How do you study?

[jjrox32]

My school is relatively tough, no matter how good your memory is you have to study hard for most subjects. A lot of my teachers will give you all the standard textbook stuff to study, but then they heap on another pile of stuff to memorize on top of that. For example, the science textbook I have has a diagram of the male/female reproductive system, with roughly 5 parts labeled for each. Then my teacher gave us all a handout of that same picture but with 12 parts labeled and a detailed description of each organ/part in that diagram :lol:

 

 

 

The only subjects I really have to study for are geography, science, english and religion since those are all very memorization-heavy subjects for me. Subjects like math/french/music I'll study for maybe 15 minutes in the morning before I leave the day of a test (french especially. I mean 90% of french consists of this 1) learn certain formula-type-thing for doing something grammatically correct, 2) memorize list of 5 irregular verbs relating to it).

 

 

 

My study habits are kinda bleh. Usually I don't study until the day before, then I just cram. Trying to break that habit though, kinda learned the hard way that studying 20 minutes a day for a week beats studying 2 hours the day before.

[matrix2613]

Most of the time I don't study exept for maybe last minute cramming for a Vocabulary test or something of the likes. I am very good at remembering things in class, so thats mostly my studying. I maintain mostly A's on tests but end up with B's for the actual class becuase I don't do homework sometimes.

 

 

 

I'm a a freshman in high school by the way.

[Lenin64]

Right before bed. My Algebra teacher told me this in 8th grade; by studying right before bed (but not staying up really late and cramming, of course) you're more likely to remember it because your brain lets it sink in with zero distractions during the night.

[jjrox32]

Right before bed. My Algebra teacher told me this in 8th grade; by studying right before bed (but not staying up really late and cramming, of course) you're more likely to remember it because your brain lets it sink in with zero distractions during the night.

 

 

 

I had a sub in Grade 7 tell me that, it actually works.

[purfishx]

I write my notes in different colors simultaneously like:

 

 

 

Bill Gates Is awesome.

 

 

 

And I doodle on the page that I'm writing on so that when I study instead of remembering the words, I remember the page and what I drew on it which then makes me picture the page so thats how I study.

 

 

 

picturestudyftw.

[Althalus]

I usually summarize key points or concepts. Then I make flash cards of each concept with nothing on the back. When I can explain that concept in my own words and understand it correctly only then do I know I have it.

[Amaranth_GTO]

The only studying I ever do is cramming my latin vocab words into my head the bell before. Other than that, I can just hear something and almost always remember it.

[PoorLepRecon]

Right before bed. My Algebra teacher told me this in 8th grade; by studying right before bed (but not staying up really late and cramming, of course) you're more likely to remember it because your brain lets it sink in with zero distractions during the night.

 

 

 

I had a sub in Grade 7 tell me that, it actually works.

 

 

 

Taking a nap after you study works the same way. Also, taking breaks very hour helps you remember more, since you will forget a majority of everything you have studied that night.

 

 

 

My study habits arn't that great right now. I normally score B's and C's on tests without studying, and I need to improve that. The style of notes that I take help me remember a lot of key information, but sometimes it's the little details that get me.

[Guest]

I just memorize one word at a time. (example: The british ruled in year (blah blah blah) I say The, then the british, then the britsh ruled.....You get the point. Of course, that only workds for some things. For things like, say, grammer/spelling tests, basically just read it untel it sticks :lol:

[dusqi]

Firstly, when in class I make my own notes, including comments and clarifications. Don't just copy down everything the teacher says - put it in your own words so that you understand it.

 

 

 

When it comes to studying, I start by reading through everything I've written from class, making key notes.

 

 

 

Then mark up the key notes by highlighting and clarifying.

 

 

 

Then write key notes on the key notes.

 

 

 

Then test myself repeatedly on the key key notes.

 

 

 

Most things I've had to learn so far I've found can be boiled down to at most a page of key key notes. If they aren't enough to jog your memory, then you probably didn't learn the material properly in class in the first place. In that case, studying isn't your goal, it's learning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And I doodle on the page that I'm writing on so that when I study instead of remembering the words, I remember the page and what I drew on it which then makes me picture the page so thats how I study.

 

 

 

picturestudyftw.

 

 

 

Good strategy. I always picture my key key notes on the page. It helps with remembering the order of things, and also whether you've missed something out.

