Let’s be honest: the last few weeks leading up to finals are the worst. Professors are almost done with their content (assuming they aren’t already), students are ready to go back home for summer break, and the stress of maintaining a good grade is palpable in the classroom. Nonetheless, there is still work to be done.
The work being studying.
When trying to study, it can be really hard to figure out what works for you and what doesn’t. For some students, answering reviews or flipping through quizlets just isn’t helpful. But, rather than give up on prepping for your next exam, see if any of these study techniques work for you!
make a list
Making a list is a really helpful trick for visual learners. Being able to see tasks or information written out can really help in keeping track of what needs to get done. Before you sit down to do homework, make a checklist of all your assignments, putting them in order of due date and importance. If you’re anything like me, being able to check off completed projects is extremely gratifying, especially after the entire list is checked off.
Now, when implementing lists into your studying specifically, here’s what to do: List out all the main topics of the subject you’re studying, then make bullet points of all the specific information within those topics. This will help you reiterate in your mind what you need to remember, and it makes reading the information less insufferable than if you were to read straight from your textbook.
Set a timer
If you suffer from executive dysfunction or focus issues like I do, using a timer system is a really effective way to study. This studying technique structures your studying time into segments of both work and short breaks. What you’ll want to do is split your study time into 25-minute work increments with 5-minute breaks in between, then after three work increments, give yourself a 10-15 minute break. Then you repeat the process for as long as it takes you to study!
Make sure to schedule your time out in the week so you’re able to fit in homework and study time each day (or at least a few days). Time management is a really important first step in being successful in your classes while still having fun hanging out with friends.
Talk it out
When studying with a group, being able to speak aloud about the topic you are studying helps you reinforce the information in your mind and makes it clear if you actually understand what you’re talking about. Now, if you aren’t studying with a group but you have a friend who has some free time on their hands, teach them the subject that you are studying or doing homework for. Preferably this friend already knows the subject so that they’re able to let you know if you’re explaining something wrong, but this isn’t necessarily required. When teaching, don’t just read from your notes—explain it in your own words. Once again, this will reinforce the information in your mind!
know the notes
The final study trick I have for you is in regards to note-taking specifically. It’s simple and straightforward: Rewrite your notes after class. Doing this allows you to pay more attention during class because the notes you’re taking then don’t have to be pretty. You’ll be able to get all the information down and have time to ask questions because you won’t be trying to set up any fancy layouts while your professor clicks through slides.
Once class ends, when you have time to redo your notes, grab a spare notebook and start copying. Structure these new notes in a way that makes sense to you and helps you actually remember the information, such as highlighting and underlining things or drawing mind maps. After you’re done, you’ll have a helpful study guide that will be really nice to look at!
Of course, there are so many other study techniques out there that are just as effective as these ones are. It’s all about finding the one that works best for you! Good luck studying!