Studying Techniques (October 2022)
With midterm exams already underway, students need to put a lot of time into their classes. Last-minute studying at three in the morning is an experience we’ve all had; though it’s best to minimize doing that! While it’s important to study, it’s also important to understand how to study. There’s a variety of techniques and strategies that work for different people based on their work style, schedule, etc. Here are a few that you could try out!
Pomodoro:
This is one of the more well-known studying techniques. Essentially, you set a “work” timer for 25 minutes, in which you do your work with no distractions. Once the time is up, you set a short 5-minute rest timer, where you stop looking at your work. And you simply repeat this cycle. After a few repetitions, you can choose to set a break for a longer time period. There are a few advantages to this, as it’s extremely easy to follow and it can help if you’re struggling to find motivation for studying or completing assignments. One potential disadvantage, however, is that it’s rigid in structure, leaving less room for flexibility in your studying routine.
Spaced Repetition:
If you have a class where you need to memorize a lot of things or you feel like you need constant practice with the material, this could be the way to go. First, for context, spaced repetition helps combat the “forgetting curve”, which is the idea that when we initially learn something, we gradually forget that concept over time, provided we don’t look at that same material again. Though this may seem obvious, spaced repetition isn’t particularly easy to employ. It requires some planning beforehand since it entails repeatedly reviewing a concept and thus making that concept more likely to stick to your long-term memory. But if done correctly, the results can be incredible. It goes against the typical pitfall where you learn something new for the first time, and don’t review it until the day before your exam.
Teaching Others / Study Groups:
How could you make something as boring as studying more fun? Do it with friends! Getting others to study with you can help increase your comprehension of the material as you’re able to combine multiple perspectives on a similar topic. Likewise, if you think you know the material pretty well, you can put yourself to the test by attempting to teach someone else who may not understand it as much as you do. Involving more people in your studying routine can result in some really productive and rewarding studying sessions.
Others:
Listening to music (without lyrics, preferably)
Question Banks
Making / reading notes
Mind maps
We hope this was helpful and wish you the best of luck in your classes and exams.