9. Put away your phone!
Texts and social media notifications will bedetrimental to your concentration so try toswitch off for your 30 minute study session
8. Listening to music might not be thebest way
While some studies have shown that classicalmusic can help, a recent study found thatstudying with rhythmic background music canbe detrimental to focus, while studyparticipants who weren't listening to music didmuch better
7. Create a study zone
Research shows that having a specific,organised zone for studying, with all thestudy tools you need in one place, helps toboost results
Similar to setting specific study hours, having astudy zone primes your brain for effectivestudying
6. Practice makes perfect
Completing practice tests can help identifygaps in your knowledge which you can thenfocus on, while boosting confidence in theareas you know you have covered
5. Learn it as if you're about to teach it
Students who were asked to memorise apassage did far better if they were preparing toteach the passage rather than be tested on it
If you can't explain it briefly then you don'tknow it well enough
4. Set a specific goal
Set a specific goal which you can achieve ina session, like learning how to balance achemical equation or how to conjugateFrench verbs
3. Find an alternative to linear notesand highlighting
Linear note taking can get you to focus onconnections between facts which are potentiallyless useful
Try using a less linear way of learning, likeflashcards or mind mapping
2. Make sure you get some sleep
Pulling an all-nighter and missing sleep candamage your memory and reasoning skillsfor up to 4 days afterwards
Set specific hours for studying, training yourbrain to be alert and digest knowledge duringthat period
1. Study best in small, short chunks
20 x 30minute sessions over a few weeks arefar more effective than one 10 hour session
Your brain is able to digest the informationbetter, so many skills e.g. swimming or tennis,follow the same format
Tips to study better instead of harder