If you go to Christa McAuliffe then you know the struggle of taking tests. But better yet, you know the struggle of dedicating time to studying for your upcoming tests. Yes, studying can be boring, stressful, and unexciting – however, studying in the proper manner can help you boost your grades. So now I bring to you the best, scientifically-backed study tips you will ever receive.
Plan Your Study Time
Study sessions are more effective in short, small chunks. According to the website howtostudy.org, cramming a 10 hour study session right before the test won’t do you any good. Rather, dividing this session into many 30 minute sessions will be much more efficient. This is because our brains are better at coding, or storing, information learned in shorter, repeated sessions as opposed to long, tedious ones.
Make Flash Cards
Reading things from a textbook over and over again is ineffective and can cause your brain to focus on unimportant information. Webster University says that a better alternative is to make flash cards. Flash cards are known to be excellent forms of memory reinforcement. Putting your notes into logical formats on flash cards improves your memory by allowing you to quiz yourself and helps your brain to store all of that information in a logical way.
Set Some Goals
Try to create a goal for every study session that you do – and then stick to it. Whether it’s learning how to conjugate the verb SER or memorizing what happened in a specific period of the Renaissance, goals will help you stay on track for addressing every topic in your short study sessions. This is a tip given by a student in Webster University.
Teach Your Notes
Try the technique of “teaching your notes” instead of just reading them over and over again. Take a friend or family member and teach them everything you know about this topic. Not only will this help you memorize your notes better, this can help a friend who is going to be taking the same test as you. 🙂
Take A Practice Test
Discover Business (discoverbusiness.us) says that practice tests are great tools while studying for an actual test. Practice tests let you know what topics in which you excel and what topics you might need a little more practice in. They are also known to boost confidence helping you get a better test grade.
Make A Study Spot
Psych Central (psychcentral.com) says that having a designated place to study equipped with everything you need is one of the most important aspects of studying. Hand-in-hand with dedicating time to study, dedicating a place to study helps ready your brain for all the information you’re about to learn.
Studying can definitely be hard and stressful at times but PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE! After getting the hang of studying it only gets easier and easier. So, by heeding these study tips you are well-prepared for all the knowledge to ace your next test.