When you walk into an examination room to complete a big assessment, do you usually A.) feel as cool as a cucumber, B.) freak out internally but present a confident front, or C.) melt into a puddle of emotional turmoil?
As much as we’d like to identify with option A, most of us in the Explore Careers team fall into the B and C camps, and if you haven’t researched study tips and methods before, we bet you’re in the same boat.
Losing your cool before a test can feel unavoidable for high school and university students alike. However, if you equip yourself with some tried and tested study techniques, you’re guaranteed to feel a lot better when your next test rolls around. To help you find study strategies that work for you, we’ve put together a list of our favourites (as well as a super informative FAQ section). In short, this guide isn’t one you’ll want to miss!
Why Is Studying So Important
When we’re deep in procrastination territory, we can find ourselves asking loaded questions like ‘Why is studying so important, anyway?’ And to that, we counter with another question: how could you think it wasn’t important?
Not to sound like a strict parent, but studying is a key part of setting yourself up for a bright future. Not only does studying help boost your grades (and get you into a good university if that’s your plan), but it also teaches you transferrable skills that will help you for the rest of your life!
For instance, a great study routine will help you develop your time management skills, focus, and ability to prioritise, all of which will help you in the workforce.
Discover Tried and Tested Study Strategies
While we’d love to offer up a perfected ‘one size fits all’ study routine, that’s simply impossible. Everyone’s study habits and strategies are different because everyone has different strengths and weaknesses! The trick is to take your preferences into account while focusing on methods that suit your skills.
To get you started, we’ve listed some of our favourite study strategies below:
Using Flash Cards
According to the University of Michigan, flashcards work well because they promote active recall in the brain. For those of us who haven’t encountered that term before, active recall refers to the process by which we retrieve memories. What’s more, seeing visual cues and attempting to remember the meaning moves it from our short-term to long-term memory!
Writing Summarised Notes
While note-taking while you’re in class is a great habit, it isn’t enough to rely on when exam season rolls around. Instead, you’ll want to condense your class notes into one summarised document. This strategy allows you to identify the most important bits of information (AKA The bits you’ll need to remember when you’re being assessed!)
Creating Visuals and Graphics
Monash University promotes this study strategy on their student academic success page, so you know it can be trusted! According to them, there are many ways to visualise unit content such as mind maps, brainstorms and infographics. If you’re a visual learner, this strategy will have you feeling exam-ready in no time.
Teaching Someone Else
If you have a study buddy who’s lagging behind, you can actually use their tendency to procrastinate to your advantage (while helping them out, too)! Teaching others course material requires you to engage deeply with the information and organise your thoughts in a clear manner. By the end of your collaborative study session, you’ll both walk away feeling more confident!
Joining a Study Group
It can be tricky to balance studying and socialising, but by joining or forming a study group, you can do both at once! What’s more, you’ll be able to hold each other accountable, avoid procrastination, and fill in any information that you or any other member might have missed.
FAQ: All Your Study-Related Questions Answered
Now that we’ve gone over a tonne of study tips and strategies, we want to ensure we don’t miss covering any of your burning study-related questions:
Question: How Do I Study Effectively?
Answer: Unfortunately, there’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach to studying. The best way to develop an effective study plan is to test out various study strategies and see which ones work best for you.
Question: What is the Best Study Strategy?
Answer: While the answer to this question depends on the student (and their unique skills, strengths and weaknesses), we think our tried and tested study strategies listed above are top tier!
Question: How Do I Study Without Stress?
Answer: The best way to decrease stress levels while studying is to implement a study plan that’s tailored to your needs and to start studying early. There’s no worse feeling than leaving your revision to the last minute!
Question: How Do I Study for Exams?
Answer: Studying for exams is a little different than studying for regular assessments. You’ll need to focus on study strategies that promote active recall, like teaching others, using flashcards, and condensing your notes.
Question: How Do I Balance Working and Studying?
Answer: Maintaining a work/study balance becomes so much easier when you start studying way before the test date or deadline. That way, you’ll have time to see friends and relax, rather than stressing over extensions.
Set Aside Some ‘Me Time,’ Too!
Our final piece of advice is to learn to listen to your body. When you’re stressed and overworked, your body will tell you – think stress headaches, stomach aches and a general sense of ickiness.
To avoid succumbing to the nastiness of burnout, try some of these relaxation techniques as part of your brand-new study plan! Remember, it’s all about balance!
- Take a Bubble Bath
- Cook or Bake Something Yummy
- Talk to a Friend or Family Member
- Go for a Walk
- Snuggle Up with a Cute Animal
- Tune Into Your Favourite Show
- Treat Yourself to an Early Night
Become Even More Organised By Planning Your Future
If you’re researching how to study for exams, it’s likely that the decision between attending university or joining the workforce is quickly approaching. This might feel just as scary as the night before an exam, but trust us, it doesn’t have to.
Get ahead and start planning your future with the help of our career advice articles today. Chances are, if you’re dreaming of a certain career, we have an article to help you lock it down!
