How to Study More Efficiently

With college admissions being more competitive than ever, high school students have to take on the challenge of taking more rigorous classes. The only problem with that is that there are only 24 hours in a day—sometimes there is just not enough time to study for all of your classes before a big test or an exam. Too often, students make the mistake of pulling all-nighters and cramming everything in the night before, which is the worst mistake a student can make. These following tips can actually help you study more with less time.

1. Create Mnemonics

Mnemonics are ways for you to memorize something better and easier. Most people make funny acronyms or sentences to help them remember formulas, definitions, etc. For example, coming up with funny acronyms can help you memorize a history event with important names and dates.

2. Study with Your Friends at Least Once a Week

Friends can be a distraction if you are getting together just to socialize; however, having a right circle of friends to study with can really help you study better. By forming a study group, you are almost forcing yourself to set up time to study, instead of waiting until the last minute to prepare for a test or an exam.

Your friends can also make boring topics more interesting. For instance, if you don’t understand a topic in Calculus, perhaps a friend can explain it in an easier way than your teacher.

3. Sleep More

Sleeping less means that you have more time to study. This is a true fact, but just because you are “studying,” does not necessarily mean that your brain is processing everything that you are trying to learn or memorize. It is a proven fact that sleeping more can help you study better. Why? Because your brain can process more facts when it has gotten the rest it needs every night.

Depriving your body of sleep is the worst thing you can do for yourself, especially during exam week. Get at least 5 hours of sleep a night, in order to wake up feeling fresh and ready to study better.

4. Don’t Get Distracted

Studying for 8-10 hours a day sounds like a lot, but are you actually studying for all those 8-10 hours? Perhaps you have the TV on or are logged onto Facebook, while you are trying to do your math homework. This is the wrong method of studying. Too many students think that they are really great at “multi-tasking;” however, the fact is, your brain can only process one thing at a time.

Turn off all your distractions and study in chunks. If you really want to watch TV and be on your social media pages, do it during breaks, not during study sessions. Study in 30-50 minute chunks and then take 10-15 minute breaks. This way, you can direct all your focus on one thing at a time.

5. Rewrite Your Notes

When you’re in class, you are constantly taking notes and don’t have time to stop and think about it. Sometimes you don’t understand what you are writing nor do you care about the neatness of your writing. So when you’re not in class, you should rewrite or at least organize them to help you study better.

Not only will you be going over class material, but you can also fill in gaps that you’ve missed or did not understand in class. It also helps you during exam week, when all you need to do is read over your notes instead of trying to understand your writing.