Top Tips for Efficient Studying
School during the Covid-19 pandemic has been hugely interrupted meaning students are in and out of school. Many people find it harder to study at home without the constant motivation of teachers and people around you, so this blog post will compile the best tips for studying effectively and efficiently.
Short bursts
Studying for something like a big test can be incredibly daunting - studying in short increments makes this a lot more manageable, plus it means you can study for longer without burning out. It is best to study in increments of about 25-30 mins with a five minute break in between, meaning that you can give yourself time to rest and absorb everything you have learnt. Switching up what you study regularly can also help and top you from getting bored too quickly.
Study space
Having a designated study space is very important - it puts you in the right mindset when you sit down to work, whether it is your desk or your school library. This study space should be clean and organised and free of any distractions. Everyone needs different things to study - some people need music or background white noise whereas others need complete silence, so make sure your study space is optimised to the way you best study.
Figuring out how you learn best
The most important thing school sets you up to do in later life is to figure out how you best learn things. Some people have a better auditory memory - they remember things they hear, whereas some people have a better visual memory where they best remember things they have seen or read. Doing some research on how to optimise your studying based on how you learn can be incredibly helpful - there is no point spending hours making notes if you are an auditory learner. Different subjects will also probably mean you need to do different things to prepare - an essay based subject may require you to do essay plans whereas something like maths may simply require you to do lots of practise questions.
Organisation
This is a huge thing you may have heard your teachers and parents talking a lot about, and for good reason. One of the hardest things about exams is the sheer volume of things you need to learn, especially as you near the end of courses like GCSEs or A Levels. Making a plan of what you need to learn can help you prioritise the things you may be tested on first and help manage your time so that you can do the most efficient studying. It also allows you to collect resources that you may need to study by a certain time and just takes a lot of the uncertainty and stress off studying. Plus, who doesn’t love the satisfying feeling of being able to tick something off your to-do list?
Study smart, not hard
Many people preach about the merits of ‘hard work’, and whilst this is true, being a smart worker is even more important. Smart working can be prioritising things you know you struggle with, and optimising your study methods to yourself - if you are a visual learner, instead of writing out pages and pages of work, use colours and diagrams to help you remember and visualise your notes in your test. Actively engaging with your work is proven to be one of the best ways to retain information, for example, practise questions or creating mind maps or even explaining concepts aloud to yourself instead of reading them.
Learning how to learn is a skill that takes years to develop, and can always be improved. Everyone learns differently, so simply because all your friends are creating reams and reams of notes, this does not mean it is the best for you. You can also find yourself under a lot of time-pressure when studying for tests, so studying smarter and not harder becomes even more important here - every hour counts. Long marathon sessions are not effective as 30 mins of intensive study with a break - remember, your brain needs a break too! A well rested and engaged brain is going to retain the most information. Most importantly, do not let this stop you from having fun! Taking a night off to just watch TV can be incredibly helpful and refreshing. The worst thing you can do is burn out, so make sure you listen to yourself and know when to cut yourself some slack. Good luck, and I’m sure all of you will do great!