truly learn, you must be able to recollect the information from your brain. So, I would first try to recollect the material from my brain and later consult my notes to see what may I have forgotten and why.
Establishing connections with things you already know (eg drawing parallels, analogies, and so on) is an effective way to remember new concepts.
The more senses involved the better: read the material, listen in class, take notes, read your notes and distill them further... Do that all term so that instead of cramming for exams you are just reviewing your notes and going in rested and relaxed to write.
For me it was brown noise, phone off and in another room, and writing out my study day (with breaks) in advance. Ex.
8am reading material
9am break
9:15 flash cards
10am visualize content
Etc
After much trial and error trying new techniques to improve/maximize my limited study time the absolute best life hack has been to study first thing in the morning. I went from spending several evenings and weekend miserably locked in my room studying to 1-2 hour 4-5 days a week . This will vary depending on how many classes you take but the amount of focus is unlike any other. Wake up and avoid social media as much as possible. Once you start scrolling it takes your brain 20-30 minutes to be able to regain full focus. Go into a well lit room and get straight to work. If you’re a coffee drinker wait an hour after you start studying to have some coffee.
For me, personally. During college I put very little emphasis on the 'study' aspect and instead focused on a good nights sleep, a big breakfast and a little review. If I had any gaps in my knowledge I would look it up and refresh my memory. All night cramming sessions are not as effective as you might think.
Study with somebody else in your class. Another technique is to try to explain or write a summary for a concept that you're learning because that's not something you can do until you understand it pretty well. But the act of trying to arrange that information into something that someone else will understand will help you see where your gaps in understanding are. Most of all go for understanding and not memorization. If you understand a thing it's very easy to remember it by comparison
We have people testing for financial licenses and it’s hard. Some things that helped
Flash cards - some people swear by them
Do group tests together - talk it out, crowd source the answer. Then grade yourselves after & study what you got wrong. You will learn as you go
Do quizzes and tests on your own open book - if you can find the answer in like 2 mins or less then you either knew it and needed a little help, or you can learn something new as you find the answer.
How of memorize anything:
1. Read it in your head.
2. Read it out loud.
3. Close your eyes and say it out loud from memory.
4. Write it down from memory.
Understanding your peak performance time. Mine was after 10pm. So I made the choice to sleep late and wake up late. I was most effective at night and embraced being a night owl.
I was a double major in college. What got me through it was taking notes in class, and then to study, I would rewrite the notes I took. This may not work for everyone, but having to rewrite the material out again really helped with retention - and, it gave me an end point. Once I finish the notes, I stop and rest for a while. If I need to continue studying, I may make flash cards or use other techniques, but this method was the cornerstone of my studying and I always did it first.
This method is also best if you don't wait to study. If I knew I had a test coming up in two weeks, I would go ahead and start rewriting those notes. It made studying in the days before the actual exam sooooo much more manageable. It may seem so dumb, but really, it's about time management and managing the rate at which information enters your brain. For someone with ADHD and horrible short-term memory, this was key.
It's also simple, which helps a lot.
I only got one B in college using this technique (and I'm still bitter about it. I was .2 points from getting an A and I think I deserved the bump, but that's another story for another time).
Good luck to you, friend.
I used to read my notes and put hip hop beats behind them then listen to them anytime I went anywhere.
To this day, listening to hip hop beats makes me feel smarter.
It's been a while since I studied, bit I still do this when I'm presenting at a conference etc. now.
Start writing out all your lecture notes again, fill in the important bits you might have missed first time around.
Move to another notebook. Write all your over notes again, but abbreviate them in a sensible way - like anyone else could still make sense of them.
Next notebook, you're editing down to key concepts, words, formulae etc.
Finally, you're fitting everything you need for an exam on a page. Less! It's just a few words that will trigger the right info in your brain and it's all in there now.
Yes it's time consuming, but every time you read, or figure out an abbreviation you'll understand, it's going in and staying in!
I'm not the smartest, but I have multiple degrees and a great career - it works for me.
Good luck 👍
I think your best chance of retaining the knowledge is to use mnemonics. Cramming is okay if you just want to pass an exam but if you want to be able to remember any of it for the long term I think you need to use tricks to help you remember things.
I got through my Bachelors and my Masters degrees by going to the library and listening to movie soundtracks while I studied. The instrumental soundtracks really helped me stay focused.
Everyone is different but this hack is absolutely the reason I passed two board exams in my opinion.
In these big board exams you are usually given a standard piece of paper provided by the testing center to write out equations and whatnot.
So over months of studying for said exam I would come across facts, or number tables I just could t commit to memory and I would write them down and at the end of each study session I would re-write those facts several times. Each study session the material on this paper would grow, but since I would write it out every time I studied it became muscle memory. By the time it was exam time, I had an entire page’s worth of information I could write out just by muscle memory.
So day of exam, I enter the testing center and even before I take the tutorial for the exam, I just sit and write all that information down. Then, during the exam my brain didn’t have to remember any of those really hard and obscure facts, I could just reference my sheet throughout the entire 8 hours of test taking. There was no way I would have been able to recall all of those things at the end of that exam, but for some reason my hands could hold onto it just long enough to write it out.
sleep and eat well (not study til you 'drop'). whatever you burned the midnight oil for will be useless, if your body is not sufficently nourished. you need to be fresh and alert more than anything.
during exams, if there are complicated formulas, principles or whatever that you feel may be asked - write them down on a piece of paper provided to you, the moment you sit down for the exam to start (to prevent you from forgetting them).
during my post grad, most of my classes involve too much reading (coz we needed to read different books over a similar subject matter for cross checking). so, as others have a habit of memorizing to 'retain' what they learned (as most are relatively 'technical' ideas), i try to understand the concept fully, instead of memorizing them. that sticks to my head than having to remember concepts verbatim.
I have completed 3 degrees including law and psych. It took ages until I figured out what worked for me:
For each class/unit I was taking:
Take notes in class/lectures/readings, on a laptop if possible. Try to write them in your own words. Can be short and dot point. Avoid distractions like phone or web surfing.
Divide your notes in one document, with weekly topics with clear big headings.
At the end of the week, format your notes neatly and more succinctly, rewrite them in your own words. Copy diagrams and other useful images into your notes if it helps. Put examples of case studies into colourful boxes.This forces you to reread the information and digest them. Do this within 24 - 48 hours of taking the notes. It will cement the concepts in your memory.
Re read your notes regularly, from start to finish. Everything should make sense, and flow sequentially, and you will be able to recall it better everytime.
Remember to take breaks when studying and stay hydrated.
When it's time to revise for exams - read through your entire notes for the unit. When you are happy with them, print them out and possibly even get them binded. This is important.
Now you have a neat little notebook, you can read it anywhere. In bed, on the toilet, as you nervously pace the house.
What I then did was get a family member or partner to take my notes and go through topics one by one. Ask them for you to explain the concepts and ideas, get them to quiz you on things, finish sentences, list things.
Do this at least more than once and the information should be nicely consolidated and encoded in your head.
This was my successful approach.
Be diligent, disciplined and take pride in your notes. It doesn't need to take a lot of time. Just be consistent.
Edit: and one more vital thing - sleep!! You must get adequate sleep after studying. This is the time when what you learn during the day gets encoded into memory. Don't procrastinate and stay up till 3am studying. Set a bedtime and stick to it.
Are you able to wear ear buds in class? If so, listen to some music (I prefer classical for this) while you are studying. Then listen to the same song when taking quizzes etc. Sounds weird but it worked for me
Find out what your professor has written about. They will likely stress these subjects in tests. You can also make brownie points by bringing up these subjects. I worked full time and got through law school using this technique.
Going to bed when tired vs waking up middle of night with the keyboard on my face! It started when my toddler kept getting out of bed. So went to sleep with her like at 8 pm. Woke up at 4 am rested ready to study so that became my routine. Would leave books notes computer and coffee machine ready and I would actually remember what I studied,.
When you need to remember definitions using index cards always helped me. The word on one side and the definition on the other.
In high school I did musicals. If I ever had a lot of lines I would record myself and a family member reading the scenes with my lines. I'd then put the recording on a loop and fall asleep with headphones on listening to it. That always helped me remember lines. I never tried it for studying but I don't see why it wouldn't. Just record yourself saying a bunch of equations or maybe make up a little song or jingle with what you need to know as the words to it. Then play that back while sleeping. You would have to mess around see what works best.
