Tag: how to study

Studying can be challenging any day and knowing how to study or having usable study tips can make it even more complicated.  Making mistakes while studying can cost you time, nerves and a bad mark. What can you do and what are some studying techniques that you can use to change the quality of your studying, improve your memory and get the results you are looking for?

1. Never Study Sleepy

Yes, you have the test tomorrow and you just “didn’t have time” to study earlier, so you chose to study late at night rather than to give up on the new Star Wars movie with friends. We have bad news. If you study when you are tired and sleepy, the possibility you will memorize anything at all is very low. Studying is a complicated process, and it requires energy; our brain has to be “fresh” to receive and memorize the new information given. Psychologists recommend either early morning for studying because our brain is “just out of bed”. Anything but sleepy studying is good.

2. Baby Steps

Studying is a process. You can’t learn everything at once, so you need to divide your material into smaller parts. There is this new learning technique known as “spaced repetition.” When you divide your study material into smaller chunks and review them consistently over a long period, your chances of memorizing the chunks are increased because you are giving smaller portions to the brain to work on.  Consider doing this when you study for exams!

3. Make It Up

Making study material more interesting can help you with learning the matter. Turn all the details you find difficult to memorize into some crazy, wild story and you will see how easy you will recall them later.

4. Change Your Studying Locations

According to research,  you should change your studying spot every day because staying in one place for a longer time makes it easier to forget the information we were trying to memorize. If you move around and study (for example you change your spot with every new topic), you force your brain to make new associations with the same material helping us remember things better.

5. Mix Up Your Studying Topics

Practice shows it’s better to switch different topics or material while studying, rather than sticking for an extended period of time to just one. This helps you develop a better strategy for solving different problems. We need to learn how to think and by changing topics we are studying, we are training our brain to think faster and to learn how to solve problems.

6. Give Yourself Quizzes

Reviewing is crucial. You get to see where you stand and what you need to improve. Make small quizzes and prepare yourself for real tests. Quizzes are short and interesting, great for checking out what you’ve learned so far.  Also can do these with a study partner if you have one.

7. Writing It Down Helps You Memorize

Writing things down we are trying to learn is more efficient then typing it (like we all do these days). Write the information you are trying to remember a few times and then read it out loud. Do this repetitive writing from time to time.  There’s something about the flow of handwriting that makes a difference.

8.  Speak Up

Reading out loud the information you’re trying to memorize is a strong studying tool: you are reading written words (you are looking at it), and you are listening to it. More senses included, the better the memorization.

9. Hydrate

Drinking water keeps you awake and focused. Coffee also keeps us alert and can help concentrate when you’re really on the verge of closing the book.

10. Take a Break

Taking a break after 20 minutes of studying is a must if you want to keep on memorizing and studying with the same efficiency as when you started. Our brain gets tired and short occasional breaks helps it recover and prep for more.

11. Team Up

Group work doesn’t work for everyone, but those who like working in groups should try to gather one. Ask your friends if they want to try this method and see if it works out. It’s easier because you can do revision together and you can make studying more interesting. Put one person in charge for cookie breaks, one for background music, one for revision, etc.

12. Organize

Organizing your time is a thing you have to learn how to do. Make your schedule and set your studying hours in advance. Write down your whole week plan and put studying where you want, as long as you stick to your plan, it will be good.

13. Clear Your Mind Before Starting

Prepping for studying is important. You need to get your mind “in the mood” and your body prepared for the process. Stare at the wall for a few minutes before starting. This is a little meditation that will help you reduce anxiety and find a better focus. Breathe deeply and stretch a little bit.

14. Work Out

Research shows working out helps our brain work faster and better. Being strong helps you become smarter. It’s as easy as that. Our body is a work of art, and our cognitive functions are strongly bonded to our bodily functions.

15. Dance the Worry Away

Worrying too much is never good, and good music is always welcome when trying to relax a bit. Music fights depression, anxiety, stress and tension. Listening to classical music while studying can help your concentration while breaking out some new hits on radio and dancing the worry away will help you take a break from hard studying. Don’t get too groovy, though, you still have things to learn.

16. Eat Smart, Be Smart

Choose healthier food and food that contains Omega-3 fatty acids. Eat a lot of fish, nuts and olive oil. They are brain-boosting foods you want to include in your diet. Healthy and tasty, plus they help your cognitive functions.

17. Stand Up, Stretch and Walk

Take regular breaks. This boosts your productivity and your ability to focus. Walk a bit and stretch to wake up your body and to feel better after all those hours of sitting.

