Don’t study for 17 hours. It will kill you!. It’s useless. After a few hours, your brain will become fatigued, and studying will not be effective; it will just be a waste of time.
I used to study for long hours but averaged “C” grades until I asked a friend who consistently gets straight “A”s on every exam, “How many hours do you study per day?” He said 4. He is one of the best students at my school, and here are his secrets to achieving straight “A”s in such a short amount of time.
- Read Answer Repeat…
“Practice questions are the best and easiest method to ace exams with studying less.”
Answering practice questions helps you memorise the material and prepares you for exams. This technique works for any subject. Simply read the material and answer practice questions. If you don’t have any, create them yourself (AI tools can assist you here).
When you get practice questions, first, answer them using your textbook/notes or watching a lecture. Then, try answering them again without using any notes or lectures. If you can’t answer a question, put a mark in front of it and move to the next one. After you finish answering all the questions, go back to the ones you struggled with and have marks in front of them. Answer those questions again using your notes or watching lectures. Then, try answering them on your own once more. If you answered some, remove the mark in front of them. If you still struggle with some, put another mark in front of them. Keep doing this until there are no marks in front of your questions. When that happens, you’re done studying.
While you’re repeating, don’t answer the questions you already answered on your own. That’s not necessary. Just repeat the questions you struggle with.
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2.Quality over Quantity
“The more you study does not equal for better grades”
Efficiency matters way more than the hour count. You can achieve more grades on your exams from studying less if you increase your efficiency while you’re studying.
How to increase this efficiency? Remove distractions and increase your focus. Turn off your phone, clean your table, bring a water bottle and for god sake stop texting and checking Email while you’re studying. Just focus on the material you are studying.
If you want good grades, focus on increasing your efficiency rather than hour count.
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3. Flash card for remembering lists and definitions.
“Flash cards are your best friend if you have lots of things to memorise”
When it comes to memorising information, particularly lists or definitions, flashcards are an effective method for rapid memorization. I won’t delve into explaining what a flashcard is (a quick Google search will suffice after reading this), but I can guide you on how to utilise them effectively for memorization.
Begin by shuffling your flashcard set and reviewing them one by one. If you find it challenging to answer a question on a card, set it aside in a separate pile. Once you’ve gone through all your cards, take the pile of cards you struggled with, carefully review their questions and answers, shuffle them again, and go through them once more. Continue setting aside cards you still struggle with in that pile (ensure you only shuffle the cards you struggle with, not the ones you can answer easily). Repeat this process until you have no flashcards left in your “struggle pile.”
You can use flash cards to memorise things fast and effectively.
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4. Study early as possible
“Your brain is fresh and empty in the morning, fill it with studying before other things.”
Many students like studying at night, calling themselves “night owls,” but for most, studying in the morning works better. This is because at night, your brain is tired from going through the whole day, and after around 8 p.m., it’s more focused on sleeping than studying. During noon your brain is looking for a nap after lunch rather than a study session.
But in the morning your brain is so fresh, working perfectly after the reboot and all empty so fill it by studying as early as possible. I’m not saying you should only study in the morning, but if you can, it’s the better option.
So study in the morning or early as possible for better results.
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5. Act like the teacher
You can become better at any subject just by teaching it. That’s why older teachers/professors are usually better at their subjects than younger ones; they’ve taught the subject more times. When you teach something, your brain treats it as important, helping to permanently store that information.
How to teach something when you have no students? Just teach your water bottle. (or any other object) the effects are the same.
When you’re about to teach something, it helps you see if you’ve really understood the material. If you struggle to teach it, it means you haven’t understood it well enough.
Teaching is also a way to study.