Everyone studies differently and has different strategies. However, there are still some pretty good study tips that apply to most people. There are indeed ways to study smarter.
Good-luck!
Here are 10 tips to study smarter, not harder:
1. Practice recall, not recognition.
Using flashcards to actively test your knowledge is effective at making sure you know your facts. When you read your notes, everything looks right. However, when you use flashcards, you have to recite information without context. Reading your notes is still a good way to familiarize yourself with information though!
2. Don’t reinvent the wheel—find other resources on Quizlet.
You can make flashcards, but you can also find pre-made flashcards on Quizlet. School curriculums are standardized, so other people’s flashcards should be useful. Quizlet can also turn flashcards into practice tests, games, and other inventive ways of studying.
3. Take advantage of psychology:
Spaced repetition.
Take a little time each day to graze over your notes. You forget information in predictable patterns, and you forget information less quickly each time you review it. Spaced repetition is an evidence-based learning technique. It states that studying in multiple small intervals is more effective than studying for the same amount of time in one large chunk (cramming).
4. Beat the curve of forgetting with the program Anki.
The program Anki optimizes your information retention with algorithms. Based on how well you know information, Anki will quiz you at different time intervals. It’s a great program to beat the curve of forgetting. It’s a free on desktop and Android. Unfortunately, it's not free on the Apple Store. You might be able to find pre-made Anki decks too.
5. Listen to lo-fi music instead of your own playlist.
If you listen to your own music, it will be hard to stay focused if you want to break out in song and dance. Even classical music has its ups and downs that can be distracting. Lo-fi music is very soothing and provides some constant calming background noise.
6. Don’t waste your time on things you already know.
When you’re doing your homework for the first time, circle and make a list of questions that were hard or that you couldn’t do the first time. Focus on those questions when you study. Don’t redo a question if you knew it off the top of your head the first time around. Don’t rewrite something if you know it.
7. Always do practice questions (especially for calculation courses like math)!
It’s been proven that the best method of reviewing is practice testing. It’s an efficient way of learning concepts/theories and seeing how they are applied. You don’t have to waste a lot of time rewriting concepts—jump right into practicing once you have a base understanding. You’ll remember the concepts better if you remember when/how/why they are applied.
Also, sometimes homework questions are recycled to tests/exams.
8. Eat to fuel your brain and reward train.
Did you know that your cognitive function consumes a lot of energy? Eating nuts, fish, blueberries, and yogurt are also good for your concentration. Make sure to eat foods that release energy throughout the day—especially on test/exam days. Eating sugar will cause your energy to crash after a sugar high. That being said, you can use little rewards of unhealthy foods when you study or accomplish tasks. This way, you can train your brain to want to study.
9. Be realistic with your study schedule.
If you overload your study schedule, you’ll fall behind and get discouraged. Then, you’ll be stressed and be less likely to continue studying. Prioritize, and avoid burnout. Don’t beat yourself up for missing a day or two. Believe it or not, the point of studying is not to make you feel bad about yourself.
10. Focus and use your time efficiently.
You’ll want to study less if you do it for long periods of time. Instead, study intensely for 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute break to promote your efficiency. Clear your head after studying for a longer period—exercise is a really good way to do this. Also, make sure you’re well-rested. You won’t be able to study well or think critically if you didn’t get any sleep.
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