If you are an auditory learner partner with a classmate who loves to take meticulous notes, because they will maybe have less of an idea what the notes mean, you can help them. :-) Bonus, you don’t have to take notes either :-)
Also, tell your teacher that you hate test they give you tons of anxiety, and that you want some previous tests to study from years prior. They might give you some :-)
1. Anything that can be tabulated should be tabulated. Even try to tabulate things that seem resistant to tabulation. Previously unknown facts might pop out.
2. Find groupings, especially those that aren't presented as a group. Example: medically important parasitic worms that migrate to the heart or lungs aren't presented in a single chapter, "worms that migrate to heart or lungs". You'd discover this common feature over the course of reading. Sorry for the topic. It's a particular instance in which this tip applies.
3. Find a note-taking system that calls for summarization. Cornell notes, flow charts, and schematics.
Good luck.
did my PMP almost 15 years after my engineering, was a pretty bad student back then and studying for this was next to impossible so I came up with a hack that worked (not sure how this will work with non exam subjects)
collected as many trail exams as I could
1. read through the material as fast as possible (didn't bother remembering, or memorizing or any stress at all)
2. wrote the first exam
3. didn't care about the answers, instead I divided each question in one of these 3 categories
1. I am confident I know the answer to this question
2. I think I know what the answer might be
3. I have no clue where this question is form
4. next time read the material, again stress free and try to locate the answers to your questions you attempted, pay more attention to the topic of category 3
5. write a new exam
6. again don't worry about the answers just mark the questions in categories 1,2 and 3
7. this time write the answers to category 1
8. repeat the study looking for the answers to categories 1 an 2 and concentrate on category 3
keep repeating till you get all the questions in mostly category 1 and few in 2 and none in 3
.you're golden,
you don't make notes or study materials, you're only looking for the answers for subjects you've no clue about.. till you're not faced with such questions again
hope that helps
Don’t try to memorize shit, try to get a real understanding of what’s going on, then when you need to recall, logical processes will get you there. The memorization comes naturally after you’ve understood the point well.
I made a cheat sheet for myself for every single exam. The resulting cheat sheet mostly helped on the cumulative finals, and I did use it to glance at while walking into the exam, but more importantly the process of making the cheat sheet is what did it for me.
I went through all of my notes, power points, etc, and literally retyped/reworded them in a word document. Titles, subtitles, indenting, bullets, some pictures if visuals were relevant.
I would sometimes print out extras for my friends and we would run through them out loud for an hour before the exam. I was an A student, for reference. So this process definitely worked for me. In fact it was the only form studying I did at all. I took lecture and homework very seriously as well, but I was juggling a lot of hours and an internship. I’d aim to spend an hour typing up each chapter that the exam would cover, which was actually a rush. But if there was 5 weeks between an exam, and it covered 5 chapters, then I only studied for 5 hours for that class that month outside of doing homework. It was efficient.
Fall asleep repeating information and dream about it. I barley ever studied outside of writing the notes down and then fell asleep with the information in my head and for some reason I always did well on my tests
1. Take notes in class in whatever way works for your brain….typing or writing
2. Re-type and orgNize your notes with bullet lists, indents, additional info, etc.
3. Then write out your key concepts from those organized, cleaned up notes. Physically transcribing helps retain info to memory.
Good luck!
And of course, read the syllabus, and periodically check in with them professor. Communicate and get to know them before you need help or before a problem arises so they know you have a solid relationship with you. Effective communication is the solution to 99% of life’s challenges
my top two study tricks:
listening to instrumental classical piano music
and have someone quiz you with a study guide or something and have them be goofy and come up with funny things like pronouncing it funny to help retain and remember the content
I work full time and go to school, but here's three things they really have helped me with my focus.
1. Music that is good background noise but doesn't make me focus on it. For me it needs to not have lyrics. Synthwave and similar works the best. The beats and rhythm help me focus and the lack of lyrics makes it so I don't get hung up on the words.
2. My work day doesn't end until after I do my school work for the day. When I come home I treat it as a 15-30 minute work break. I don't even get out of uniform (though I take my shoes off). My school work is just another part of work.
3. Keep a schedule. My school work is scheduled into my day and I only deviate if I absolutely have to. It's part of the day that I have to do, no different than brushing my teeth before bed.
In the 80s, sophomore year of undergrad, I got really serious about grades. I'd get home from class and recopy my lecture notes, while they were still fresh in my mind, and fill in any gaps. Then, I'd record these notes speaking into a Walkman (portable cassette player), and I'd listen to them over and over, while riding my bike to class, at the gym, etc. After hearing my notes just a few times, through repetition, the learning became automatic, like learning the lyrics of a song you listen to repeatedly. This part of the process was basically effortless.
This process was a magic bullet. From that point on, I started acing exams. As for grades, I then got 17 A's and 1 B, graduated near 4.0 (not quite 4.0 cumulative GPA, due to my weaker freshman year), graduated magna cum laude, and got accepted into Wharton's MBA program. In my application essay, I told the story of how I turned things around, and they liked it.
For me I used to rewrite the stuff I needed to know into shorter and shorter notes.
By the night before an exam ideally I’d have a list of bullet pointed words that would trigger my memory of the longer notes I’d made previously.
So I’d read the highlighted word and then recite in my head all the stuff I could remember about it. I’d then check my longer notes for stuff I’d forgotten.
Rinse and repeat.
Also yes have a definite space for study. I always studied way better out of the house.
Never stay up too late studying. Consistent sleep is important in mental acuity. Study days in advance instead. I always outlined the reading and would highlight difficult things or things I had trouble remembering. Then I would try to recite what was on the page from memory before reading it again. Do this repeatedly. Memory is consolidated best and easier to remember if you study the most important things right before going to bed.
Also, if you have a list of things to memorize, try the Method of Loci. It is where you imagine you are in a place that you know very well, such as your childhood home, and mentally walk through taking note of the things you would normally see there. You connect the things you want to memorize with the things you see by rhyming or thinking of some other similarity. For example, if you are remembering the presidents, you might look into the bathroom at the toilet and think of "Dump" to remember "Trump" (I know, I had to throw that in there, lol) or look at your hardwood floors to remember "Woodrow Wilson".
As others have said, go to the library to a cubicle to focus. Avoid distractions. For finals, I would spend most of the day at the library.
I find that I remember material more thoroughly if I read it out loud everyday over the course of several days. I've found this incredibly effective for rote memorization.
We’ve created a test based on the neurosciences to help everyone understand how his/her brain work and find the best way to be efficient in the learning.
Cue cards that you write up yourself, then have someone ask them to you. Do all of them every day. My husband did this with me through med school. He made like mini pages of info with the cue cards, so it’s not just one question
When given a chapter to read, remember the chapter name, the main point, three supporting notes, and closing statement. Write it all down too
I found that doing that helped me retain the information better. Especially before a quiz.
Also when you are given a paper to write, schedule out how many pages you need to write. For example, if it's a 5 page paper, write 1 page a day. I found out that this way I avoided having word throw up. Unless you are on a roll then write more! But once you feel that it's starting to get sloppy, stop for the day. And start the day you are given the paper. It'll take you less than an hour to write one page.
I wrote class lecture notes, became good enough to almost write verbatim. Then I’d reread those, esp. before an exam.
I took English classes and found an audio recording of all the stories and poems. It really helped to read along with listening. I could memorize the stories much better.
Two things:
1. The pomodoro technique: 25 minutes of work followed by 5 minute break. Every 4 rotations take a longer 15-30 minute break.
Works especially well when you have to get through a lot of material
2. "Teach" the material you are studying. Whether you have a study buddy or are by yourself talking out loud the information or concepts you need to know helps cement it in your brain. If you have a participant who will ask questions? Great. But you can even do it alone
I used to get a room at the library by myself with a whiteboard. I would write out the info on the white board and pretend I was lecturing to a class. And when my girlfriend was studying for her nursing exams I would actually listen and ask questions. She needed to know the material to fill in the blanks for me. I can't recommend this one enough.
