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With the start of college in August came assignments, tests, and quizzes. I started to notice that I have developed a full study system for the different classes that I’m taking. For anyone out there struggling to study for tests and quizzes, I will list out all the study tips I have developed throughout this new semester or have been using ever since school.
Plan and Prep
Schedule a Study Routine
The first thing is to develop a study routine. To do this, you need to know yourself in a learning field. For instance, I know that daily studying is not something that I’m able to keep up with because I tend to get bored and lose focus if I do that.
On the other hand, if I leave everything last minute (which I have done a lot of in the past); it worked when I was in high school but now that I am in college with the amount of work that I have, it is not viable for me to do that.
That’s why I start prepping my studying setup 5 days previous to a test or quiz with the steps that I will be jotting down going forward.
You can schedule your study routine on a monthly calendar, weekly schedule spreadsheet, or a planner.
Remember that you can still get use out of the FREE College Planner I created for everyone out there who wanted a planner for this semester as well as the calendar, weekly spread, and much more from the FREE Printables Library that you can get access to by subscribing to my weekly newsletter.
Stay on Track
Every single day, I work on something school/ college-related. This allows me to maintain a healthier routine and never fall behind on work. To do this, I use various of the printables I have already mentioned.
Having things written down in a physical or digital planner is one of the things that have allowed me to maintain myself on track and sometimes slightly ahead, for school work and it is helpful to get all of those things and tasks out of your head and on a piece of paper just so you can get the sense that they are doable.
Study Prep
Collect All Info
The first thing I do, especially with asynchronous classes is collect all the info that the professors have given us.
I write down even to the smallest of details because I don’t want to let those little details take me down at the moment of taking a test.
Research to Understand
You can get by some classes by bottling up all the info even if you don’t understand one bit of it.
As a person who likes to connect things and make logic out of them, I want to make sure that I understand all concepts that are taught in class, and sometimes, the textbooks aren’t enough so we gotta reach for our good old friends, Google and YouTube.
This is crucial for subjects such as math and science where you have to go to certain steps to find the result of equations or understand how each element of a lab project work.
Organize & Categorize
After getting all the information you need, there comes my favorite part which is arranging it all.
I do most of my note-taking by hand because it helps to grasp the information I’m taking; but as soon as I have all the messy (slightly organized) notes, I want to be able to study them in a structured matter.
I do this by putting all of those notes in a Word doc and I use different headers to categorize the main points that we have discussed.
Highlight Main Points
After you have your subject review, you gotta make sure you highlight the main concepts and anything that you find difficulty learning or memorizing. I personally use the Pilot Frixion Highlighters.
Understand Main Points
Make sure you understand at least the main points you are studying. Sometimes, bottling up the information is not enough and you need to put to use the things you are supposed to learn and that’s why is important that you understand what you are studying.
Make Connections
One of the best ways that I have found to study for different subjects is to make connections between concepts.
Tests tend to be around a certain unit or topic and the different elements of the units tend to be connected with one another in some way or another.
That’s why connecting concepts can be helpful when studying. One thing though, make sure that you don’t mix up the concepts, one thing is to connect concepts and understand them while doing so; and another thing is to mix them up and not getting neither.
Extra Tips
Put a Timer
When you have a big task to work on but that doesn’t need completion in that day and you have other priorities that are due that day is important that you use some timer system to not tire yourself out and to make sure that you keep the thoughts flowing with a change of scenery (assignment) every now and then.
Ambient Sounds or Music
Depending on the type of assignment I’m working on, I either put Ambient World’s sounds or a musical playlist on Spotify.
I know that some people may find this distracting but for me, it helps to avoid getting frustrated and overwhelmed with boredom because I have to do at least two things at a time though I know that it isn’t recommended much.
Stay Hydrated
I notice that I drink lots of water every back to school season or in days that I’m being super productive and staying hydrated really helps me get through my day feeling good.
I made a blog post not so long ago about the best habits to create for creatives in which I mentioned a couple of habits that help me in my day to day. And a blog post about my productivity tips for procrastinators (like myself).
Self-Care!
I know that I tend to talk a lot about self-care, but it’s just because I truly believe it to be essential to be healthy and happy.
Remember that you are a student, not a robot. Especially in these times when things are different and a bit overwhelming, it is important that you remember to take time to rest and take care of yourself.
I hope you found this blog post helpful. Comment down below your best study tips so that we can all help one another.
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Be Yourself, Be Happy, Be Human.
Lots of Love, Patrick.
