How can I study smarter?

Study Tips

Here are the top ten tips we can provide to you for better learning. With these suggestions and some work on your part, you should start seeing improvement in class and hopefully on the big test too!

10) Make sure you can hear, see, and understand the teacher. If you have problems reading the chalkboard, ask your teacher if you can move closer. Don't be afraid to ask the teacher a question if you don't understand something - after all, that's why you have teachers and not just books. Try to avoid using personal recording devices. They tend to distract other students and can cause you to get lazy about actively listening and taking notes.

9) Copy down everything your teacher says is important. It would be great to write down every word your teacher said, but that is virtually impossible. Take special care to ensure that your notes are legible and understandable, but try to write quickly, leaving out short, meaningless words. If your teacher is nice enough to point out what specifically will be on the test, use that to your advantage. Write it down. If you're not sure, write it down.

8) Make up any work you may have missed or failed miserably. Whether or not your teacher asks you to redo that homework assignment you forgot about (I know - your dog ate it), there is no substitute for actually doing the work. You certainly won't pass the quiz on Tuesday's material if you don't understand Monday's lecture because you were busy Friday night. Doing old tests and homework may also serve as a good review prior to a big test!

7) Don't cheat. At all. Ever. Under any circumstances. Or if you do, go back and do the work yourself until you understand it. It may look great if you get a 95% on that quiz, but you're still going to bomb the next test. Sure it's an old cliche, but the only person you hurt by cheating is yourself. This all goes back to what was said in #8 anyway. Go do your work. Yourself.

6) Create a special study area. It's impossible to study if your brother is hanging around throwing a tennis ball at your head, or the TV is blaring in the background. Go find a nice, quiet area where you can study all alone. Music won't hurt at all - but keep down the volume so you can still concentrate. Your special study area should also be stocked with all the essentials - paper, pencils, etc.

5) Make a routine of studying at a certain time. Find a certain time everyday when you can study. It might only be 30 minutes, but if you can say "I'll study everyday at 4:30," it'll make a huge difference. People don't like to change, but if you can make it a habit of studying at your time in your special study place (#6), it will be easier to sit down and work.

4) Don't wait until the last minute. Try studying a little bit every night until the test. If you try to study the night before, you probably will forget everything and be tired and unprepared. The best idea is to just review key ideas and such the day before and morning of. Formulas, vocabulary words, and anything else that has to memorized should be well-known several days before the test - this will give you confidence to do your best.

3) Find a study group. Nothing works better than studying with a group of friends. You can have fun, as long as the conversation doesn't stray from school, and everyone can contribute something to help the group. Try organizing a small number of friends (3-4), and meet a couple times before a test. This method also helps to ensure that you haven't misread something, lost a page of notes, or forgotten an assignment.

2) Be prepared for the test. Getting a good night's sleep, eating a healthy breakfast, and getting to school on time will all help to make your testing experience, well, not so bad. If you are taking a special standardized test like the SAT or an AP exam, make sure you have all the registration materials and identification you will need the night before. Take a deep breath and enjoy the test. After all, you've studied just as well as anyone else in the room, and you can be confident that you will pass.

1) Bookmark this site and any others that you like. Okay, that's some cheesy self-promotion, but it might help. Maybe. Either way that's all the really important study tips I can offer...Good Luck!!!