Top 10 Tips for Studying

Studying is a huge part of our school experience and especially now with the semester ending. It can be a stressful experience for us as students, but it doesn't have to be. You just have to know the right way to do it. So, I’ve come to your aid with some of the best tips on how to study well. You can thank me later.

#1: Plan (DON’T CRAM!)

When you first hear about a huge test or final coming up, create a plan of action on a calendar or in a planner. This makes it more likely that you’ll stick to it, and not just push it back. Cramming is the worst possible thing you can do. Our brains can only hold seven things of working memory, or memory you’re using right now, and your test is most likely a whole lot more than seven things. Sure, cramming can get you by a little five point quiz, but it will in no way help you on a huge exam.

#2: Write notecards

Writing information down on paper makes it stick better, instead of just reading it over and over. This is because our brain recalls the physical action of writing things down rather than typing on a keyboard. “In psychology, we learned that using notecards can be helpful to study because repetition (or repeating things over and over again) is a form of maintenance rehearsal.” says Crystal Burke, who now uses notecards for most of her tests. So, gather your favorite pens and some notecards, and just have fun with it!

#3: Draw doodles!

Drawing little pictures of your content makes the words more memorable. You can then visualize the doodle with the words on the card, rather than trying to remember just one word out of a whole lot you’ve written in your life.

#4: Talk to yourself (you’re not crazy, I swear)

Saying the words out loud makes it easier to remember. It gives you something auditory to think back on when you’re taking the test. Studies have reported that the effect of both speaking and hearing helps encode the memory stronger into the brain.

#5: Make associations (as weird as you want)

If you have a math test and you have to remember what the symbol of pi equals, think of the three lines of the symbol and relate that to the 3 in the answer. The stranger, the more memorable in this case.

#6: Take breaks

You can’t sit, study for seven hours straight, and expect to remember all of that information. Chunk it into sections and study a little bit at a time. Maybe go do some chores around the house, grab a quick snack, or go on a short walk. Just don’t get too caught up in anything that makes you not want to go back to studying.

#7: Get rid of distractions

It’s super hard to focus on what you’re learning when a vacuum cleaner is going, people are talking, or a certain furry creature with whiskers is walking across your laptop keyboard (cough cough, what's happening right now). Find yourself a quiet spot to soak all of the information up in.

#8: Work from different places

Switching up the environment that you’re working in can help you concentrate and learn better. It can be a different room, or go to the library and work there.

#9: Same way test day

Doing, wearing, or eating something the same while studying and test taking can increase the memory of your studying. Whether it be chewing the same gum, wearing the same hand sanitizer, or having on the same fuzzy socks, they all work to recall what you studied. This is because, again, your brain can tie the scent, taste, or action and bring you back to when you were studying.

#10: Study buddies

Studying with friends makes it one, more fun, and two, easier to memorize what your learning. It helps you answer questions that you might have, makes procrastination lessen, and it allows you to bounce ideas off of each other. Run through the notecards you both made and quiz each other. Tying a joke to the topic is way better than trying to remember what a boring textbook said.

- Yana Sperry