Make the most out of your study sessions and improve your academic performance with these three time-saving tips:
- Avoid cramming before exams. Trying to force yourself to study a ton of information during the last couple of days leading up to your exam is incredibly inefficient. Combat this by slowly interlinking ideas as they come to you to transform your studying into a quick recap rather than your first attempt at learning the material.
- Test your understanding of the material. It isn't enough just to memorize key concepts or dates. To perform well on your test you should be able to jump between sections, explain the connections between key concepts and be able to reference one idea to explain another. Pay rapt attention and take meticulous notes in class. Teachers’ and professors’ lectures offer the information and takeaways they feel are the most important. Re-write your notes to prep for tests, and then, with the time you have left, connect more dots from your highlights in the text book. Make the most of the time you spend in class to reduce the time you need to study outside of your class hours.
- Don't waste time making sure everything looks perfect. Having gorgeous notes at the expense of having complete notes doesn't help when it comes to studying later. Your end goal is to capture all the information your lecturer deems the most vital; don't feel like your notes have to look perfect.