Studying is something that we all know we should do, but most of us really don’t want to do. However, when study skills are put in place and enough time in advance is used, studying can be an effective way to do well in school. The following are tips and suggestions of ways that you can go about establishing a positive and effective set of study habits.

NOTES:
Before you can even begin to study, you must ensure that you have something to study from. Keeping an up-to-date set of notes is a great way to provide yourself with the required amount of material to learn from. Here are some suggestions for your notes:

  • Always put the date at the top of the page of your notes. It will help you go through your notes and allow you to get the notes you missed when you weren’t there.
  • A table of contents can be an effective way for you to quickly find the notes that you need for a particular test or exam.
  • Title your notes at the top of the page so that you may be able to find the specific note(s) without having to sift through all of them.
  • Dividers are a great way to break up your work from different units or chapters in the class. Labeling the dividers will also help you chunk your work into more manageable parts.
  • Keep one binder for each subject. This will make your studying more focused and will eliminate the temptation to jam everything into one binder.


THE SPACE:
Once you have tidied up your notes and made sure to ask a friend or your teacher for any of the work that you may have missed it is time to get down to work and put those notes to good use. Finding a place that you feel comfortable in is very important.
  • Find a place that you like to study in. It may be your bedroom, the kitchen, the TV room or wherever. What is important is that it is a place that you feel comfortable in and can put you into the right “study frame of mind”.
  • Your room should be distraction free. This means that the space should be free of anyone or anything that will take your attention away from the task at hand.
  • Make the room a consistent place for you to be. It should be a place that you can access at any time, or be able to spend a good amount of time in.
  • Do not study in your bed. Research has shown that if you study in your bed you will not want to sleep in it because you begin to think of you bed as a negative place.

A ROUTINE:
There is nothing more effective than finding a routine that works. A well established routine can help you maximize your study time.
  • Try to study at the same time each day. By allotting the same amount of time, around the same time each day you will be more willing to dedicate the time to studying.
  • Study when your brain is turned on. For some people it can take them a while to wake up in the morning so studying in the morning for them is not such a good idea. Sometimes right after school when you get home is a good idea because there might be fewer people in the house and your brain is still in school mode which will help you retain more knowledge.
  • Studying right after a lesson or right at the end of the school day is a great way to make the information you got a school stay in your head. The sooner you study new material the greater the likelihood that you will remember it.
  • Do your best to replicate the exam situation that you are likely to find yourself in. If you are not allowed to listen to music during the exam, then do not listen to music when you study. You want your brain to get into a routine as well.
  • Taking regular, pre-planned breaks is a great way to let your brain have a breather when going over your notes.
  • Writing out your notes is a great way to not only go over your information, but it can act as a checklist to make sure you have everything you need and will help you come up with any questions you need answered.
  • GET A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP!!!!!!!

ATTITUDE:
Your own attitude towards studying will have a huge impact your success. If you think that studying will not help you, more than likely you will not be effective at studying and it will affect your success on tests and exams. If you think that studying is a good idea, then you will be motivated to do it, and stay on task when you are studying. Your own attitude towards preparing for an exam will have the greatest impact on your results.

FINAL MESSAGE:
Everyone studies differently and people take in information in a variety of ways. For some they will not need to study as much as others. For people who missed a lot of class, they may need to study more. Whatever the case it is important to work on your study habits now so that when your classes become more intense and greater expectations are put upon you, you are ready to face the challenge.