18. Don’t “Over-Study” Yourself

Start earlier and not the night before the test. Don’t study too much and don’t stay up all night long just to do a revision. If you start on time, you don’t need to mess up your sleep cycle just for one revision.

19. Stay Away From Social Networks

It’s time-consuming and focus-disturbing. Yes, we are all tempted to see this one little notification, but this leads to much more and you know it, so don’t grab your phone. Turn it off or put it on silent so you are not disturbed while studying.

You Might Also Be Interested In:  Easy Tips for Acing the NCLEX RN Exam

20. Use the Power of Oils

Essential oils are can be bliss if you know how to use their magic. Research show that inhaling essential oils (rosemary or lavender) can calm you down. They reduce anxiety before exams. If you have problems with stress and anxiety, try this, and you will be more focused on the exam.

21. Yoga Helps

Training your body is training your mind. Yoga reduces stress and anxiety and can be a great way to take a break from studying. An hour of relaxation is just what you need after a hard day of books.

22. Choose How to Study Based on What Works

Not everyone likes studying in groups. Some are early birds, some night owls. Some read out loud, and some write. Find what suits you best and what helps you memorize faster and study easier and stick with that.  If others try to change that, just say “thanks, but no thanks” and do what works for you!

23. Treat Yourself

Make a plan for studying and stick to it. Do a revision after every achieved goal and treat yourself with things that make you happy. A cookie, pizza or movies. Whatever will make you forget about studying for some time and help you when you feel like stopping too soon.

24. Find A Spot That’s Quiet

Studying in peace is very important. You need to concentrate and be 100% focused on what you are reading, listening or writing. If you can’t find peace at home, go to the library. It is motivating, and you will have all the concentration you need.

25. Be Proud for What You Accomplish

Take small steps but be persistent. Don’t give up after one try. Studying is a process, and you need time to figure out what works for you. Be proud of every exam taken and every new thing you memorize. It’s important you keep your spirits high because motivation is the key for successful learning.

Yes, we all have more electronic gadgets than we can possible use in one day let alone at one time.  And there are very few of us that can’t navigate around a keyboard.  However, when you are trying to study and learn a new topic your handwritten notes and study sheets are going to help you more than anything that you’ve typed.

For whatever reason, one of the best ways to learn how to study is by taking pen or pencil to paper and writing out anything and everything related to your coursework, text or exam.  There’s something about that “flow” as I call it that makes your brain absorb and store what you are working on as well as learning at the time.

So simply grab some paper, note cards, index cards and even sticky notes and use those to collect the main points or topics for whatever you are going to be writing or studying.  This extra effort even if your computer, phone or tablet are near at hand will benefit you more than you know and your grades will also reflect that as well.  And for those whose handwriting is tough, write it out once and then type it up into notes.  Or use a tablet like the Samsung Galaxy Note Pro  that comes with a stylus and can translate your handwriting into typed notes for you.  It’s a more expensive option but effective as well.

As we’ve said before, if you do this throughout the semester or year, you’ll be ready when exams or finals come around.  You won’t have to cram or stay up for all nighters (unless you want to of course…) trying to get prepped in time.

If you enjoyed this post please pin it to Pinterest, share it on Twitter or Facebook and stumble it on Stumbleupon.

Sometimes it’s just the basics that you need to do if you want to learn how to study for exams or tests.  Nothing fancy, nothing special – just the basics.  And nothing is more basic than learning how to take good notes and creating note cards that have all the facts, details and specific information that you need for whatever the course may be.  This is really the ultimate way to study for anything to do with spelling or history!  It’s cheap, fast, easy and concise and most of all – it works!

What’s this special tip?  Note cards….Yes, note or index card studying. The best way to do this is throughout the semester as you study at night or at the end of a chapter as you prep for a test or exam.  I’ve seen some do it just for finals but it’s a mind numbing, exhausting and time consuming process if you have to crank out an entire semester’s worth of note cards for most courses.  And it takes longer then to do it than it would if you did it as you were going through the chapter initially.  So to save your brain cells for other things and to save time, create your note cards as you move through each topic, chapter, book or lesson.  You will be so glad that you did it that way!

Yes, there are fancier ways and more technologically advanced ways of accomplishing the same things.  However, I’ve yet to see one that is any faster, easier or less costly.  Nor is there one that I know of that is more effective.  You see this tip requires you to identify the fact, word or concept.  Then you have to write it down and check what you wrote.  So it’s THREE TIMES that you are going over that one point without even knowing that you are drilling it in that often already.

