Tests and grades are a constant in high school, and loom large in college as well. While each course and test is different, studying for them is a necessity for all students. Of course studying is a skill in itself, one that schools rarely teach explicitly, but expect students to learn on their own. Some do, while others muddle through, struggling to find studying methods that work for them.
In this article, we’ll outline various strategies for studying, and explore how they work. Each person is different, so we encourage you to experiment with different methods of studying until you find the one that works best for you.
The Basics
A few things are true of every variation of studying. First, it is an extended process. Reviewing a bit every day or over the course of a week is far more effective than trying to cram at the last minute. Overall, long-term studying has two benefits: first, it allows you to better understand the material as a whole, and to retain that knowledge for longer after an exam. Second, it reduces the amount of stress you feel on the days leading up to a test, and allows you to prepare for multiple tests far more easily.
Another key thing to understand is that all studying requires a time investment. How much time you need to invest varies by student, but there is no way to study without devoting time specifically to the practice. There is the concept of diminishing returns; after a certain point, more studying is no longer worth the time, as you are simply exhausting yourself rather than learning more. This is mostly an issue when cramming, but can occur in other forms of studying as well.
You should experiment with the various methods presented here to find the one that works best for you. We encourage you to learn to study now, even if you are able to attain decent grades thus far without doing so. This never lasts; either in high school or college you will find a class which you will need to study for, and if you are unprepared, you will crash hard. (This is, in fact, speaking from personal experience).
Step 0: Take Notes
Studying is a review of material you’ve already encountered. In order to do this efficiently, it is important to learn the material well in the first place. This is where note-taking comes in.
While there are various methods to take notes, they all serve the same purpose: to record important information in a way that is accessible and easy for you to review later. Notes can be taken both physically and digitally, depending on what your school allows. Digital note-taking is becoming increasingly popular however.
You should not just write down everything your teacher says without pause as your notes. We recommend organizing with headings and subheadings, and using shorthand where necessary to increase information density. Definitions should be written where they can be easily seen and remembered.
Overall, you want a maximum of information density that you can still read and interpret. Your notes are for you, and should reflect what you need. Each person’s notes will look different, and have different levels of intelligibility. This can make sharing notes with friends difficult or impossible. Try to be friends with at least one person who takes great notes, so you can copy them if you miss a day of class.
Rewriting Notes
When you begin studying, we recommend fully rewriting your notes. This helps you to process the information again, and is a more active process than simply reading your notes. Physically writing it out again engages different sections of your brain, and allows you to remember the information more easily going forward. This does not have the same effect if you type it out again; physically rewriting information works best for long-term retention.
Step 1: Class Readings
Doing the class readings is the other part of studying which needs to take place before more individualized pursuits. Most classes assign readings in some form, be it from a textbook or from the works you are reading for the class. You should read these actively, trying to understand everything as you read it. If there are sections you do not grasp fully, take the time to analyze them then, or return to them once you finish the reading.
It is sometimes helpful to take separate notes on a text while reading it, especially for denser textbooks. This can help you review the main points quickly, without needing to flip through many pages of a book. This depends on the book in question, and you will not need to do it for everything you read.
Step 2: Problem Sets
This is obvious advice, but you need to actually do your homework. Problem sets for math and science classes are especially relevant for exams, as many teachers will assign problems directly from the homework on the exams, only changing the numbers involved.
Teachers are generally not trying to trick you, so doing problem sets assigned is the easiest way to prepare for exams. Doing them is not enough; you also need to understand them. If you get questions wrong on homework, work to understand why. Most teachers have time to meet with students, we recommend going to these to get any concepts or questions you are struggling with on the homework explained.
If it is merely a careless arithmetic error, then you know to be more careful. If homework reveals an issue with understanding a concept, then you need to review the material another time.
Step 3: Studying for Exams
Counter to the title of this section, you should be studying whether or not an exam is forthcoming. If you are only studying in the lead-up to an exam, then you will be hard pressed to review all of the needed material in the amount of time you have. Still, in this section we’ll go over various methods for studying for exams which students have found helpful.
Progressive Review
This method of studying focuses on what you don’t understand most. Begin by creating flashcards of all of the relevant information you will need. Then go through them once; any you get right away put into one pile, any you don’t put into a second. Take the second pile, review the contents, and then run again, repeating the division into piles.
By doing this, you will slowly whittle down the topics you are reviewing, until you are only left with the ones which give you the most trouble. Since you only set a flashcard aside once you have it perfectly, you are sure you understand each before you stop reviewing it.
This is an exhaustive method of studying, and more time intensive than some others, but does a good job of ensuring you truly master all of the material at hand.
Study Groups
Reviewing in a group allows you to pool your knowledge and experience. You can explain topics you understand well, and have ones you struggle with explained in more detail. The in depth subject conversations which arise from study groups also allow you to gain far more familiarity with the material than you would on your own.
Further, one of the best ways to truly master a subject is to teach it to someone else. Instructing someone in a subject, and explaining it in a way they can understand, requires a thorough knowledge of the subject. Study groups are an unparalleled opportunity to gain this experience.
The biggest potential downside of study groups is the desire to socialize instead of studying. Whether this is an issue for you depends on your own character, and the group you are a part of. If you find yourself doing more socializing than studying, this may not be the technique for you.
Practice Problems
If you identify subjects in class or homework that are a particular struggle for you, then practice problems are a great way to approach them. The easiest way to find these is in your textbook, as teachers generally only assign half of the questions (either odds or evens). This is not always the case, but there are usually problems not assigned for homework that explore the same issues, and which therefore allow for easy practice.
To prepare for essay questions, guessing at topics your teacher may ask about and writing sample essays is the best way to practice. It can feel silly, but the best way to get better at writing is to put active effort into writing. This will also help you formulate your thoughts more quickly, and get you used to organizing your essays. If your teacher asks for essays in a particular style (such as AP’s five paragraph essays), then make sure to write yours in that style.
Final Thoughts
Your grades are the single most important part of college admissions, especially as universities continue to experiment with test-optional policies. Maintaining high grades, therefore, is the single best thing you can do to improve your chances of admission to a top college. We hope that this guidance on studying gives you the tools you need to achieve your academic aims.
Of course, not everyone has the same ease of studying, and building good habits takes time and effort. Just as athletes have coaches to help them improve, so too do students work with mentors to help them succeed. Schedule a free consultation to learn how we can help you, or check out our tutoring and academic coaching services. Students who work with us see their grades improve by a full letter on average.
