Tips on how to study effectively? I swear I can see no progress on my studies right now.

11 comments

1. Relearning. Relearn material 3 times and it tends to stick

2. Ebbinghaus’s Forgetting Curve and Pomodoro Technique. Read up on them.

   You’re welcome.

3. Study 45 minutes, break 10 minutes, study 45 minutes etc

4. study with others. The social pressure to keep up is greater than internal motivation

5. Stop being distracted by the thing called Reddit

6. I’ll tell you my method (with moderate to severe ADHD). Results may vary.

   Find an album or playlist to go along with a subject. Night before a test, look over your notes while listening to that music. Day of test, don’t review notes, but do listen to the same music. Show up early to test location (if possible), and listen to music until test time.

   I found that if I tried to cram day-of, I’d only remember the last thing I read. By using the music association method, I’d be able to recall more knowledge. Showing up early just reduces stress about being late.

   That got me through a 4-year engineering degree. Best of luck to you.

7. Something that helped in sixth form for me. Studying for a specific module or test that you think you’ll struggle with. Get all your notes written out in big writing on plain a4 paper. Make it colourful, fun, whatever. Tape it to the ceiling above your bed, about 5 or 6 pieces of papers of notes.

   First thing you read when you wake up, last thing you read before bed. You’ll either memorise the information without even realising, or you’ll be able to ‘picture’ the whole thing during an exam.

8. What are you studying and how do you learn?
   Do you retain stuff from hearing it, or do you have to write it out?

   I’ve taken a lot of classes from various subjects. I could walk through my college level history courses by simplying going to the lecture, doing the reading. But in the case of organic chemistry, it was drills, flash cards, filling notebooks full of repetitions of the reactions and mechanisms

9. Hi,
   First of all you need to give yourself a break 🙂
   Stop thinking in absolutes because you are making progress, although it might not be as quickly as you would like.

   Now to the question. Everyone learns in different ways and you just need to find the way for you.
   Visual Learners need to read, see pictures, write things down. Flash cards are an example. Use pneumonics for memorizing. Tip: When memorizing formulas, take a white board marker, go into the shower or on your bathroom mirror and write. Then erase. Do this everyday until they become rote.
   Auditory learners: they do well listening in class lectures, or explaining concepts to someone else. Tip: if you can teach someone else the concept it will stick in your head for life. You can also make an audio recording or listen to audio recordings.
   Kinesthetic learners: these folks have to move while learning. Sitting down for hours at a time is not going to work for these learners. Tip: go on a run or frequent walks while studying.

   The biggest tip there is for students is don’t beat yourself up. If you want to be an engineer/doctor/writer/chef, you will be one!

   Guess what? If you do not do well the first time taking a test, it doesn’t matter! Just get up, study, practice and take it again. And again. And again if necessary.
   Your desire and attitude are the only limiting factors in achieving knowledge. You decide what you want to achieve and then do it.
   One of my favorite quotes
   “It’s impossible,” said pride.
   “It’s risky,” said experience.
   “It’s pointless,” said reason.
   “Give it a try,” whispered the heart.
   Follow your heart

10. You want to focus on spaced retrieval. Your brain learns best when it is tested, takes a break, then is tested again. I’m talking about fill-in-the-blank, open answer, essay type questions. Multiple choice and similar only help you recognize material, not actually get it into your long term memory.

    Create tests of the material you need to learn. Take a test, then review what you got right and wrong. Take a break, then do another test on different problems or, even better, different subjects.

    [Overall study skills](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLx65qkgCWNJKHcoJzgJ8xd97JbS64e4xE)

    [Use the Feynman Technique to make sense of complex problems](https://youtu.be/_f-qkGJBPts)

    [More resources](https://www.retrievalpractice.org/library?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=socialnetwork)

    DM me if you want more help.

11. Treat school like a 9-5 job. That worked wonders for me.

    Also, I can’t study at my house. I have to go to a library to get away from any distractions.