Students grapple with many issues in their lives, and it’s hard to concentrate on studying. The key to effective studying isn’t cramming or studying longer, but 'studying smarter'. You can begin studying smarter with these twelve proven and effective study habits.
1. How you approach studying matters
Too many people look at studying as a necessary task, not an enjoyment or opportunity to learn. Being in the right mindset is important in order to study smarter.
Ways to help improve your study mindset:
Aim to think positively when you study:- Always remind yourself of your skills and abilities.
Avoid catastrophic thinking:- Instead of thinking, “I’m a mess, I’ll never have enough time to study for this exam,” look at it like, “I may be a little late to study as much as I’d like, but since I’m doing it now, I’ll get most of it done.”
Avoid absolute thinking:- Instead of thinking “I always mess things up,” the more objective view is, “I didn’t do so well that time, what can I do to improve?”
Avoid comparing yourself with others:- You will usually just end up feeling bad about yourself.
2. Where you study is important
A lot of people make the mistake of studying in a place that really isn’t conducive to concentrating. A place with a lot of distractions makes for a poor study area. Make sure to choose quiet areas without any distracting elements, for you studies.
3. Bring everything you need, nothing you don’t
Don’t forget the things you need to study. Nothing is more time-consuming and wasteful than having to run back and forth regularly because you forget an important book, paper, or some other resource you needed, and it often proves irritating. If you study best with your favorite music playing, make sure your iPod is with you. But listen to slow music so that you dont forget the actual purpose i.e. studying.
4. Outline and rewrite your notes
Most people find that having study notes in a certain format helps them memorise better. So when you are studying a book or some notes, make sure you translate those notes into your own words and concepts and style of writing. Always underline important concepts and lines. That’s why writing notes works in the first place – it puts information into words and terms you understand. Mouthing the words out loud while you copy/study the notes before an important exam can be one good method.
5. Use memory games (mnemonic devices)
Memory games, or mnemonic devices, are methods for remembering pieces of information using a simple association of common words. Most often people string together words to form a nonsense sentence that is easy to remember. The key to such memory devices is the new phrase or sentence you come up with has to be more memorable and easier to remember. These don’t work for everyone, so if they don’t work for you, please don’t use them.
6. Practice by yourself or with friends
The old age adage, practice makes perfect, is true. You can practice by yourself by testing yourself with practice/mock exams. Such exams help you understand the breadth of content and types of questions to expect in exams.
Some people enjoy reviewing their materials with a group of friends or classmates. Such groups work best when they’re kept small (4 or 5 in a group), with people of similar academic aptitude. Some groups like to work through chapters together as they go through it. Others like to compare class notes, and review materials that way, ensuring they haven’t missed any critical points. Such study groups can be helpful for many students, but not all. You should be comfortable studying in a group.
7. Make a schedule you can stick to
If you schedule study time, you’ll find it becomes much less of a hassle in the long run. You should study regularly throughout the year. Some people study every day, others put it off to once or twice a week. The frequency isn’t as important as actually studying on a regular basis is. Coordinating study sessions is even more important if you’re going to be a part of a study group.
Prepare a feasible study schedule during exam days which is achievable. If the schedule is unmanageable then it won’t do any good but demotivate you. So, your daily schedule should be realistic and achievable.
8. Take breaks (and rewards!)
Studying for 4 hours at a time with no breaks is not realistic or fun for most people. Studying for 1 hour, and then taking a 5 minute break and grabbing a snack is usually more sustainable and enjoyable. Divide study time into segments that makes sense and works for you.
Set some limits, that if you study “some chapter” in 1 hour time you will pamper yourself with extra 5mins break (reward). Some may view this as absurd, since you’re setting limits that you can easily achieve. But, by setting these limits, you’re actually teaching yourself discipline, which will be a handy skill to have throughout life.
9. Keep healthy and balanced
Don’t spend all of your time studying – have friends, keep in touch with your family. Keep things balanced. Finding balance isn’t really something that can be taught, it’s something that comes with experience and simply living. But, you can work to try and keep your studies, health and body balanced, by doing what you already know – exercise regularly and eat right. Being in the right health really helps you perform your best.
10. Know what the expectations are
Pay attention in class and understand the expectation of an examiner when you are writing an answer. If the instructor writes something on the whiteboard or displays it on the screen, it’s important. And if they say something, that’s important too. Some students focus on the written materials without regard for what the instructor is saying. That way you will miss out “how to write a perfect answer”
Give mock tests, try and understand where things went wrong, and what you can do is, in the future to help reduce those mistakes from happening again.
11. Don’t forget to learn!
Studying isn’t just about passing an exam, as most students look at it as, but it is an effort to actually learn things. So while you’ll have to take your share of classes that have little or nothing to do with your interests, you should still look for interesting things to take away from every experience.
12. Learn to say NO !!
Trust me friends, you may find this very mean and unhuman but its as important as anything else. To clear a professional exam like CA you have to sometimes act selfish. Helping your friends is the best thing you can ever do. Please go ahead and help your friend but.. if it is at the expense of your studies its a complete no-no. Politely explain your friend and he/she will understand.
Source : https://psychcentral.com/lib/2006/top-10-most-effective-study-habits/all/1/
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