Studying, also known as the act of texting and watching Netflix with an open textbook nearby. I’m just kidding, but all jokes aside, studying can be difficult, and finding the perfect study strategy can be even more challenging. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to learning to study effectively and it’s easy to feel lost or anxious when trying to figure out the best way learn course material. I know how that feels, and I’m here to relieve some of that stress by ranking study methods from best to worst so you can optimize your study experience.
I ranked the study methods based on their utility and efficacy using the following tiered system:
- Productivity Legend!
- Great
- Good
- Average
- Meh
If the method is at the top of my list, that means I found it very effective and it’s something I would use religiously. Conversely, if I don’t think the method is promising, I designated the strategy as “Meh,” and wouldn’t recommend it. So, here’s the breakdown of the best and worst study strategies.
Spaced Repetition:
When it comes to learning, it is very easy to forget information after you first skim over it. The following scenario may be all too familiar for university students: you go to lecture and learn something new and then, a week later, you open your notes to review but it’s like you’ve never even seen that content before. If this has happened to you, spaced repetition should be your go-to strategy.
The reason why this study method works so effectively can be explained by the forgetting curve, which describes how we retain or get rid of information. It’s based on a one-hour lecture. As explained by the University of Waterloo, “at the end of the lecture we know 100% of what you know, however well you know it. This where the curve is at its highest point…By day 2, if you have done nothing with the information you learned in that lecture, you will have lost 50%-80% of what you learned… and by day 30, we retain about 2%-3% of the original hour!”
So, the idea of the forgetting curve is that over time we forget information at an exponential rate if we don’t review it. However, you can change the shape of the curve by reprocessing the same bit of information. The key is, every time we interrupt the forgetting curve, the longer it takes us to forget something. The more likely we are to space out our repetitions of information and review regularly, the more likely we are to store this information into our long-term memory. This is the go-to strategy when it comes to remembering concepts in medicine, science or any course that requires recall of copious amounts of information.
Rating: Productivity Legend
Active Recall:
This technique involves recalling the information that is stored away in your brain by actively stimulating the memory while studying. The method has been shown to be way better than simply re-reading information. For example, if you are asking quiz questions at the end of your lecture, you will be forced to retrieve information from your memory about the lecture you just watched, actively engaging with it.
A great way to add active recall to your study routine is to write down questions for yourself as you are studying a new topic. If you come across something difficult, ask yourself a question about it. This way, you can assure yourself that you understand the information taught to you. Explaining what you learned to your friends or family is also part of this technique. If you can describe new information in your own words, this means you truly understand what you have learned.
Rating: Productivity Legend
Reviewing and Doing Past Exams and Papers:
If you have access to this source, make sure to use it. It’s a perfect revision technique for helping you ace your exams. This method also uses active recall. The downside? Finding old papers and exams can be a challenge in itself.
Past exams are efficient because you are put in a position where you have to really think on the spot. More importantly, they prompt you to think about how to apply the information that is in your brain to a particular scenario. Because you have to put so much effort into study process, if you get each question right, you won’t forget it. Similarly, if you get the question wrong, you’ll remember that, too. All in all, this is a great revision method if you can get your hands on some past material.
Rating: Great
Pomodoro Technique:
This method involves working in short, focused bursts of 25 to 30 minutes and then going yourself a short, five-minute break. You repeat this cycle of focusing and taking a break several times for a longer study session (2 hours or more).
This method is really good to get you started. If you feel unmotivated, a short study burst may be just what you need to get out of that unproductive slump. It is also great if you need to memorize a significant amount information. How effective this technique is for you depends on the content that you are learning. If you are going through lectures, for example – which tend to be an hour and 20 minutes long – this method can break your flow. Once you’ve gotten into the study grove and wish to sit for longer periods of time, the Pomodoro Technique may no longer be useful.
Rating: Good
Using Anki Cards:
This study method tends to be a favourite among medical students. It involves using a free flashcard app (Anki) available across any platform that incorporates spaced repetition techniques in its system. For example, if you create a flashcard in Anki and start to learn it, the system will show you the flashcard and will then show it to you again in a few minutes. If you get the answer right both times, you won’t see the card again until the next day. So, if the answer is correct, you will, see the card less frequently and over a prolonged time interval. However, if you get the answer wrong, you will see the card more frequently so that you can learn it.
Studying with Anki is a very active process, and is great if you’re studying for a course like pharmacology and anatomy where you have to remember very specific bits of information.
But, the problem with Anki is that it’s hard to learn new concepts with it. If you’re trying to learn a fundamental principle for the first time and are beginning to familiarize yourself with a concept then this is not an ideal method. It is very important to first learn the concepts before being tested on them. It also takes time to get the settings right with Anki and overall, the system takes some getting used to.
Rating: Good
Creating Mind Maps:
This technique is great if you are a visual learner because it will allow you to connect the concepts to each other and see how information is related to different topics. This may not be as useful if you prefer other learning styles, like if you’re are an auditory learner. Note, though: creating mind maps can be very time consuming and can become very complicated very quickly. You may need to learn how to budget your time when creating these but overall, they’re good for identifying the bigger picture ideas.
Rating: Average
Writing Out Study Notes:
This a very common method for studying. However, creating taking notes, whether you are typing or hand-writing them, can be very time consuming since it’s very easy to get caught up in formatting them to make them look pretty. Also, it’s important to remember that the goal isn’t merely to take notes, but to learn what’s exactly in them. Often, what will happen is that you will spend way too much time on note taking so by the time you finish, you no longer ahem the motivation or will-power to actually learn your notes. And so, you’ll likely just skim the over before the exam. That being said, in undergrad, I find that I can keep coming back to the concepts that I learned in my first year and having notes to look back upon has proven to be helpful. Despite that, I would not rely on this strategy as a primary learning system.
Rating: Average
Reading Through Notes:
This is a good starting point in order to acquaint yourself with the material. It should be the first step in studying but relying on this technique to learn anything is a recipe for disaster because reading notes is a very passive process. This method is also not very efficient and is very time consuming. Another reason why this strategy is not conducive to successful studying is because it can get very boring and overwhelming to have to go through great quantities of information.
Rating: Meh