There are so many different and best working study methods that are scientifically proven that actually work. Whether you are someone who has failed an exam or just want to get better at taking exams and studying, there are different methods that can make someone succeed when it comes to studying. These methods are also useful if you don’t always want to study with a group of friends or go tutoring sessions, or if you do both but still want to understand material more in depth on your own.
Study methods
So the first study method, which I have heard works pretty well and sometimes uses is mind mapping. Mind mapping is where you would look over your notes or wherever you take notes at and then you would write on a blank sheet of paper everything you remember from memory. Once you can’t think of anything else then you can go back and look at your notes and see what you missed. This method is very effective for me personally and how I am able to think about concepts and class materials. Mind mapping is the main technique I use which really helped me and that I still use before I have an exam!
The next method that helps is called active recall which plenty of students use to improve their grades. For this method you would have to try and remember your notes without passively reading them over and over again. You would then try to test yourself on what you know from notes whether that’s writing it out on a whiteboard or saying them verbally. I would say this is similar to mind mapping because of the same techniques that the methods use. This helps strengthen long – term memory and helps so you can avoid overloading and have more of a focused learning.
Spaced repetition is when you would revisit information at an extended amount of time to help transfer all of the information to long – term memory. Using tools like flash cards, Quizlet, and making your own type of technique to track down all the notes and materials you need to review. Then study the material, review in 1-2 days and then 4-5 days later on. I would say I haven’t used this method but this does seem really effective and I will try this out.
Another method which I am familiar with and have tried is called the Pomodoro method which is good to use to avoid burnout and procrastination. I sometimes can over study and feel like I’ve learned nothing or haven’t had ice for anything else during the day but not when I use this method. The Pomodoro method requires you to study for maybe 25 mins and take a 5 min break. On this break I would say you just watch TikTok but you could do something creative that keeps your brain running, like drawing or reading an article, like this one! When that break ends you then repeat this twice or four more times when you stop at a certain task it should be shorter than the first timer. The break time should always be shorter than the work time and you can also adjust your timer to your own liking as long as it’s similar to this method.
The Feynman technique is a method where you would simplify complex ideas into your own words which exposes gaps in understanding. Choose a concept and act as if you are writing or explaining the concept to a 10 year old, and then revisit the parts where your explanation is unclear or even overly complex to your understanding. Lastly, you should refine your explanation until you understand the concept.
There are many other different methods to help you understand your class/course and the material that is being presented. With these helpful tips it should be easier when it comes to exams and quizzes and homework problems, but mainly exams. These study methods are different and somewhat similar but they really do help when it comes to studying if you are looking for extra help besides tutoring or study groups!