With midterm season approaching, many students are in search of optimal study methods that will help them get that A. You’ve heard all the clichès: get eight hours of sleep, drink lots of water and use highlighters. In reality, we all know that getting a good night’s rest is not exactly at the top of our to-do list when prepping for five exams and endless papers. Here are some proven and realistic study methods you can use to do well this exam season:
- Space out your studying
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Based on a concept called “spaced repetition,” this technique involves scheduling your study periods in intervals. Rather than learning information for hours all in one go, it’s actually more beneficial to break up the information over study sessions in iterations. The best part? You can actually study for a shorter amount of time while more thoroughly processing the information.
- Use mnemonic devices
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Chances are you have used this memory technique at some point in your studying journey. Mnemonic devices are short-form ways, if you will, to remember large portions of information. An example of this is remembering the order of math operations by using “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally”: parentheses, exponents, multiply, divide, add, subtract. Perhaps you can think of other examples that you’ve learned throughout middle school and high school. Other methods include making a song out of information, creating a model like a graph or a chart, or using rhymes to create a poem.
- Take breaks
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It is sooooo important to make sure you implement breaks into your study day. Studying for six hours straight will likely lead to distraction or a less intensive session in which you may not be retaining any information. Take a break when you feel like your attention is drifting and come back feeling refuelled. For every hour you study you should have a minimum 10-minute break.
- Study in a group
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Group studying can be beneficial for a number of reasons. In this environment, you can teach concepts to other students which allows you to see if you really know the material. On the other hand, you can gain insight from others if you are struggling with a particular concept.
- Test yourself
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You may know information when reading through your notes, but will you be able to recall it when worded in question form? There is a difference between being able to remember information through recognition and being able to recall. Recalling means that you are fully able to remember information without any major cues; recognition is the feeling when you think you know something reading through your notes, then getting to the exam unable to remember it because there are no cues available to you. To prevent this, test yourself by creating questions out of the information. Use flashcards or ask someone to read your questions back to you.
- Practice interleaving
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Interleaving is the practice of alternating between multiple subjects or courses to enhance learning. For example, a student could study their cognitive psychology course for an hour and then switch over to a political studies course the next hour. This concept has been proven to enhance learning results. Possible explanations are that it allows your brain to discriminate between different concepts while inhibiting its’ ability to fall back on rote responses because previous information is not relevant.