Throughout your higher education career, you will inevitably be faced with quizzes, tests, and exams. This blog post covers some studying strategies that can help you to put your best foot forward and succeed in a college setting.
1. Prepare Early
Don’t wait until the last minute. An assignment not being due until halfway through the semester or a big exam still being a few weeks out isn’t an excuse to be unprepared. Start prepping early. This is a goods strategy to give you adequate time to practice and master a skill as well as a way to lighten your load come finals week. Get your assignments done early so that you have plenty of time reserved for studying. Don’t cram all of your studying in to the very last second. You’ll thank yourself later.
2. Take Organized Notes
Creating your own study guides and graphic organizers is a great way to help you understand the content better. Putting the material into your own words can help to boost both comprehension and recall skills that could greatly benefit you come test time. Try creating personalized flash cards or diagrams that work for you. Writing information down by hand can help to improve how well you remember the content and even re-typing lectures can improve memorization. Find ways to record material that work the best for you and stick with them. Be consistent.
3. Use a Planner
Create a schedule for assignments and for studying. A planner is a great way to do this. Breaking content into smaller, more manageable chunks can make accomplishing tasks easier. They’ll also feel more rewarding. Putting time aside for assignments and studying in advance can also help you to maintain a schedule that balances both academic and social life. This relationship is important and giving yourself time to decompress and see family and friends is much easier when you have a good awareness of your schedule.
4. Form Connections
Make friends and organize groups with peers in your classes or major. There are lots of benefits to studying together. You can share studying techniques and obtain the perspectives of others in a similar situation to you. This can help to strengthen your own understanding of the content while also preventing procrastination that may have occurred had you been the only one holding yourself accountable. In many cases, study groups might already exist at your school. Finding a group of people to study with might be as simple as asking around or checking the school’s pages.
5. Sleep!
It may seem simple but sleep is incredibly important. Don’t overdue it. A consistent sleep schedule is crucial to success in a college setting. Research recommends getting at least eight hours of sleep each night — even during an exam week. Getting the appropriate amount of rest time for your brain can help to alleviate stress, solidify what you learned, and improve your memory which is an important part of doing well on exams, tests, and quizzes.