How to Study Effectively

Aristotle once said "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." This is also true for studying. The key to being excellent at school is to make studying a good habit. You can do this by using good study skills.

For example, let's say you want to study from a textbook. You should start by reading a section of your textbook chapter, without taking notes, because if you do take notes, you are likely to take down too much information and simply copy without understanding. After reading a section, you should locate the main ideas, and the important sub-points. After doing this, put your book aside and try to paraphrase this information. When you try to put what you understood in your own words, you will be forced to become more actively involved with the material. Then, take a piece of paper, and write the paraphrased ideas as you start taking notes, only add enough detail to understand, and use what you understood to study.

Another important thing to do is to study in chunks. You should study for 20 to 50 minute time periods and then take a brief brake of about 5 to 15 minutes. Studies have shown that this is the most effective way to study. You should also use daylight hours to study, because studying one hour in the day is worth two at night, therefore you should use the daylight hours to do the work that requires the most concentration. I think one of the most important things to do while studying is to be active, to ask yourself questions, to review your notes regularly and to discuss the important concepts with classmates and the teacher.

I will tell you about the most effective strategy for studying. It's the one i've been using for years and it's been working very well for me. It is a four step strategy. The first step is to bring to your mind what you already know about the topic of the chapter. This prepares you for learning more. Then, you should read the chapter and examine all pictures, tables, and maps. These are usually there to help you understand better. When you do all of this, you quickly know what the chapter is about. The second step is to have questions in your mind as you read. These will give you a purpose for reading and will help you stay focused. The third step consists of reading the information in the chapter, to try to answer to each question you formed. The fourth step is to write each question and it's answer on a piece of paper and reread each of them to make sure you are now able to answer the question without looking at the paper. This is a method that most students' I've met used.

I have come up with a couple of steps you should follow to achieve the highest of your potential in academic success. First of all you should set individual personal goals, for example a job position you would like to be at after university. Then you should learn to know and use resources. There are many resources out there, you could go to the library, and there are many websites where you could find help on the internet. Another important skill you will need is to know how to manage your time well. It helps a lot to reduce test anxiety. You also need to develop good reading, listening, and note-taking skills. This makes a big difference; studies have shown that 70 per cent of what you learn is done in the classroom. You should also get energized; you should eat, exercise and sleep. Because fatigue will weaken your comprehension capability. And always use a day planner or wall calendar to plan ahead for assignments and exam periods.