Whether you are fresh out of middle school or halfway through high school you can still develop study skills that will help you to achieve good grades and further your progress towards your career. Developing successful study habits is all a matter of choice and technique. You're here, which means you have already made the decision to improve your study skills/ test taking abilities. Now let's focus on the techniques/habits that you will need to implement in order to achieve your desired results.
Set An Attainable Goal
Decide on the grade that you want receive at the end of the semester. Whatever grade that is will define how much time and effort you will need to put it. You can even go a step further by breaking down your goal into weekly assignments. Ask your teacher how many tests/assessments there will be before the final exam and what percentage contributes to your final grade. From there you set your weekly, monthly and end of semester test goals.
Tip: Do not set unattainable goals. If you are weak in a subject area, you may have to be happy with a B before you can get that A. Pace yourself. You will get there.
Time Management and Organization
You spend a lot of time in class, so how do you find the time or energy to study plus maintain a social life? Excellent question! You learn to plan, prioritize and produce. By planning how much time you need to dedicate to assignments and lesson reviews each day, you can prioritize your grades to produce your desired results and still have time to socialize. You may need to set aside 1 hour per day to complete assignments, break then a half an hour to review your notes. It could be more or less depending on the amount of work you have to do. Keep all of your study materials in one area and always stay on task so that you do not go over your scheduled time.
Tip: Use a physical or digital planner that you can carry around in your backpack. Create time-slots for each activity but do not double book yourself. Leave yourself an open slot after your studies do whatever you choose, whether to play games, socialize or review again.
Note Taking Skills
Your textbooks have a lot of information and your teacher's often provide you with even more. How do you decide on what is important? A part of having good study habits is learning to filter out 'nice to know information ' versus 'need to know'. In other words, you must know your pearls. If your teacher stresses on a point or asks for examples then you need to write down that information. If your textbook has a word/section that is highlighted, key definitions and subheadings/questions that probe then you need to make note of that information. Clearly write down your information. Bullet points are a great way to do so. Write down questions you may have regarding a particular bit of information and then ask during the next class. Write down the answer.
Tip: Rewriting your notes and highlighting pertinent information is a great way to review the information. Use color codes, draw diagrams that help you to remember, create beats or acronyms or even ask your teacher if you can record your in class lesson.
Concentration
Concentration skills really rely heavily on your ability to listen, understand, question and articulate. In other words, staying focused on the topic. In class you can do this by putting away your phone and ensuring you got enough sleep the night prior. Eating a healthy diet also helps you to better pay attention. Though it can be easy to get distracted, your goal should be to listen to what your teacher is saying and making sense of it. From there, you can take good notes and ask questions. There are no stupid questions. Therefore, for your own learning and understanding, ask your questions. Gain your clarity now in the classroom or through research because during the exam you will not have this option.
Tip: Ask your teacher to clarify, expound or provide examples when something is unclear. Actively listen during class and check yourself, asking if you remember what was just said 5 minutes ago.
Motivation and Commitment
The truth is, you have to develop internal motivation. It is the main sustainable way to be progressive and achieve your goals. How do you motivate yourself to study? Well, an important lesson my mother taught me is that even if she asks me to do something, it is for my benefit not hers'. Of course, 15 year old me did not think much of it then but as an adult it now makes sense. She was not trying to teach me how to cook so that I could always cook for her. She was trying to teach me that so when I became an adult I would be able to do it on my own and for my family. She was teaching me to sustain myself and to be able to contribute. The same goes for school. You are not learning for your parents, teachers or friends. You are doing so for yourself. Paving the way for the future 'you'. And if you cannot do it for yourself then how will you enjoy doing it for others? Decide on the type of future and life that you want. Decide also how you want to feel about yourself and your achievements. Your external motivation will come in the form of gifts or grades but these are short term. Sort of like the cherry on-top of a milkshake when you already know the shake is going to be good. Instead of trying to get the perfect grade in one subject, while the others suffer, consistently work on all subjects. Follow your study timetable/schedule and strike a balance.
Tip: Give yourself rewards along the way. Work hard but smart and take breaks. Remember that consistency beats perfection anyways.
Summary
Practice active learning and improve your test taking abilities.
To practice active learning you must:
Listen for the purpose of understanding, and not just remembering or commenting
Read with the intention to not just memorize but to apply what you have read
Review your notes every 2 days for one week, then review that information once weekly. It only takes 15 mins.
Separate ‘need to know' from ‘nice to know'. You will not be able to learn everything because it is not all important anyway. Focus on definitions, highlights, examples etc.
Discuss your research topics with people, gain insight and right down your questions. Do additional research and answer those questions yourself.
To test well you must practice taking tests
Find related questions and time yourself answering them. Understand how much time to dedicate to a question based on how much points are allotted for that question.
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Thanks this helped deep