25 Basic Study Tips for Students

This guest post is written by Angela Peterson, who writes on the topic of online psychology degrees . She can be reached at her email id: angela_peterson@rediffmail.com

Photo by estebandid.

There’s more than one way to study and each student knows what works best for him/her. But then, there are also some very basic study tips that help you get more done in less time and with greater efficiency. So here goes, 25 great study tips that every student must know:

1. Paying attention in class is the first step in studying for your exams.
2. Understand a lesson before you attempt to learn it. When you understand a subject, you’re halfway to learning it.
3. Set a schedule to study, perhaps an hour everyday even when you don’t have exams coming up.
4. Doing a little everyday helps you avoid having to cram on the eve of an exam.
5. When it comes to learning, don’t put off for tomorrow what you can do today.
6. Don’t sacrifice sleep during exams – a sleep deprived brain does not function efficiently.
7. Eat more of fruits and healthy foods instead of stuffing yourself with junk food and liters of coffee or going without food when you study.
8. Don’t hesitate to pick your friends’ brain if you know it will help you study.
9. When you study, concentrate on the job at hand instead of letting people or situations distract you. Accordingly, choose a location where there is relative peace and quiet and where you will not be disturbed to do your studying.
10. Take down notes while learning – you remember better this way.
11. If music soothes you, play some in the background while studying. Some people find it helpful while others feel it is a distraction.
12. Never study with the TV on because it only distracts you from your purpose.
13. If you’re using your laptop or computer to study, disable the Internet so that you don’t get sidetracked.
14. Don’t approach your professors on the eve of an examination with your doubts. Get them cleared well in advance.
15. Organize your notes and lessons after each class so that you don’t have to scramble for them when your exams are around the corner.
16. The best time of the day to study is early in the morning when your brain is fresh and rejuvenated after a good night’s sleep.
17. Use mnemonics and other memory aids to remember names and dates – associate them with people and events that are familiar.
18. Leave some time to go review and revise your lessons before an exam. Learning them just once is not enough.
19. When you’re learning Math and other subjects where formulae are involved, practice makes perfect – the more number of problems you solve, the better and quicker you become.
20. Try combined study with a friend so that you can motivate each other and help each other when your energy and enthusiasm tend to flag.
21. Alternatively, discuss the subject with your friends. It helps you gain a deeper understanding of what you’re supposed to learn.
22. Know how to skim when you’re running short of time – when time permits, you can study in detail; but if you lack this precious resource, you must know how to speed read so that you glean all the important points with one or two quick skims of the page.
23. Some students find that audio lessons help them learn better.
24. When you teach a friend a concept, you tend to remember it more thoroughly. So if any of your friends come to you with doubts, help them out without hesitation.
25. And finally, don’t let the stress of examinations get to you. When you’re stressed, your brain stops functioning as it should and all your hard work goes to waste. So stay cool and crack your exams with good groundwork and preparation.

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