Introduction
Whether you’re a high school student or professional, the question of how much time you should study is one that can get you into trouble. It’s easy to think that more is better, but there are some important strategies for making sure your studying time is as effective as possible.
Study sessions should be short.
Studying for too long can actually make you forget what you’re learning, which defeats the purpose of studying in the first place! Instead, it’s better to study for short amounts of time throughout your day.
- Short study sessions will help keep your focus sharp and your concentration high throughout the day.
- Short study sessions will keep you on task and motivated as opposed to feeling tired or bored from sitting in front of a computer screen for hours at a time.
- Short study sessions are also great because they give you breaks between work so that when you come back later on, it feels like starting fresh again!
Don’t cram.
But let’s be clear: cramming is not effective. In fact, it can often be detrimental to your academic performance.
First of all, cramming doesn’t help you remember things in the long term. When you study something quickly by trying to memorize everything at once, it’s not going to stick with you very well. You will probably find yourself forgetting most of what you crammed within a day or two after studying it—which means that if an exam comes up soon after the last time you crammed, then sorry! That information is all gone now and there’s no way for your brain to access it anymore. If there was ever a time for cramming in this scenario, that was four days ago and not now! But since we’ve already covered why cramming isn’t an effective study method and why it might even be counterproductive for some people (see above), let’s move on from this point.
Second of all (and perhaps most importantly), many students report feeling stressed or overwhelmed when they try hard but don’t succeed; this stress can cause them not only physically but also mentally—even if their grades don’t change much at all because of how much work they put into studying beforehand like someone else who didn’t spend nearly as much time preparing might have done instead! This increased stress level can make even pleasant activities seem unpleasant because our brains are focusing more on negative thoughts than positive ones which makes us feel like everything sucks right now despite how great life may actually be right now too! That being said though–cramming doesn’t usually lead directly into poor performance because most students aren’t emotionally invested enough yet so there isn’t really anything tangible about our lives at stake here yet either way…
Vary your study environment.
Here’s how you can use this technique:
- Choose a few places to study, like the library or your bedroom.
- In each of these spots, experiment with different setups that make it easier for you to focus. For example, in my dorm room I’ll set up my computer so that it faces away from the door and towards another wall. That way if someone walks by or opens my door I’m less likely to be distracted by them. Also try turning off notifications on your phone. If these things seem too drastic for you right now, just get used to studying somewhere where other people are nearby (especially if they’re doing something unrelated). The more familiar those sounds become when they’re not distracting you now will make them less distracting later when they actually do disrupt your flow.”
Start studying before class, don’t wait until a day before the exam.
- Start studying early.
- Don’t wait until the last minute to start studying, or cramming.
- Don’t wait until the day before the exam to begin your studying.
Stay focused during your study time, don’t multi-task.
When you study, it’s important that you stay focused. Don’t do anything else while you’re studying, including checking social media and eating or drinking. Your phone, tablet and computer should be turned off during your study time as well. Watching TV or movies, listening to music and reading books are all activities that will break your concentration when it comes time for examination day. If you find yourself getting distracted by something else that’s not related to the subject matter of your test (for example: friends texting or calling), don’t let them distract you—tell them that it’s not a good time for conversation right now!
Make sure you have realistic expectations about how much you can practice and absorb in a single day.
Be realistic about how much you can learn in a single day. Don’t try to cram all of your studying into one sitting, or even two or three. Instead, spread out your studying into multiple sessions throughout the day and week. This will give you more opportunities to absorb information, as well as making it easier for your brain to take in the material without feeling overwhelmed—and without burning out!
Make sure that when you’re studying, you set aside enough time for breaks so that you can keep up with your energy levels throughout the day—this is important because having too much energy makes it harder for people to retain information (again: science). And if possible, make sure that at least 8 hours before bedtime is dedicated solely towards sleep—being well-rested helps us focus better than being tired does!
But also remember: Just because something seems like common sense doesn’t mean everyone knows it already–so don’t forget about taking care of yourself outside of class either! Eating right and exercising regularly can help boost brain power just like taking breaks during study sessions does.”
Conclusion
We hope this article has helped you understand how to efficiently study for your exams. With these tips, you can make sure that every minute counts and get the best results possible!
