Developing
effective study habits is a key step to achieving academic success, because it
is what you do consistently, rather than occasionally, that makes a difference.
Once you set a goal, or implement a habit, it is important to initially be
disciplined and stick to it consistently over a period of time (i.e. a month or
two). It takes effort. But once the momentum begins to build, it becomes
easier, and you will be driven to achieve more!
Here
are 4 common habits of successful students:
1. Set and Stick to a Schedule, with an end in mind
The
main cause of wasted study time is not knowing exactly what to study and when
to pursue that subject. To be able to study efficiently and effectively, you
must set a goal: ask yourself, “What is my aim today? What do I want to
accomplish by the end of today?” Anyone can set and follow a schedule, but
those who don’t succeed have no idea where to begin studying. These students
waste time by jumping back and forth between material, and by getting
distracted by something halfway. You can avoid these pitfalls by first
measuring your time—how much time do you have available to devote completely to
studying school work? List out your other duties, such as full-time or
part-time jobs, classes, extracurricular activities, vacation, etc. Writing
your involvement down will allow you to observe the amount of time you can
actually devote to studying without interruption. Once you have a calendar,
create a study schedule by beginning with the end in mind. This means that you
want imagine and write down exactly what you want to get done before you start.
Be specific. Do you want to finish reading 15 pages of your calculus textbook,
make notes and complete questions 1-12? Or research for 5 sources for your
English essay, and complete 7 pages of point form notes on the topic?
First,
fill in all the days you will not be studying due to vacation, meetings, jobs,
or prior commitments. Then fill in the rest of the calendar based on the topics
you want to cover all the way up until test day. Be as specific as you can when
filling in your schedule, so that you know exactly what to study for which day.
2. Track Your Progress
Tracking
how you progress is your best form of self-feedback, and it will give you a
realistic sense of how well (or how badly) you are doing. For each practice
section you do, write down how many questions you got correct/wrong. This trick
will help you to immediately identify your strengths and weaknesses. You may be
amazed to find patterns—for instance, your strength may be performing
arithmetic rapidly, but tracking your progress may reveal that word problems in
trigonometry is your weak area. Remember, every mistake that you make during
practice is one that you can avoid on your real tests or exams. You can achieve
this goal by looking at the answers you answered wrong, and specifically asking
yourself why you got that problem incorrect. Knowing the reason you answered a
question will help you identify your thought process, and prevent you from
making foolish mistakes on your tests or exams.
3. Take Control of Time Management
Your
most valuable toll when studying for your tests and exams is the ability to
control your time. For each of your study sessions, only you can tell yourself
what to study and motivate yourself to achieve goals. You can make the path to
successful time management easier by first finding a good place to study—make
sure that it is quiet and away from distractions. Also try to find a location
that is easy to commute to. You lose valuable time if you have to drive an hour
to another library when there is a conference room down the hall. To motivate
yourself, be sure to set specific study breaks so that you don’t burn yourself
out. Taking breaks will help you to refuel (eat a snack!), to rethink (reflect
on the answers you got wrong), and to reflect (track your current progress for
this week). One trick that I have used is to work my day around my study
schedule. Studying can be done anywhere and anytime. I bring flashcards with me
and review them while waiting for the bus, or I read a passage or review a
section while waiting for a lab experiment to finish. These are all valuable
opportunities to get some studying done.
4. Find Discipline and Motivation
The
most difficult moments of studying for tests and exams include staying
motivated and not being overly stressed. Learning to remain calm when you hit
an obstacle, such as not understanding how to apply a physics equation right
away, will help you on tests by allowing you to think clearly. There are
several things I’ve learned to help you face obstacles like self-discipline and
motivation. First, have a support system for yourself. This can include family
members, friends, tutors, or even your study buddies!
These
individuals can be your moral support and the source of inspiration when you
hit a lot point and don’t feel motivated to study. When you have a bad study
day or feel like you are not getting anything productive done, go talk to them
in person. Chances are that they will help you figure out what is wrong, and
may even help you re-arrange your study schedule so that you can better retain
MCAT study material. Second, have an outlet for your stress. By ‘outlet,’ I
mean that you should have a hobby or activity outside of just studying that you
can pursue to relax. Try reading a good novel, going for a walk, gardening, or
cooking. An outlet will help you relieve stress and make you more disciplined
about studying when you return to your books.
Take-Home Points:
1.
Develop a detailed study schedule—Be specific! Planning how and what you will
study from now to test day will help you focus and save time.
2.
Track your progress—Know where you are in terms of study material, strengths,
and weaknesses. This will allow you to set and meet realistic study goals.
3.
Control your study time and use it well—Fit your study schedule around your
day, so that you do not lose valuable time at home or at work.
4.
Stay disciplined and motivated—Find a support system and outlet for the moments
of stress you may feel while studying hard for your school work.