If you need further information on this or assistance, please let us know and check out our private tutors or in home tutors today!

If you enjoyed this post, please pin it to Pinterest, share it on Twitter or Facebook or stumble it on Stumbleupon.

Want to learn how to study?  Well, we can’t study 24-7.  It’s just not gonna work no matter how last minute you are or how under the gun you might be.  After a certain point in time your body and your brain or going to say “Enough”!  And they’ll stop processing, shut down and you are likely to be in a worse place for your exams, homework or projects than you are right now.

 

That’s why learning how to study and studying well is important to figure out.  Unfortunately, not the same things work foreveryone but we’ve come up with a ton of ideas and how to study tips that ought to help you figure out the ones that will assist you in reaching your academic goals.  And these tips aren’t just for homework or a test.  You can use them for just about anything you study as well as exam and studying for entrance exams like the GRE, SAT, ACTs, GMATs and so much more.

So check out the different ideas we’ve come up with, use the ones you like, try a few others and let us know which work best.  Share your successes and ideas with us here and on Facebook or Twitter as well.

 

Learning how to study is a process and takes some time to figure out.  Once you understand how and when you study best, you’ll be amazed at how much better you do in school as being able to spend less time studying because you’ve actually got a system and setup in place that works.

 

An example of this is my son – He started at his school in middle school.  He was a decent student at his prior school and he applied himself in the exact same way he had previously.  Well, his grades were in the low C range.  I was not happy!  He then started to learn not only his subject matter but HOW to STUDY.  And that has made all the difference in the world!  What used to be a 2-4 hours p-a-i-n-f-u-l process is now down to 1-2 hours depending upon the time of year.  No moans, groans and delay tactics.  Oh, and the results?  Well after learning the best way to study and how to study that works for him, he’s made Honor Roll.  I don’t know about your child but for me, that’s definitely a marked improvement and a success story!

You Might Also Be Interested in: I Got A “C” In 9th Grade Math, Now What

So we’ve created some easy, short and simple tips compiled from sources all around the web to help you become the best student you can and to know how to study.  Test one, some or all and see which makes a difference in your studying!  We’d love to hear your results in the comments below or share your stories with us on Facebook or Twitter!

If you enjoyed this post, please pin it to Pinterest, share it on Twitter or Facebook and stumble it on Stumbleupon!  Thank you!

 

 

If your child is struggling in school with one particular class or even a few classes, most parents and students are looking for some solutions.   There are several options, including private tutoring. However, that can’t be the only step that you take. Making sure that what is learned in class or with a tutor is really understood is critical to your student’s success. We’ve come up with several tips from experts and tutors that work with us that we thought we’d share with you!

Study Tips #1 –

Ask your kids what they learned while in school or during their tutoring session. This will enhance a student’s critical thinking skills. Critical thinking allows a student to understand a topic, subject or skill in their own words and then being able to explain it to another person.

You can ask questions during a casual conversation or over dinner. Have patience at times while they try to put a new concept or skill into words or demonstrate it for you.

 Study Tips #2 –

Make sure to initiate open discussion in a positive and enthusiastic vein. Ask your child what is going on! Find out what they are covering and what he or she is liking or not liking. Make sure that your child is getting what they need and what you are paying for. Communication means you aren’t in the dark or having to guess what is going on or where they might be struggling in school or with their tutor.

If you have hired a private tutor and there isn’t progress or the fit doesn’t seem to be working, it’s your option to find a new tutor or discuss it with the tutor you are currently working with. There are different styles in teachers and tutors and the key is to find the right match for your child.

You might also enjoy: 4 Basic Principles of Problem Solving

Study Tip #3 –

Teach your child that they need both a healthy mind AND body! Good sleep and the right foods make all the difference in each of our ability to learn and absorb new topics and information. A few tweaks (or a lot of tweaks) to eating habits and sleep habits may be just what the doctor ordered (if you had gone to a doctor…..). Simple steps like a consistent bed time and healthy meals are important habits for a child to learn for life. Incorporating gradual changes into your family’s lifestyle may make a huge and positive difference for everyone.

This is especially important before big exams, tests or other brain draining activities.

Study Tips #4 –

Keep an eye on the results of your child’s new study habits and abilities. Whether it’s from a change in studying practices or from having an at home private tutor, see if there’s some improvement in confidence, skills and, of course, grades.   If you’ve initiated several changes and still are not seeing results, there might be other factors that are impacting your child.

For more information, search private tutors in your area today!