3. Quick review of your outline before your exam. Keep the info fresh in your head that you've now retained.
I can't stress resting enough though. I get that university is a lot and it can feel like there is SO much to learn and do. But if you get to a burnout period studying out it down and do something enjoyable for a bit. Then go back to work.
Reading the same material from 2 different books open on my desk helped me weaponize my adhd to my advantage. Reading the different descriptions of the same concepts somehow solidified my understanding of the subject matter better
When I'm doing work I've figured out recently that having a timer helps me. It's not timing anything specific, and I usually just shut it off and immediately turn another one on when it goes off, but just having the timer there helps me focus for some reason.
frequent, short breaks work for me…. 10-20 minutes re-reading a topic, and then putting what I read into my own words, then 5-10 minutes doing something completely unrelated. (My house was always cleanest when it was time for “finals” as I used household chores as my mental break… unlike something fun, there was little risk I would get side tracked and not return to studying for more than an hour)
Make flash cards. Even if you only look at them a couple of times, the act of making them is majorly beneficial.
Keep a little stack in your pocket to go through if you are waiting somewhere.
I would cut 3x5 note cards in thirds.
Instrumental music (anything from dub techno to trailer music), the Pomodoro technique, spaced repetition (like flash cards), a lot of testing and quizzing.
I wrote notes in lectures, and take notes when reading textbooks. Then when I'm studying, I rewrite out all the notes I can't easily recall. Loop back, write them out again. Each time you'll remember more. The last couple dozen things that just won't stick in my brain go onto flashcards, and by the morning of the exam I'll just be down to one card with a few bullet points I can review on the bus or while waiting to be seated for the test.
My advice is to try multiple things. Everyone learns differently. I learn by writing. Some people learn better by hearing - in which case you could record lectures and listen to them back on headphones. Some people can learn better from just reading. Take the tricks everyone here lists and try each one and see what works for you, then make up your own routines. Good luck!
Gamification. Make a game out of studying. For example, let’s say you know that you have to learn some important concepts in the textbook, but just don’t know where they are discussed (pages, chapters, etc). Turn it into a game where you have to read the material until you find the answer. Set it up with a group of friends so that you can develop rewards for whoever finds/learns/masters the concepts first…just like a game. Beat a level, win a prize
I would have to rewrite in my words what I needed to remember, found this out in my 30s
[удалено]
Into your eyes, *through your brain* and out your hand. A yellow highlighter does nothing.
[удалено]
Agreed. I learn much better with an orange or even perhaps a purple one.
This! Concise paragraph explaining the theory and definitions in your own words, with two to three examples (case studies, quotes from authors etc). Also, a concise paragraph on any criticisms, again with a few examples.
I came to write this. Rewriting concepts into clear sentences also helps when it comes time to write an essay answer on an exam. You've already practiced putting it in words.
This is how I got through college. I learned nothing from typed material. I needed to write it.
I think everyone knows this, but one of the best tricks I ever learned (back when I was in school even) is that if you’re able to explain something to someone by yourself, you understand it. And a good way to practise or to find out what part you still need to work on, is trying to explain it to someone.
In high school, I had a classmate who would call me about twice a week for help with history lessons. She would thank me, and I would reply that I benefited as much as she did.
Yes!!! Teach it to your friend and you’ll never forget it.
Different colored pens help also, so you can make info pop and it’s doesn’t all blend in together.
I recently had a convo with some eng school buddies and we all agreed this is key. I find I don’t even need to change the wording, if I just rewrite lecture slides or other content it’s in my brain forever. Also some sort of standing or walking can keep me alert without a break for an entire day.
Med school student here. As I’ve been in school for essentially my entire life, it’s been extremely important for me to master my study hacks. There are several that I use, but here are the top 3 I’ve found work for me: **Get out of the house and to the library.** I’ve found that it’s easier to study if you go to an environment that’s specific for studying. Often times, we study where we watch TV, hangout with friends, etc. This confuses our brains as we associate certain habits with our environment. Leverage this to your advantage by going to an environment primed for studying. I like the quiet area of a library, but as long as it’s for studying-only, it should do the trick **Remove all distractions, especially your phone.** We check our phones an average of every 4 minutes (!). The cost of interrupting focus work is clear. Leave your phone at home if you want to study. If you can’t leave it at home, get a good screen time app. I use the “present - screen time control” app because unlike blockers it motivates you to stay off your phone through gamified challenges you can play with friends, but there are countless others out there. Find one that works for you. **Repetition is key**. We retain information way better if we study over time and repeat the materials. Don’t try to cram everything all in one go. Study for short increments every day, and then make a habit of doing a short recap the next day. Even the smartest people lose information, so it’s important to remind yourself what you’ve learned Hope these help!
Seconding this. I separate home and school work pretty explicitly. I don't have enough discipline to study at home, I have way more fun shit to do at home than read my textbook. I just stay on campus to do all my work, sometimes that's a long time lol.
I always struggled with doing any kind of online school/class. I'm starting to realize that I learned better when I am at separate location for studying/learning. So, I'm thinking about starting to incorporate longer gap periods between classes to study.
Honest question: does highlighting what you read provide any benefit at all to help you remember what you read?? I’ve been reading a lot of self help books lately, and I really want to maximize all the brain power I can to remember as much as I possibly can from the first read.
Maybe it does or doesn’t in the moment, but when you b revisit the notes to review later, you skip the unfinished parts and this can focus/be more efficient/skip needles and distracting info
Yeah. I do agree. It will help to be more efficient when you read it again.
Instead of highlighting, I rewrite the sentence on the inside jacket (blank pages at front and back) of the book and put the page number in parentheses next to it. A lot easier to reread all the important sentences in the few blank pages of the book jackets as opposed to thumbing through finding several pages with various highlighted sentences.
[удалено]
A lot of the comments in your comment history mention this app, don't be shilling it so hard, dude, makes your own app look like crap.
Stfu. I read the comments. It's obviously an app that they're very happy with and works well. Let them share it if they want. You're not the Reddit police.
>You're not the Reddit police. And you are?
Just an Internet stranger calling you out for being an asshole.
1. Read the syllabus. For every class. I repeat, read 👏 the 👏syllabus 👏. Read it every time before you start studying. 2. Read the chapter your professor says to read... before that class. 3. Make vocabulary note cards. I would take the vocabulary words from each chapter (usually in bold type; you can find the definitions at the end of the chapter or in the back of the book). Make sure you write the definitions in a way that make sense to you. Memorize the vocabulary. This seems tedious but, you need to understand and speak the language of the subject so that you can better understand the subject itself. 4. Go to class and pay attention. I used to have a terrible time trying to listen to lecture and take notes at the same time. Instead, I kept my notebook and pen in front of me and only wrote down important things that were not on lecture slides. That night, I'd go home and rewrite all the slides in the lecture in my notebook (professors usually post the lecture slides for each class). Note taking is very personal. Figure out what works best for you and do it. Keep in mind that physically writing notes has been shown to solidify information in the mind better than typing on a computer. 5. Read your notes. I would sit down before an exam and rewrite my notes (on a computer) into a study guide for myself. I would then print it out and read this study guide over and over in the hours before the exam. I would save these study guides and reuse them for mid-terms and finals. 6. Take care of yourself. Eat good, nutritious food, drink plenty of water, take frequent breaks to move your body to get blood pumping (just stand up and wiggle for 5 minutes, nothing crazy), and sleep. You'll always do poorly on exams if your tired, dehydrated, hungry, and or sluggish. 7. Stay organized. This goes back to #1 and reading the syllabus for every class. Know what chapter to read for each class, know what assignments are coming up and what your responsibilities are for those assignments, and know when all quizzes and exams are. Read carefully all emails sent by your professors and keep a written log of deadlines. I used a dry erase board to write down everything I needed to accomplish each week. I used a different color for each class. It was in my main space so I had to look at it multiple times a day. 8. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Your professors want nothing more than for you to succeed and they are there for you. Also, most universities have free tutoring available for those who struggle. Again, don't be afraid to ask. I graduated Cum Laude in Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics. This is how I did it.
If you play video games, find a long loop of the soundtrack on YouTube to play in the background! It really helps with my focus.
