Whether to prepare for an examination or just for the purpose of understanding the lessons taught by your teachers, here are some useful tips for you on how to study better. I consider these tips as the Eight-Point Plan. As a teacher, I find the study tips offered here to be practical and manageable for students to try. These are my very own study tips that had been very useful for me when I was a student, and even now, they are still applicable whenever I have study courses.
The Eight-Point Plan:
- Do not Panic!
Before you start any real studying strategies, you should be clear and true to yourself how and what you feel about studying in general. Do you consider studying and revising as important? Are you confident to get good grades with or without more personal studying? Do not get scared to know that other students around you may have started their revision. It is not too late for you to start yours!
- Prepare a place for studying.
This point takes into consideration the amount of space for your books and stationery, proper illumination of the room, availability of an alarm clock, and the conduciveness of the area in terms of air, heat and noise level.
- Write up a Study Timetable.
Firstly, create a useful calendar format. Put every day until the day of your examinations on the calendar format. Add in your special days like family events or outings.
Then, make another timetable where you have a list of your everyday duties on the top and the days of the week on the side. Here, you actually determine how many hours are spent on your everyday duties such as housework, eating, sleeping, etc. Do not forget to put your time to relax.
Finally, whatever time is left will be for your study, and from there you can decide on when you will study (in terms of which day) and highlight this on the calendar format.
- Survey everything you need to revise for the examination.
Ask these questions to yourself:
- What subjects to study first?
- What topics to cover?
- What times would you study each subject?
The answers to the last question should be added to your calendar and timetable. So, commit yourself to that timetable as soon as possible!
- Make notes as you revise.
The crucial mistake for any student in doing personal studying is just reading his notes.
Points to remember when making short notes:
- Do not write every word (unless you are practising your composition writings). Instead, look for keywords.
- Put your main headings for your notes; then write in your information on a separate line.
- You can have your information in mind maps or diagrams.
- Practise questions from the textbooks; then check your answers from your exercise books.
- Write down any problems encountered to ask your teacher at school.
- If possible, use colour-coded stickers on your notes to identify topics you know well, topics you need to review, and so on.
- Work in 1-hour blocks, with 10 minutes break for every hour of studying.
Time yourself (the alarm clock is useful here). The idea is for you to organise your studying time and it also helps to reduce personal stress.
During the breaks, give yourself small rewards for 10 minutes such as go to the kitchen for snacks and drinks, have a few minutes of physical exercises to release the body stress, meet up with members of your family for a chat in the other room.
- Form a study group.
The idea is to obtain additional help in your process of studying. Try having friends in your class as your study group. From the positive discussion activities in your group, you will then be able to review your notes more effectively.
- Eat well and Sleep well!
Do not avoid your main meals for the day. If you need reminders, add in the important meals with your family into your timetable. Remember, food intake is still crucial for your brain cells to work well.
Get a full night’s sleep every day. Do not tire yourself out. You will sleep better when you know you are doing your BEST!