 

 

 

 

 

A related point is that I once tried recording myself saying my key key notes. I then put it to play on repeat while I was doing other things for a while. Eventually the sounds of the words stick in your mind like song lyrics do (although not the meanings of the words.. but if you are just trying to remember facts then that's fine).

[jemathonical]

I haven't hardcore studied, ever. Maybe had a quick revision over a maths textbook night before and on the morning of an exam.

 

I remember the work from when I do it in class, I don't do any really hard subjects, so I'm not busting my brain anyway.

[IGoddessI]

Sticky notes!! All of my psych books are covered in about 3-8 sticky notes on one page. Basically instead of taking 10 minutes to read the same page again, it highlights all the main points and things that are actually relevant. Yeah I could just use my computer but when the lecturer was referring to something that was confusing me, find the page in 2 seconds flat via sticky notes and try to comprehend it.

 

 

 

I also used Brent as my guinea pig. Psychotherapy pracs and what not. He was also my test dummy for first aid :lol:

 

 

 

When writing assignments and being stuck for words, I asked myself "what am I really trying to say here" and just wrote it in very simple English in words that I could understand. Then when it was finished, I'd go over and make it sound academic. Then I would print that out, go through it, see if I could make it sound even more academic, print that out, get people to proof read it, pick at it some more, give it to a tutor to pick at some more, then hand in a final.

 

 

 

I also knew a few friends with PhD's in the same subject so that helped more than anything. I was working in the universities local coffee shop, so when they all lined up for their coffees they would mentor me, ask me questions and quiz me while I was at work lol Also handy when they gave me heads up about research participation.

 

 

 

Quiz your friends. My group of friends would spend our breaks in between lectures quizzing one another. For example "pavlov's theory!"... then the person being quizzed should give their understanding.. "Pavlov's theory consists of conditioned reflexes, by using his own dog he demonstrated this. When an unconditioned stimulus was presented by the dog (salivating at the meat) he noticed he could then make the dog demonstrate a conditioned reflex (the sound of the bell alone).... blah blah blah"

 

 

 

When you re-read your work. Ask yourself... am I babbling? How can I get my point across in as simple English as possible. Can I say the same thing with shorter sentences? Be specific.

 

 

 

Don't assume your readers know what you're talking about. Be as specific as possible. "That" might need to be referred to as the name of the object "This" well what is "this?". "He" Who is he?

 

 

 

Reference everything that is required and be critical. If you state a fact, where did you get it from? Who says? Why do they say it? Is there any conflicting evidence? Why did it work? What are it's strengths and limitations? Ethnic groups? Religion? sex? etc

 

 

 

How recent is your evidence? Are other writings from this author reliable?? Is this really the LATEST research??

[toast647]

Well, I don't really study. I'm pretty good at doing tests/quizzes. I only study for exams, and even then it's only like an hour for each class.

 

 

 

For remembering definitions for English I'll just read them over and, if I can make it rhyme with something then it usually sticks. For math, we get a sheet with all the formulas on it, so it's not that bad. I might look over a couple questions on things I'm not sure how to do.

[eggzs]

For lists etc. I remember them by mnemonic no matter how [developmentally delayed]ed they sound.

[Allbot]

i have a very good memory so i mostly just look over notes i took in class, for classes that im too laszy to take notes in i just look ever the textbook. for serious classes tho i usually do some practice problems problems, and i do all of this usually the day before the exam and on the day of the exam. but i have to be on campus to study, cause i will do almost anything at home except studing. lol one time i tried to study at home i ended cleaning up my entire apartment and the dishes and vacumed the whole place :lol:

[Sbrideau]

i have a very good memory so i mostly just look over notes i took in class, for classes that im too laszy to take notes in i just look ever the textbook. for serious classes tho i usually do some practice problems problems, and i do all of this usually the day before the exam and on the day of the exam. but i have to be on campus to study, cause i will do almost anything at home except studing. lol one time i tried to study at home i ended cleaning up my entire apartment and the dishes and vacumed the whole place :lol:

 

Same for me exept I end up on the computer or with friends.

[fastortoise]

It's always the day before, and usually only for finals. Unit tests (3 per semester) are pretty straight forward for me, since I take notes and pay attention in class. For an entire month I chatted it up with a girl in my math class and my grade fell a good 40% in that unit exam.

 

 

 

Then, for finals, I get pretty hardcore. I remember staying up all night going over the entire gen. bio.1course, which is around 45 hours of lectures. I got 90% on that final, but it takes so much willpower not to go to bed and forget about all that junk that I don't think i'll ever be doing that again.

