So most of us are back at school and are once again trying our best to learn the vast amounts of information flooded onto us, especially during exam times. But fear not because I have for you the best, tried and tested, researched study tips for you to minimize your study time and maximize the information you absorb. Really, there’s no way to go wrong with these.
1) Use active recall rather than passive recall- If you are reading previously made notes, listening to audios, or even watching videos to learn information, you’re studying wrong. Impossible right? But true. Active recall uses what is called the testing effect. This is the tendency for your memory to improve when you learn information in an active way such as by answering questions, taking quizzes and tests, and explaining what you have learned to others. In doing so you focus your energy on recalling information you probably already know instead of wasting your time trying to read the paragraph you already read 17 times without understanding a thing (yes, I know you do this). Of course, you can’t cut out passive recall completely, but you can benefit a lot by investing more time and energy in active recall.
2) Don’t just memorize, understand what you are memorizing- when you know what you are memorizing and what each of the elements means and what its significance is, you have a better chance of remembering it. Take a formula for example. If you know how the formula was derived and what it means in the context of what you are calculating, even if you happen to forget it, you have a better chance of making your way back to it.
3) Flashcards, flashcards, flashcards- being a science student I cannot even begin to explain to you how much flashcards have helped me. Flashcards are so helpful when it comes to memorizing facts, formulas, images, diagrams, graphs, you name it. The problem most people face is how to make effective flashcards. I’ve got you. Here is some guideline for you to make your flashcards:
Write the question on one side and the answer on the other. This way you can look at the question, answer it aloud (answering aloud is very important as if you say the answer wrong in your head you often trick yourself into believing you know it just because what you thought was “close” to the actual answer) and flip it over to check if you were right.
Use images, drawings, diagrams, and graphs. Your brain is much better at memorizing images rather than words, so any visual aid would be a great help. Even drawing something that sounds like what you are trying to remember would work. For example, if I were trying to remember the name Helicobacter (type of bacteria), I would draw a small squiggle that resembles a helicopter near it. So the next time I need to remember that name I would picture a helicopter and it would become much easier to recall.
Use small bits of information. Do not overload your cards with too many points. Break down whatever needs to be learned into small parts and pose a different and more direct question for each part. Flashcards are much more effective if each card represents tiny bits of information that require to be learned and this way you are more likely to remember your whole answer rather than just 3 points of a 5 point question.
I know what you’re thinking. Who has the time to make flashcards? Well even while making your flashcards you are technically revising your material. Furthermore, you’re learning how to make it concise and easy to memorize. Just making flashcards is a great revision session.
Do flashcards daily. Each question on a flashcard takes about only 30 seconds, sometimes even less. So you can easily do 20-30 flashcards during breaks, in between classes, or even in a short study session for when you don’t feel like attempting anything else. Keep rotating between topics and I promise soon enough you will have memorized every word on them.
4) Don’t copy notes, try to write them yourself instead- I’m not saying don’t copy down what your teacher is asking you to during class, just that after class, and after revising the topic done in class, put aside your “ideal” notes and just write down whatever you remember in a notebook. Don’t worry about whether what you’re writing is right or wrong, just write. After vomiting everything you remember, open those “ideal” notes and check what you remembered and what you didn’t. This will help you gauge your level of understanding and memorization and help you understand your weak and strong points. Then for next time focus on the thing, you didn’t remember and spend less time on what you did.
5) Take breaks and don’t miss out on sleep- Take a break now and then and listen to some music. This will prevent you from getting frustrated with what you are doing and give you some time for yourself. Learning when you don’t what to doesn’t do any good to anyone. This does not mean that you should procrastinate on the pretense that you don’t feel like studying, rather once you have done some studying feel free to take 10 minutes to an hour of break time. Another thing I have noticed is that when I’m sleepy, my brain stops working. In this scenario, you’re messing up your sleep schedule at the expense of not doing any real studying. Coffee can do only so much, so try not to compromise on sleep. Exceptions like the day before an exam seem like valid reasons for an all-nighter but I for one prefer to be well-rested before an exam and not to end up drooling all over my answer sheet when I fall asleep on top of it.
And there you have it! Happy studying!
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