Efficient studying is not as easy as stated. The main problem with describing methods of studying is that different students need to study for different exams. One exam might require a lot of memorization whereas the other will require the student to understand the topics and expand on the ideas. This article will try its best to describe methods which can be used for most types of examinations.
Avoid Distractions
This is the most important step in studying efficiently. This is also one of the most difficult tasks today because of Facebook, Twitter and other time wasting sites. It is not possible to close your social networking accounts, so you need to find ways to prevent yourself from surfing these sites. If you are a FireFox user, I recommend looking at LeechBlock. This plugin allows you to block certain sites for a specific time. I actually recommend cutting the cord or disconnecting your internet, but a lot of research has to be done online, so this might not be possible.
Use Proven Memorization Techniques
The second recommended study technique is the use of flash cards or mnemonics. I personally love using mnemonics because it is relatively fun and it has proven to be the most effective. If there are many terms required for memorization, simply take the first letter from each term and write them down on a piece of paper. At this point, try to assign simple words to each letter in order to make a sentence or simply rearrange the words in order to come up with a word. For example, there are a few German prepositions that require the accusative case when used, they are durch, ohne, gegen, für, and um. They can be remembered in a few seconds by associating the word DOGFU with them. Now, DOGFU may not make sense at first, but if you think of the words dog and kung fu, it becomes simple. What’s more unique than a kung fu dog to help you remember these words?
Take Regular Breaks
Studying for 8+ hours straight is both inefficient and unpleasant. I played around with different lengths of studying and found that 45 minutes is optimal. After 45 minutes, take 15 minutes off to stand up, walk around or to visit your social networking feeds. This will give your brain time to relax and also to process the information it was taking in during the previous 45 minutes.
Set Goals and Give Yourself Rewards
One of the best ways of associating good thoughts to courses and studying is to give yourself positive reinforcement. The break technique mentioned in the previous tip is a good start, but why not go bigger? Before you start studying for the day, mark down what you want to get done and break it in two or three milestones. With each milestone, you should write something that you are going to do for yourself (i.e. go buy a big burger, take a nap, play a little on your console, etc). Make sure that the rewards take no longer than one hour or else you will waste some serious time. I personally always think about food, so my milestones involved buying or cooking delicious food.
Summarize Everything!
This works really well, but you probably won’t notice the difference it made until you write your exam. When studying, don’t just think of the answers or read the notes in your head. While you read, take out the important points and write them in simple point form. I find that the text you write comes up from the page and gets transferred straight into your brain! The summarized notes also come in handy when you go to review everything.
Use Your Short Term Memory
This is not entirely studying, but it can be handy during exams. All of the above techniques also help train your short term memory. If there is something that’s not sticking, simply review it immediately before going into the exam room. As soon as the exam starts, simply write down all that you remember. This is not cheating because you aren’t using any aides except your brain!
Although Studying isn’t the best part of University, it doesn’t have to be the worst either. Those strong students who seem to be able to get a 4.0 GPA in addition to participating in extracurricular activities are not geniuses (well, not all of them), but they are smart at what and how they study. Use these tools and you too can be one of those super students!