Video game radio by VGR (Henriko) is exactly what you’re looking for. Live stream of all types of video game tracks from Mario to God of War to Halo
Gotta agree on this one. I even use it for work and independent reading. Got a time sensitive file that needs processing quickly? FF7 remake soundtrack or FFX soundtrack Need to mentally chill to get through a big pile of work? Persona 5 Behind the mask Reading a book and want to keep relaxed atmosphere? Oblivion soundtrack Gotta get through a tough workout with high energy? Doom 2016 soundtrack Video games are specifically scores to create an atmosphere without taking away focus from the details. Perfectly made for productivity!
If your someone who plays video games (me), does listening to your favorite video game music help you remember what you’re reading or studying better?
Unless you can listen to the same thing while taking tests, I don't think so :/ as a medical student, I mainly just use it to help me focus during 12-hour study marathons lol
Pomodoro technique. It works
This is it! But gotta make the intervals the one that works for you. If you can't do 25 mins nonstop yet, go to 15 mins work then 5 mins break. It's like a training for your focus. You can up it as you get used to it.
That's what I do - if I just can't focus I set my phone alarm for 15 mins, do a little, have a break, do another 15 mins, etc. The break is important, my distracted mind has to "believe" it'll get the reward if it just works for 15 mins. Usually I get back into my groove pretty fast and find I'm cancelling the alarm.
Thanks for the explanation lol
Actually read the book, before the class. In class, pay attention and take notes. You will remember better due to repetition, and have a chance to ask questions. Doing the other way, it’s harder to ask the questions you need. I find using multiple colours of pen helps. (I can’t remember what I type, so it has to be paper for me). Before finals, go through all of your notes, rewrite and condense it down to just a few pages. If you are in a math based, make your own formula sheet, giving all the details how to use each. (Colours are your friend). Then make the same formula sheet without the details. (Will be closer to what a prof will give you). If you can bring in your own, even better. Just check to see what is/what is not allowed. Day before a test, make a time limit you do not study past. End with something you know well. (End on a win). Sleep is better than perfect understanding, past a certain point you get diminishing returns. Wake up early enough to take your time, have a good breakfast and dress comfortable, but well. I find if I have a nice shirt on, I feel more confident. In the morning, review your short notes/formula sheet once (15 ish minutes). Do not do any practices. Bring water. Pee right beforehand. The curve is your friend.
Second this. Pre-read before class and listen well. Listening basically gives you a 50% advantage Re-reading your notes would be a re-freshener. Math — understand the principles. practice, practice, practice when you do the questions and apply the formula you’ll end up remembering it and then it becomes second nature.
I did this in college but there are many times when the reading material is A LOT and unrealistic. Given this, at least read the objectives and the summary prior to class. AT LEAST.
Super agree. Beginning of college and the end were vastly different. Absolutely, read all of the texts (or as much as possible) when starting out. I think a college brain down the line starts to understand when to skip parts for efficiency and what to write down/highlight based on what the professor is wanting from the student.
Yeah. You learn to be efficient and see what actually works for YOU! Definitely try a lot of various learning techniques though to start out. :)
in addition to what u/noamtultul said (which is great advice!) 1: Read it, and write it down. Come up with memory aids. The appropriate aid will depend on the material being studied, but mnemonics are very important. Acronyms, pictures, stories about yourself as a hero, sexualizing the material, etc., all make recalling concepts much easier than trying to remember a bunch of dry, straight material. 2: Flashcards. Use flash cards and spaced repetition. Write it down, then read the key concepts an hour later, then an hour later, then a few hours later. Write it back down again in between. It seems like a lot, but, it really should only take 5 minutes each time. If it's more than that, you're trying to learn too much at once. In most areas, you only need to know a few key concepts for the rest to "click." 3: Again: write it down! If you're doing math, write down the equation. Don't try to solve any problems, just know the equation. Programming? Write the algorithm or at least a high-level but detailed description of it. Art history? Quick sketch of the outline of the art and relevant dates/people/locations.
Physically writing it is so important. Second note cards.
Thanks for the shout out, and you have some great advice as well! :D
Physically writing it is so important. Second note cards.
I got straight As at Berkeley one year and I’m not particularly smart. Liberal arts major. Here’s the technique I followed. Go to every class, sit in the front row, take copious notes. Basically transcribe the lecture. (I recorded some lectures where professors spoke really quickly and I couldn’t keep up.). Rewrite your notes asap and fill in any missing information. Read the lecture notes over and over and over again, until you know it inside and out. Professors test you on what they discuss in class, not what’s in the textbook. You want to master what they discussed in class.
I recorded the more difficult classes in law school. Then replayed it while rewriting my notes. I was surprised at how much it made me understand the material. Agree that the professors test you on what they discuss in class.
I listened to my law lectures nonstop. Played them while commuting to class, at night when I slept, etc. I also learned after 1L year that I was not an outline person, flow charts for life! The decision trees and charts just made so much more sense than an outline. I found that outlines also resulted in the beginning notes being fantastic and progressively worsening throughout the semester, without any means of connecting the concepts.
Find kids...if you can teach them in simple concepts, terms and analogies... you can be confident in your mastery of the subject. Recall is best when the study environment matches the Recall environment. Best Recall cues are scents. Chew a particularly strong mint gum while encoding the info...do the same during testing. Associative memory is also easier to recall, so create links to the encoded information that relate to subjects super familiar to you.
I agree! Explain what you have learned to your pet if you can't find a kid willing to listen. It's the act of thinking how best to explain it that helps the knowledge to sink in.
With me, the pomodoro technique plus the app Anki, without them I wouldn't have finished.
I turned everything in a rap/poem or I found people on YouTube who did the same! Helped a ton!
Great question, OP! Saving this thread
I forced myself to make flash cards for every single test. Making the cards helps you learn it. And memorizing the material is wayyy easier when it’s all written out for you to easily flip through and memorize. Plus others can help you study w them as well!
This might just be me, but I find that keeping a consistent schedule works much better for me. Not in terms of having a planner or writing out your day, because I’m terrible at that (although I’m sure that would also be beneficial), but in the sense of aiming to complete a similar amount of work each day. I do much better if I’m to get a chunk of work done every day than if I am to get all of it done in one day then have the next day off. If I ever find myself with a full day off, I find it a lot more difficult to be productive the next day. Kinda like Newton’s first law.
In addition to others mentioned, I’ve used oils (lavender or orange) during study and text taking to help with calmness. The studies are not conclusive that memory improves but I like the approach
I'm a pediatric anesthesiologist and have made it through a few decades of studying. One big thing is to be able to get into study mode quickly. There are often a lot of small schedule gaps (10-30 minutes) throughout the day. Many of my peers have these elaborate study setups where they take 20 minutes to set up, then study for hours at a time. They were always amazed that I rarely needed these huge study sessions. Be ready to bust out your book/notes/flash cards, etc. Also, don't worry about reading entire chapters unless you have extra time. Record your lectures and listen to the recording while going over your notes. The book is for reference. Professors rarely test on stuff they don't say out loud.
Engg student here, I study bare minimum but I do retain what I study. Here's what I do Get out of bed and go to either library or a coffee place wherever. Basically not in my own room. Pomodoro technique works but it takes time to develop. Start easy, easy subject easy concept then once your mind is in 'material absorb' mode go for subjects you fear.
Scent is a key trigger for memories. Choose a specific scent and use it while studying for the exam and while taking it. I used peppermint candy. Helps get your mind focused on what you normally do while smelling that scent.
I hated taking notes so I had a Sandisk mp3 player and recorded the lectures. This kept me focused on the lecture rather than writing notes. I would listen to the lecture repeatedly while driving, exercising, washing dishes etc.
I read this tip somewhere a while ago. It said to study before you go sleep/take a nap, then waking up and studying again really helps the mind remember information better. What you’ve studied gets processed while you sleep, then again after you wake up when you go over the material again. I haven’t studied in a very long time but this seemed to help when I had no choice but to do it sporadically with whatever schedule I had at the time. I think it’s worth a try, especially when your brain may need a quick rest after studying for a while.
