5 Tips To Study Smarter – Not Harder!

Studying can be tough, especially if the content isn’t something you’re very excited about or you have a lot of other things on the go. Below are some tips to help you focus on studying smart. 

1. Follow a clear study schedule. If you want to make sure you study each week, you need to follow a schedule. If you don’t develop a study routine, you risk losing focus and hurting your performance in your classes. Write out a study schedule in a notebook, and make it realistic! If you have band practice after school for an hour, then dinner with your family, it’s unlikely you’ll then want to spend 3 hours studying for a calculus test. Be kind on yourself and set realistic and achievable goals for your study schedule. 

2. Make a goal for every study session. Just flipping through notes or the textbook is not effective. Set a concrete goal for each study session to gain the most from your homework. Great goals include reading a certain number of pages in the textbook or mastering a specific concept. 

3. Avoid cramming. While it can work sometimes, it’s really only temporary knowledge. This is especially problematic for tough classes like AP classes where the information is cumulative. Try your best to start studying while you have plenty of time before the test. Doing some last minute revision is ok, but don’t rely on this for the entirety of your knowledge. 

4. Use your weekends wisely. Sure, the weekend is a good time to unwind, but you also need to use this time wisely to also get ahead and avoid rushing during the week. Build some weekend study into your schedule, even if it’s just an hour on Sunday afternoon. It’s important to find a good balance, so you’re still getting to see your friends and spend time with your family, but you’re also starting the week off on a good foot.

5. Try creating a study group, but pick your study buddies wisely. Make sure this is someone you can actually get stuff done with. Also be cautious with including too many people in your group, as this can make it easier to get distracted. You want to study around people who are motivated to get through their work, and also happy to talk through problems and concepts if you need a hand figuring something out. 

Now these five techniques should be helpful, but most importantly remember to be flexible with your study techniques! If you’re studying for a test and do poorly on it, look at it as a learning opportunity and a chance to try a different technique next time. So whether it’s doing flashcards while you’re waiting for your ride to pick you up, or teaching the tricky concepts from class to your friend, is important to try all kinds of techniques to learn what works best for you and to study smarter, not harder.

Best of luck with your studies! You got this.