TIPS ON HOW TO STUDY

1. Be in Class.
2. Don’t try skipping a class and then trying to catch up by reading the textbook. Teachers often highlight points they think will appear on a test or exam. You should pay special attention to the last five weeks in the semester because almost 50% of the course’s work will take place in the last part of the term.
3. Understand your teacher.
   Find out your teacher’s testing format, marking scheme and expectations. You will get better grades by meeting the teacher’s standards.
4. Set specific times to study.
   You should set a time when to review your notes so that you will be more obligied to review at that time. Reviewing your notes also helps you remember them through the principle of repetition.
5. Study in the same place.
   When you study in the same place every time, your mind will automatically kick into gear when you sit in that place. Studying in one area also gives you a permanant place to keep all your supplies.
6. Have short but often study periods.
   Having four short study pperiods a week are more effective than two long study periods because : (1) frequent repetition is the key to building your memory and, (2) long breaks between study periods may help you forget what you studied.
7. Start study periods on time.
   Delays in your schedule will affect how you study. Try to train yourself to use every minute of your scheduled time.
8. Obviously, study when you are awake.
   When you study during the day, , you are more likely to learn faster and retain the information longer. If during your study session you feel drowsy and are about to fall asleep, give in. It is better to learn the rest of the information in the morning than trying to stay awake and forgetting everything the next day.
9. Set goals to accomplish in each subject.
   If you set a goal for a specific time period, you are more likely to accomplish more of it and faster. Don’t worry if you don’t reach you goal in your set amount of time, just reschedule or get back to it when you have time.
10. Start assignments as soon as they are given.
    If you spread the workload out, the quality of your assignment will better. If the assignment is due near exam time, this will save valuble study time.
11. Study your most difficult subjects first.
    You are most conscious when you first sit down to study, so you will be more capable of understanding the hard stuff. With the worst and yucky subjects out of the way, you won’t be tempted to spend long amounts of time on the easy subjects.
12. Review!!
    Taking good notes and reviewing them is the main secret to understanding your subject. The best way to review is to read the information out loud. If you review at regular intervals, you will retain up to 80% in your long term memory.
13. Take breaks.
    I usually take a 10 minute break every 50 minutes, though it may vary. Breaks help to refresh you, so don’t study through them.
14. Reward Yourself.
    When you reach a goal, you feel on top of the world. Reward yourself (ie. magazine, snack, movie or TV show). Rewards give you incentive to reach your next goals!
15. Finish Homework.
    If you don’t finish your work it will pile up. The more your work piles up, the harder it is to catch up. Finishing homework also gives you confidence that you can finish what you start.

The list makes studying seem hard, but it turns easier once you get used to it. Now, If you have said any of the following quotations in the past, fear no longer for there are answers!! coming now in a web page near you . . .
“I can’t concentrate!”
Thinking about your date Saturday night?? Don’t worry. All you need are a few approved concentration techniques.

1. Switch subjects frequently. If you have a short attention span or is easily bored, switch the subjects you are studying frequently. Having variety helps ward off boredom.
2. Avoid Distractions. Tell your family you don not want to be disturbed or study in a room away from usual distractions (TV, phone calls, nearby conservations).
3. Sleep well! If you don’t get enough sleep, you will be less able to concentrate. Most people need 7-9 hours of sleep to function normaly.
4. Sit in front of a blank wall. If you’re sitting in front of posters or windows you will more likely to be distracted. The less your surroundings distract you, the better you will concentrate.

“I just can’t remember!”
Trying to remember a text book for an upcoming test is hard, especially if you don’t know what you’re doing. Try and improve your memory with these memory techniques.

1. Reduce information to key facts If you do this, you will have less to remember! Practice, and you will learn to take only important facts!
2. Repetition. The fastest way to transfer information from short term to long term memory is to reherse often and out loud.
3. Have good Attitude! When you like what you learn, remembering will be easier. If you can turn course material into personal interest, the information will be kept longer in your memory.
4. Find Patterns. Remembering items or lists is difficult unless you find patterns.
   . . .ie. The number 123456 can be split into: odd-1,3,5 and even-2,4,6.
5. Rhymes Rhymes are hard to forget. Try rhyming small details that you find hard to remember.
   . . .ie.“In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.”
6. Acronyms. This is a good study tool but don’t spend too much time trying to invent them.
   . . .ie.The Great Lakes – HOMES (Huron, Ontario, Micigan, Erie, Superior)
7. Have good Attitude! When you like what you learn, remembering will be easier. If you can turn course material into personal interest, the information will be kept longer in your memory.

I hope these tips help you get your grades up .