 

For (general) physics (not engineering), I honestly don't see the need for studying. The give you a formula sheet, all I have to do is concentrate a lot and I can figure out what they're trying to say in the question, the challenge I'll have to overcome and the lesson I would have learned from the question. If you can get in the mindset if your teachers, exams are pretty easy. I can see myself not showing up for lectures and still pass the final, but i'm not one to skip classes :-#

[nickeley102]

I start studying for about a week before exams start generally getting an idea of what I think will be in the exam. Once exams have started I specialise my study for individual exams.

 

 

 

When I sit down to study I quickly jot down some learning outcomes which I have an hour to achieve. I guess its about having SMART goals so you don't leave the study session unsure of what you learnt. Because the outcomes are written they are easy to recap later and make sure you remember.

 

 

 

Example: I was pretty sure I was going to get a question about Mao's great leap forward in a recent history exam so my outcome was to study 4 points about the great leap forward that I could turn into an essay as paragraphs.

 

 

 

I also test myself at the end of the hour by putting away all my books and trying to write the essay without aid. Anyway thats what I do

 

If you can get in the mindset if your teachers, exams are pretty easy.

 

I agree, I always try to think "what would I want to read if I were marking this?", so I put in some dumb jokes, and crazy conjecture to spice it up a little (while still trying to write a solid essay)

[db300]

Never studied because I've never had too. I probably will in college though.

[MPM]

I use to retype my books while reading them out loud. It actually helped a whole lot :|

[Allbot]

I use to retype my books while reading them out loud. It actually helped a whole lot :|

 

lol that sounds like alot of work

[Kill_Life]

Ah, studying, I remember my very first exams in high school.

 

 

 

The principal giving us some tips:

 

 

 

My first exam, I told my dad to wake me up an hour before I usually woke up so I could recheck everything.

 

The first day, all well, he woke me up, I stood up.

 

The second day, he woke me up, I said 'Hmmmm', I stood up half an hour later.

 

The third day, he woke me up, I said 'Hmmmmmmmmmmmm', I stood up at the usual hour.

 

The forth day, I told him he didn't need to bother anymore.

 

The sleep is more useful for me.

 

 

 

So, I continued this stupid learning method:

 

Study 1.5 hours, take a 0.5 hour break, study again 1.5 hours, and so on.

 

For around four years.

 

After that, I wanted to try my own method:

 

Start studying at 13:00 and study untill you know it.

 

And that worked a lot better than what he suggested!

 

Did I have to study one hour? Oké. Did I have to study five hours non-stop, so be it.

 

It worked a lot better. I wasn't focussed on my watch anymore.

 

Too bad I only figured it out so late, so here's my advice to all: Study how you like it.

 

 

 

My studying now, still pretty much the same.

[RSBDavid]

Ah, studying, I remember my very first exams in high school.

 

 

 

The principal giving us some tips:

 

 

 

My first exam, I told my dad to wake me up an hour before I usually woke up so I could recheck everything.

 

The first day, all well, he woke me up, I stood up.

 

The second day, he woke me up, I said 'Hmmmm', I stood up half an hour later.

 

The third day, he woke me up, I said 'Hmmmmmmmmmmmm', I stood up at the usual hour.

 

The forth day, I told him he didn't need to bother anymore.

 

The sleep is more useful for me.

 

 

 

So, I continued this stupid learning method:

 

Study 1.5 hours, take a 0.5 hour break, study again 1.5 hours, and so on.

 

For around four years.

 

After that, I wanted to try my own method:

 

Start studying at 13:00 and study untill you know it.

 

And that worked a lot better than what he suggested!

 

Did I have to study one hour? Oké. Did I have to study five hours non-stop, so be it.

 

It worked a lot better. I wasn't focussed on my watch anymore.

 

Too bad I only figured it out so late, so here's my advice to all: Study how you like it.

 

 

 

My studying now, still pretty much the same.

 

 

 

kinda confused me =/. I figured it out the 7th time I read it.

 

 

 

My study routine is based on the class I am studying for. FOr example:

 

 

 

Programming - make random programs

 

Machine trades - build stuff out of metal

 

Math and language arts and other - cram....

[Drazhor]

Only study if I have exams coming up, like i do this week XD

 

I find I know more if i re-write the stuff out in a way I can read it then i learn that then re-write alot :lol:

[Skull]

Spend 5 minutes trying to figure out what I wrote in my notes, the give up and go on the interwebs.