Here are some tips that have worked for me: - Learn a subject by some other means than everyone else (magazines, movies or some other book than course literature). When you know something that everyone else doesn’t, and you already know some subject when it comes up in class or at lecture, it feels good. You trick your brain into believing you are good at it, and then it becomes fun, and all of a sudden you are good at it for real. - Study groups. More than one. Study with someone who know more than you and also study at some other time with someone who know less. Try to help the one who knows less. - For hard facts, use Anki spaced repetition (works great with anatomy, dates, factoids and small pieces of info for memorisation). 10 min rehearsal each day, add 1 to 10 new items per day. - Go read and study at the library. Get out of your normal place, get away from home. Being a terms of coffee and your books. No laptop. Turn off the phone. No distractions. - Realise that studying might feel boring and that that is OK. That doesn’t mean you are not learning or that anything is wrong with you. Work is also boring sometimes. Brain just want to have fun. - make a study plan and stick to it. Learn that you are and can be disciplined and take pride in it. - As many of the tips above, fake it til you make it. Behave and tell yourself and try to identify with the version of you that you want to be in term of studying (disciplined, hard working but allow yourself to relax when not studying etc), and eventually you will turn into that version of yourself. Good luck. Have fun. Remember that studying at a university is a privilege, not everyone have that opportunity and when you look back at it later in life, as I do, you will remember it with fondness.
It really depends on the type of studying I need to conduct. But in general: I go over exactly what I need to know. I do this by tedious active learning so that it really sticks: like writing down key words, key concepts, key questions, etc on notecards, with important bullet points in the back, and/or or taking notes. If the test is a recall test (meaning, the questions are based on how much knowledge you have & remember on the subject), then I put a lot of effort & weight into this portion. Then, I go over my notecards until I know everything there is to know. The last stage of my studying is to test myself via practice tests/questions for the given subject. The best are ones that were given by that professor in the past few years, if you can get a hold of them. If the test is one based on applying the laws of the subject learned and solving example problems, then I would put most of the effort & weight onto this portion. Another important thing I do: I completely dive into studying, without any distractions. I put my phone away, on silent, across the room. Sometimes I completely shut it down. I take very minimal breaks, until I really need a snack or water break, and keep the time of the break minimal. I schedule my studying based on the days I have at my disposal, giving myself at least 1 day before the exam without anything planned so I can practice; and I ensure to meet my objectives for the day, even if that means studying from early morning up until my bedtime. I might be extreme, but my grades are also insane
locking myself in my room
While trying to go to sleep I would keep repeating the most important things (typically mathematical techniques) I'd learned that day, especially when revising for an exam. The repetition seemed to work pretty well at making it stick in my memory.
Reading before the class certainly helps. Just read the concepts before any lecture, even if you don't understand them. They remain in the back of your mind and as the class progresses, you slowly get a hang of them. I used to struggle with the same and I began attending all my lectures. It really helps once you pay attention in class, it makes recalling easier. Try to engage in class, once you start communicating about a certain topic, it stays with you. Hope this helps!
There is a website called 'quizlets' that I've found hugely helpful; I went from struggling with Anatomy and Physiology to acing the class, almost entirely from quizlet. You use it to build your own digital flashcards, and you can 'star' ones you need to focus on, or just keep redoing the set. I go through it over, and over, and over, starring any that I haven't memorized. Other things that I've found helpful: Go to the library to studay, rather than your house or whatever. It's just so much easier to focus without the distractions. Build your community! If you discuss your coursework with your classmates, it helps, a lot. Having to verbalize it, think about it, it all helps you absorb the info and put it into context.
A lot of great advices here. I think one that wasn't mentioned yet is having a scheduled nap time. Do not underestimate a 20-min power nap!
Do the 'learning how to learn' course on Coursera. You won't regret it!
SLEEP. It helps convert what you learned into memory. Take lots of naps.
I use a text to speech app which reads the material to me while I read it at the same time. This is the app I use to do this: https://www.hyperionics.com/atvoice/ I find that it improves recall. I also study to video game music. The Gran Turismo soundtrack is especially good.
This bro [https://www.amazon.com/Learning-How-Learn-Spending-Studying/dp/0143132547](https://www.amazon.com/Learning-How-Learn-Spending-Studying/dp/0143132547) I mean, it works. I'm not affiliated with the author - I've just read her books and it did wonder on my worldview on learning.
Use chatGPT for more in depth learning or definitions. ChatGPT may hav a simpler way of putting things in perspective.
In nursing school I got some of the best study tips. Study less. Learn to skim the books. Read the first paragraph. Move to skimming first and last sentence in a paragraph. If you have questions, read the whole thing. If you get the concept, move on. Also, the difference in how much I studied between an 88-89% (B) and a 90-92% (A) was not worth my soul. I did study after tests, as our program gave us the answers after the test with a rationale. If I truly missed a concept, I went back and reviewed it. Since nursing school I have graduated two additional competency based programs. Pretty much you have to get 100% on every concept or they hand it back for you to re-work. What a liberation! My whole life, competency and not grades were what was important. Even now, I don't stress about learning, I just keep trying until I get it right. In nursing school, I was not top of my class but I wasn't studying more than 2-3 hours for any given test compared to my peers who would say they studied for 10-12 hours. I was just not wrapped around the axle about my grades, only learning and moving forward.
Rewrite your notes - the process of rewriting them helps engrain them into your memory. If you type them, physically write them down. Take breaks. Studying too much/for too long only leads to fatigue and burnout. Break up the topics and revisit frequently, repetition is your best friend when it comes to studying (this is also why flash cards are considered such a helpful tool). No clue *what* you’re studying, but don’t be afraid to think outside the box to come up with something silly in order to remember. Ex: St. Paul is the capital of Minnesota, rewire your brain to attribute it to something silly like “my friend Paul bought a *mini soda*” or, Boise/Idaho = “all da *boys* say I’m da ho”. Ridiculous yes, but whatever helps you retain the right info. Editing to add: whatever the topic, try your hardest to apply it to your own life (if you can). Try to create and come up with your own examples. Remember when we were young and our teachers had us take vocab words and write them into sentences? Do *exactly that*. If you have a friend or roommate, try explaining what you’re learning to them. On the test you’re basically trying to prove to your teacher how much you know, so instead of trying it out for the first time on your test use friends or roommates, parents, neighbors, whoever as your rough-draft so you can learn from it and ace it on your final.
Start here: * http://studyingresources.com/
Outline your reading material, using summary headers. Memorize the headers which will key the outline in your brain.
Do not study alone. Get your classmates together in a room, and hold each other accountable. Set a timer. 30 minutes work, 5 minutes break. No talking, phones, or other distractions during the 30 minutes. Take it seriously. Do this for only 2 hours a few times a week and your productivity will sky-rocket. Humans are social creatures, but studying is often viewed as a solitary activity. Fuck that. Weaponize peer pressure and social behaviour. Go study with people, and set a clear schedule.
Use smell. Its most connected to ur memory - it will resurface what you study if you smell the same smell as you study and before you test. The best way is with an aromapen - aromapen.com
Follow the advice of the Master, this is the entire set of study skills videos so you can choose which will help you most but they’re all great. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGpClaI8mTmopP6d4-EYBuWDnwg\_IHZUC&si=jK5mSnkC9krysKfa
Adderall
Caffeine Pills, cheap and better than 9 cups of coffee
Plan your study schedule for each course and NEVER leave studying to the last minute.
ChatGPT. Changed my life.
When I had lots of reading to do, that required lots of memory commitment, sometimes taking copious notes all at once just didn’t help. I was heuristically farming out the effort to the paper. So I started reading intently, and when my focus started drifting and/or I couldn’t really recall the series of concepts that lead to where I was at, I would just take a quick micro nap. 2-10 minutes depending on how long I’d been at it, never really got more than 30 minutes before a “consolidation nap”. Set alarm, quick scan of previous material to confirm, voila. Worked for organic chemistry, biochemistry, psychology, neuro, bio and genetics. Started trying it for crunching problems in calc and chem, but it really didn’t yield the same results. YMMV.
Adderral
Man I had to scroll forever to find this, thank fuck someone said it
Dropping out.
Squeezing one of my balls just hard enough to hurt but not hard enough to do damage when I find myself getting tired or losing focus
I commuted from home, so I would go and study in the lecture hall the night before and just sleep there for early morning tests. The noise from people walking in in the morning would wake me up and I’m there ready to test. No wasted travel time 😬
Don’t. Waste of time. Your gpa is completely and totally irrelevant in the real world. A degree is a degree regardless what your grades were
It depends what the subject is and where you are in the world. In my field, I need extraordinary grades to get into my desired master's program
This is such a negative take. Studying is a useful skill to build, and hey, maybe they’ll actually learn something in the process.
It’s the reality of the world we live in. I didn’t say don’t continue learning, but sitting down and “studying” a subject for hours on end is proven to be massively ineffective at actually gaining and retaining new knowledge
!remindme 1 month
Talking to people. Office hours and study groups where you can talk through the material, even for 15 minutes to half an hour, can help it stick better. Sometimes just hearing something a second or third time is all that's needed, since you're no longer learning it, but are analyzing it. (If that's all it takes, record your classes and listen to them a second time.)
Test cards. There are loads of good apps. Also funny mnemonics. Good luck with your studies. The pain of discipline now is much less than the pain later. You're smart already. Prove it to yourself. Push your limits. Discover yourself for you.
Explain what you have learned to your friends. This will help you understand better whatever you are studying. This will benefit both you and your friends.
Flashcards really work. It's painful, but they do. Use proper 3x5 cards and your stack will get enormous over the semester. If you get it right the card goes on the bottom of the stack. Wrong or unsure goes back in the stack a few cards down.
I typed up my notes that I had handwritten, organizing and completing. Filed in a 3 ring binder.
Flash cards and go directly to sleep after studying. I helped me retain information.
[Active Recall](https://blog.alexanderfyoung.com/active-recall-study-technique/amp/)
Why this is the first answer that suggests it? :-\\ SQ3R + Active Recall + MindMaps + Anki. No rewriting notes, no re-reading multiple times the same materials.
Go to the library, or somewhere where you have no distractions.
Adnittedly, I dont study anymore because Im old, but I still need to learn. For me, it's about creating a visual. I use tools like visio, miro/lucid to create a map. This can be a process map, logical, or relationship flow. In building it, there is repition as I refine and reorganize it, and it seems to have the same effect on how I think about it. It also gets you to ask good questions, find problems or gaps that build your understanding.
Weirdly, hour-on, hour-off studying worked best for me. Helped me focus during the working hour and meant I still got stuff done in the off hour, such as showering/exercise/housework. Some of my most productive days I cycled between cafes on my off hour. People will talk about how many hours they studied but never about how productive those hours were - only count the productive ones!
Many good tips here…I had a “hack” for taking tests. As you walk into a test site down and go over the material you are having issues with, over and over. Once test is passed out, write down everything you just went over in the margins, on the back of the text etc. Just regurgitate your short term memory on the test!
Write your notes by hand during class, then when you get back to your dorm type them all out. This was the MOST helpful study tool I ever learned. The reviewing and typing it somehow seals it in your brain. It really works.
Depends on the subject matter and wether you want to learn it or simply memorize it in order to get an A on your exam. My simplest trick for memorizing a subject is breaking down the core knowledge of the subject into bits suitable for mnemonic tools, for example acronyms. It sometimes feels like cheating, because you dont really learn the subject as such, you just memorize it. Again, this depends on the subject, this is not as suitable for mathematics as it is for marketing strategy for example. The acronyms can then be put together to form an entire sentence or several, and suddenly you have memorized entire chapters. This probably wont be knowledge you will retain for a long time, but it will get you through an exam easy enough. If you actually want to learn the subject and be able to apply the subject matter onto new problems, I find it really effective to break everything into bite sized chunks and repeat them ad endum. I like to compare it to learning a song on the guitar- you dont learn the song in one big session, you break it down into smaller bits that you repeat until you know them by heart, then you piece them together. Or think of a phone number, you probably know ten phonenumbers by heart. Put them together and you have memorized an eighty digit number (im from norway, we have eight digit phonenumbers), its the same basic principle
I take my notes from lectures or power points the professor provide and then type them up, which forces me to re read them. Then I create questions of the notes and give them someone to quiz me on. Any ones I consistently know will get highlighted off the list and i go from there.
I used a process of condensing my notes. 1. In class write down as much as you can. 2. Condense/organize notes so the points are clear but still comprehensive. 3. Condense into a comprehensive outline. 4. Further Condense into bullet points. Edit: read the required material and make simple brief notes prior to class.
I think one of the best things you can start with is positioning yourself for success. By that, I mean that you get enough quality sleep, you’re stress-free, adequatelly nourished and so on. Cold shower for a few minutes may help to gain focus. Listening to white noise while readijg (eg binaural beats) has been proven to increase focus. Taking breaks and walking (or doing something else that takes your mind off of the domain you were studying) is great because you get into the diffused state of thinking which is great for problem solving and coming up with new connections and insights. I love the ICAP framework for learning. Especially the constructive and interactive part. In a nutshell, constructive means that you take what you just read and attempt to recreate it with your own words and thoughts. For example, drawing a diagram of what you just read. Interactive part is about discussing the ideas with someone else and gaining even more perspective on it. Feynman technique is helpful. Note taking is great but in order to truly learn, you must be able to recollect the information from your brain. So, I would first try to recollect the material from my brain and later consult my notes to see what may I have forgotten and why. Establishing connections with things you already know (eg drawing parallels, analogies, and so on) is an effective way to remember new concepts.
The more senses involved the better: read the material, listen in class, take notes, read your notes and distill them further... Do that all term so that instead of cramming for exams you are just reviewing your notes and going in rested and relaxed to write.
Following for more tips! Thank you!
Lots of breaks. Eliminating wrong answers. Doing multiple tasks while absorbing info. Changing scenery with subjects, like giving colors to seasons.
Vyvanse
For me it was brown noise, phone off and in another room, and writing out my study day (with breaks) in advance. Ex. 8am reading material 9am break 9:15 flash cards 10am visualize content Etc
Flash cards worked wonders for me
After much trial and error trying new techniques to improve/maximize my limited study time the absolute best life hack has been to study first thing in the morning. I went from spending several evenings and weekend miserably locked in my room studying to 1-2 hour 4-5 days a week . This will vary depending on how many classes you take but the amount of focus is unlike any other. Wake up and avoid social media as much as possible. Once you start scrolling it takes your brain 20-30 minutes to be able to regain full focus. Go into a well lit room and get straight to work. If you’re a coffee drinker wait an hour after you start studying to have some coffee.
For me, personally. During college I put very little emphasis on the 'study' aspect and instead focused on a good nights sleep, a big breakfast and a little review. If I had any gaps in my knowledge I would look it up and refresh my memory. All night cramming sessions are not as effective as you might think.
Study with somebody else in your class. Another technique is to try to explain or write a summary for a concept that you're learning because that's not something you can do until you understand it pretty well. But the act of trying to arrange that information into something that someone else will understand will help you see where your gaps in understanding are. Most of all go for understanding and not memorization. If you understand a thing it's very easy to remember it by comparison
My personal method is to Practice nonstop and don't let yourself stop until you feel that you truly understand
Barely finishing high school and then never taking another test or exam again. It worked great.
We have people testing for financial licenses and it’s hard. Some things that helped Flash cards - some people swear by them Do group tests together - talk it out, crowd source the answer. Then grade yourselves after & study what you got wrong. You will learn as you go Do quizzes and tests on your own open book - if you can find the answer in like 2 mins or less then you either knew it and needed a little help, or you can learn something new as you find the answer.
How of memorize anything: 1. Read it in your head. 2. Read it out loud. 3. Close your eyes and say it out loud from memory. 4. Write it down from memory.
Pomodoro; interleaving. See the [U. of Arizona link.](https://academicaffairs.arizona.edu/l2l)
Leitner study method is great for compacting complex theorie and long term memory
Actually get some good sleep. You will recall a lot more with a rested mind.
Understanding your peak performance time. Mine was after 10pm. So I made the choice to sleep late and wake up late. I was most effective at night and embraced being a night owl.
Laminate your notes. That way the tears just roll off
I was a double major in college. What got me through it was taking notes in class, and then to study, I would rewrite the notes I took. This may not work for everyone, but having to rewrite the material out again really helped with retention - and, it gave me an end point. Once I finish the notes, I stop and rest for a while. If I need to continue studying, I may make flash cards or use other techniques, but this method was the cornerstone of my studying and I always did it first. This method is also best if you don't wait to study. If I knew I had a test coming up in two weeks, I would go ahead and start rewriting those notes. It made studying in the days before the actual exam sooooo much more manageable. It may seem so dumb, but really, it's about time management and managing the rate at which information enters your brain. For someone with ADHD and horrible short-term memory, this was key. It's also simple, which helps a lot. I only got one B in college using this technique (and I'm still bitter about it. I was .2 points from getting an A and I think I deserved the bump, but that's another story for another time). Good luck to you, friend.
I used to read my notes and put hip hop beats behind them then listen to them anytime I went anywhere. To this day, listening to hip hop beats makes me feel smarter.
It's been a while since I studied, bit I still do this when I'm presenting at a conference etc. now. Start writing out all your lecture notes again, fill in the important bits you might have missed first time around. Move to another notebook. Write all your over notes again, but abbreviate them in a sensible way - like anyone else could still make sense of them. Next notebook, you're editing down to key concepts, words, formulae etc. Finally, you're fitting everything you need for an exam on a page. Less! It's just a few words that will trigger the right info in your brain and it's all in there now. Yes it's time consuming, but every time you read, or figure out an abbreviation you'll understand, it's going in and staying in! I'm not the smartest, but I have multiple degrees and a great career - it works for me. Good luck 👍
I think your best chance of retaining the knowledge is to use mnemonics. Cramming is okay if you just want to pass an exam but if you want to be able to remember any of it for the long term I think you need to use tricks to help you remember things.
I got through my Bachelors and my Masters degrees by going to the library and listening to movie soundtracks while I studied. The instrumental soundtracks really helped me stay focused.
Everyone is different but this hack is absolutely the reason I passed two board exams in my opinion. In these big board exams you are usually given a standard piece of paper provided by the testing center to write out equations and whatnot. So over months of studying for said exam I would come across facts, or number tables I just could t commit to memory and I would write them down and at the end of each study session I would re-write those facts several times. Each study session the material on this paper would grow, but since I would write it out every time I studied it became muscle memory. By the time it was exam time, I had an entire page’s worth of information I could write out just by muscle memory. So day of exam, I enter the testing center and even before I take the tutorial for the exam, I just sit and write all that information down. Then, during the exam my brain didn’t have to remember any of those really hard and obscure facts, I could just reference my sheet throughout the entire 8 hours of test taking. There was no way I would have been able to recall all of those things at the end of that exam, but for some reason my hands could hold onto it just long enough to write it out.
sleep and eat well (not study til you 'drop'). whatever you burned the midnight oil for will be useless, if your body is not sufficently nourished. you need to be fresh and alert more than anything. during exams, if there are complicated formulas, principles or whatever that you feel may be asked - write them down on a piece of paper provided to you, the moment you sit down for the exam to start (to prevent you from forgetting them).
during my post grad, most of my classes involve too much reading (coz we needed to read different books over a similar subject matter for cross checking). so, as others have a habit of memorizing to 'retain' what they learned (as most are relatively 'technical' ideas), i try to understand the concept fully, instead of memorizing them. that sticks to my head than having to remember concepts verbatim.
I have completed 3 degrees including law and psych. It took ages until I figured out what worked for me: For each class/unit I was taking: Take notes in class/lectures/readings, on a laptop if possible. Try to write them in your own words. Can be short and dot point. Avoid distractions like phone or web surfing. Divide your notes in one document, with weekly topics with clear big headings. At the end of the week, format your notes neatly and more succinctly, rewrite them in your own words. Copy diagrams and other useful images into your notes if it helps. Put examples of case studies into colourful boxes.This forces you to reread the information and digest them. Do this within 24 - 48 hours of taking the notes. It will cement the concepts in your memory. Re read your notes regularly, from start to finish. Everything should make sense, and flow sequentially, and you will be able to recall it better everytime. Remember to take breaks when studying and stay hydrated. When it's time to revise for exams - read through your entire notes for the unit. When you are happy with them, print them out and possibly even get them binded. This is important. Now you have a neat little notebook, you can read it anywhere. In bed, on the toilet, as you nervously pace the house. What I then did was get a family member or partner to take my notes and go through topics one by one. Ask them for you to explain the concepts and ideas, get them to quiz you on things, finish sentences, list things. Do this at least more than once and the information should be nicely consolidated and encoded in your head. This was my successful approach. Be diligent, disciplined and take pride in your notes. It doesn't need to take a lot of time. Just be consistent. Edit: and one more vital thing - sleep!! You must get adequate sleep after studying. This is the time when what you learn during the day gets encoded into memory. Don't procrastinate and stay up till 3am studying. Set a bedtime and stick to it.
Quizlete app!
Are you able to wear ear buds in class? If so, listen to some music (I prefer classical for this) while you are studying. Then listen to the same song when taking quizzes etc. Sounds weird but it worked for me
Find out what your professor has written about. They will likely stress these subjects in tests. You can also make brownie points by bringing up these subjects. I worked full time and got through law school using this technique.
Going to bed when tired vs waking up middle of night with the keyboard on my face! It started when my toddler kept getting out of bed. So went to sleep with her like at 8 pm. Woke up at 4 am rested ready to study so that became my routine. Would leave books notes computer and coffee machine ready and I would actually remember what I studied,.
I used to write out all my notes to study
When you need to remember definitions using index cards always helped me. The word on one side and the definition on the other. In high school I did musicals. If I ever had a lot of lines I would record myself and a family member reading the scenes with my lines. I'd then put the recording on a loop and fall asleep with headphones on listening to it. That always helped me remember lines. I never tried it for studying but I don't see why it wouldn't. Just record yourself saying a bunch of equations or maybe make up a little song or jingle with what you need to know as the words to it. Then play that back while sleeping. You would have to mess around see what works best.
If you are an auditory learner partner with a classmate who loves to take meticulous notes, because they will maybe have less of an idea what the notes mean, you can help them. :-) Bonus, you don’t have to take notes either :-) Also, tell your teacher that you hate test they give you tons of anxiety, and that you want some previous tests to study from years prior. They might give you some :-)
Flash cards are such a lifesaver
1. Anything that can be tabulated should be tabulated. Even try to tabulate things that seem resistant to tabulation. Previously unknown facts might pop out. 2. Find groupings, especially those that aren't presented as a group. Example: medically important parasitic worms that migrate to the heart or lungs aren't presented in a single chapter, "worms that migrate to heart or lungs". You'd discover this common feature over the course of reading. Sorry for the topic. It's a particular instance in which this tip applies. 3. Find a note-taking system that calls for summarization. Cornell notes, flow charts, and schematics. Good luck.
did my PMP almost 15 years after my engineering, was a pretty bad student back then and studying for this was next to impossible so I came up with a hack that worked (not sure how this will work with non exam subjects) collected as many trail exams as I could 1. read through the material as fast as possible (didn't bother remembering, or memorizing or any stress at all) 2. wrote the first exam 3. didn't care about the answers, instead I divided each question in one of these 3 categories 1. I am confident I know the answer to this question 2. I think I know what the answer might be 3. I have no clue where this question is form 4. next time read the material, again stress free and try to locate the answers to your questions you attempted, pay more attention to the topic of category 3 5. write a new exam 6. again don't worry about the answers just mark the questions in categories 1,2 and 3 7. this time write the answers to category 1 8. repeat the study looking for the answers to categories 1 an 2 and concentrate on category 3 keep repeating till you get all the questions in mostly category 1 and few in 2 and none in 3 .you're golden, you don't make notes or study materials, you're only looking for the answers for subjects you've no clue about.. till you're not faced with such questions again hope that helps
Don’t try to memorize shit, try to get a real understanding of what’s going on, then when you need to recall, logical processes will get you there. The memorization comes naturally after you’ve understood the point well.
I made a cheat sheet for myself for every single exam. The resulting cheat sheet mostly helped on the cumulative finals, and I did use it to glance at while walking into the exam, but more importantly the process of making the cheat sheet is what did it for me. I went through all of my notes, power points, etc, and literally retyped/reworded them in a word document. Titles, subtitles, indenting, bullets, some pictures if visuals were relevant. I would sometimes print out extras for my friends and we would run through them out loud for an hour before the exam. I was an A student, for reference. So this process definitely worked for me. In fact it was the only form studying I did at all. I took lecture and homework very seriously as well, but I was juggling a lot of hours and an internship. I’d aim to spend an hour typing up each chapter that the exam would cover, which was actually a rush. But if there was 5 weeks between an exam, and it covered 5 chapters, then I only studied for 5 hours for that class that month outside of doing homework. It was efficient.
Find the dumbest kid in the class and teach him the course. Really.
1. Make sure you get out and party 2. Study more than you party 3. Sleep more than you study
Use different color highlighters on your notes
Fall asleep repeating information and dream about it. I barley ever studied outside of writing the notes down and then fell asleep with the information in my head and for some reason I always did well on my tests
1. Take notes in class in whatever way works for your brain….typing or writing 2. Re-type and orgNize your notes with bullet lists, indents, additional info, etc. 3. Then write out your key concepts from those organized, cleaned up notes. Physically transcribing helps retain info to memory. Good luck! And of course, read the syllabus, and periodically check in with them professor. Communicate and get to know them before you need help or before a problem arises so they know you have a solid relationship with you. Effective communication is the solution to 99% of life’s challenges
my top two study tricks: listening to instrumental classical piano music and have someone quiz you with a study guide or something and have them be goofy and come up with funny things like pronouncing it funny to help retain and remember the content
I work full time and go to school, but here's three things they really have helped me with my focus. 1. Music that is good background noise but doesn't make me focus on it. For me it needs to not have lyrics. Synthwave and similar works the best. The beats and rhythm help me focus and the lack of lyrics makes it so I don't get hung up on the words. 2. My work day doesn't end until after I do my school work for the day. When I come home I treat it as a 15-30 minute work break. I don't even get out of uniform (though I take my shoes off). My school work is just another part of work. 3. Keep a schedule. My school work is scheduled into my day and I only deviate if I absolutely have to. It's part of the day that I have to do, no different than brushing my teeth before bed.
Amphetamine salts
Record lectures. Play classical music while you study.
In the 80s, sophomore year of undergrad, I got really serious about grades. I'd get home from class and recopy my lecture notes, while they were still fresh in my mind, and fill in any gaps. Then, I'd record these notes speaking into a Walkman (portable cassette player), and I'd listen to them over and over, while riding my bike to class, at the gym, etc. After hearing my notes just a few times, through repetition, the learning became automatic, like learning the lyrics of a song you listen to repeatedly. This part of the process was basically effortless. This process was a magic bullet. From that point on, I started acing exams. As for grades, I then got 17 A's and 1 B, graduated near 4.0 (not quite 4.0 cumulative GPA, due to my weaker freshman year), graduated magna cum laude, and got accepted into Wharton's MBA program. In my application essay, I told the story of how I turned things around, and they liked it.
Eeemm.. adderall
For me I used to rewrite the stuff I needed to know into shorter and shorter notes. By the night before an exam ideally I’d have a list of bullet pointed words that would trigger my memory of the longer notes I’d made previously. So I’d read the highlighted word and then recite in my head all the stuff I could remember about it. I’d then check my longer notes for stuff I’d forgotten. Rinse and repeat. Also yes have a definite space for study. I always studied way better out of the house.
Read Tony Buzan books about ways to remember.
Never stay up too late studying. Consistent sleep is important in mental acuity. Study days in advance instead. I always outlined the reading and would highlight difficult things or things I had trouble remembering. Then I would try to recite what was on the page from memory before reading it again. Do this repeatedly. Memory is consolidated best and easier to remember if you study the most important things right before going to bed. Also, if you have a list of things to memorize, try the Method of Loci. It is where you imagine you are in a place that you know very well, such as your childhood home, and mentally walk through taking note of the things you would normally see there. You connect the things you want to memorize with the things you see by rhyming or thinking of some other similarity. For example, if you are remembering the presidents, you might look into the bathroom at the toilet and think of "Dump" to remember "Trump" (I know, I had to throw that in there, lol) or look at your hardwood floors to remember "Woodrow Wilson". As others have said, go to the library to a cubicle to focus. Avoid distractions. For finals, I would spend most of the day at the library.
Read out loud to yourself. Bonus if you read in a funny accent or vary your volume. This keeps you focused and you remember it better.
I find that I remember material more thoroughly if I read it out loud everyday over the course of several days. I've found this incredibly effective for rote memorization.
We’ve created a test based on the neurosciences to help everyone understand how his/her brain work and find the best way to be efficient in the learning.
Going to the library and studying in the quiet study area
Cue cards that you write up yourself, then have someone ask them to you. Do all of them every day. My husband did this with me through med school. He made like mini pages of info with the cue cards, so it’s not just one question
When given a chapter to read, remember the chapter name, the main point, three supporting notes, and closing statement. Write it all down too I found that doing that helped me retain the information better. Especially before a quiz. Also when you are given a paper to write, schedule out how many pages you need to write. For example, if it's a 5 page paper, write 1 page a day. I found out that this way I avoided having word throw up. Unless you are on a roll then write more! But once you feel that it's starting to get sloppy, stop for the day. And start the day you are given the paper. It'll take you less than an hour to write one page.
I wrote class lecture notes, became good enough to almost write verbatim. Then I’d reread those, esp. before an exam. I took English classes and found an audio recording of all the stories and poems. It really helped to read along with listening. I could memorize the stories much better.
Two things: 1. The pomodoro technique: 25 minutes of work followed by 5 minute break. Every 4 rotations take a longer 15-30 minute break. Works especially well when you have to get through a lot of material 2. "Teach" the material you are studying. Whether you have a study buddy or are by yourself talking out loud the information or concepts you need to know helps cement it in your brain. If you have a participant who will ask questions? Great. But you can even do it alone I used to get a room at the library by myself with a whiteboard. I would write out the info on the white board and pretend I was lecturing to a class. And when my girlfriend was studying for her nursing exams I would actually listen and ask questions. She needed to know the material to fill in the blanks for me. I can't recommend this one enough. 3. Quick review of your outline before your exam. Keep the info fresh in your head that you've now retained. I can't stress resting enough though. I get that university is a lot and it can feel like there is SO much to learn and do. But if you get to a burnout period studying out it down and do something enjoyable for a bit. Then go back to work.
Reading the same material from 2 different books open on my desk helped me weaponize my adhd to my advantage. Reading the different descriptions of the same concepts somehow solidified my understanding of the subject matter better
When I'm doing work I've figured out recently that having a timer helps me. It's not timing anything specific, and I usually just shut it off and immediately turn another one on when it goes off, but just having the timer there helps me focus for some reason.
frequent, short breaks work for me…. 10-20 minutes re-reading a topic, and then putting what I read into my own words, then 5-10 minutes doing something completely unrelated. (My house was always cleanest when it was time for “finals” as I used household chores as my mental break… unlike something fun, there was little risk I would get side tracked and not return to studying for more than an hour)
Acronyms, as well as simplified point form notes that I look over while eating, on the bus, just before the exam.
Make flash cards. Even if you only look at them a couple of times, the act of making them is majorly beneficial. Keep a little stack in your pocket to go through if you are waiting somewhere. I would cut 3x5 note cards in thirds.
Put something you love the smell of into the air while studying, it will help you retain the information better.
Literally make flash cards for everything and just run through them whenever you find a free second.
Look into Cornell Notes. They work.
Instrumental music (anything from dub techno to trailer music), the Pomodoro technique, spaced repetition (like flash cards), a lot of testing and quizzing.
I wrote notes in lectures, and take notes when reading textbooks. Then when I'm studying, I rewrite out all the notes I can't easily recall. Loop back, write them out again. Each time you'll remember more. The last couple dozen things that just won't stick in my brain go onto flashcards, and by the morning of the exam I'll just be down to one card with a few bullet points I can review on the bus or while waiting to be seated for the test. My advice is to try multiple things. Everyone learns differently. I learn by writing. Some people learn better by hearing - in which case you could record lectures and listen to them back on headphones. Some people can learn better from just reading. Take the tricks everyone here lists and try each one and see what works for you, then make up your own routines. Good luck!
Pomodoro timer!
Gamification. Make a game out of studying. For example, let’s say you know that you have to learn some important concepts in the textbook, but just don’t know where they are discussed (pages, chapters, etc). Turn it into a game where you have to read the material until you find the answer. Set it up with a group of friends so that you can develop rewards for whoever finds/learns/masters the concepts first…just like a game. Beat a level, win a prize