Do you also think about how to pass exams without studying hard? It doesn’t matter what you study, endless pages of linear notes can scare even the best of students. It’s because we have associated studies with stress. Even though, there are numerous ways to counter exam anxiety with smarter study tips. Read on to discover how to study smarter, not harder, because we’re sharing the best study tips to get excellent grades in much less study time.
Tips To Study Smarter
Self-Discipline - Develop & Maintain Focus
Working on a single task for too long denies your work of quality. This is because your mind loses focus after a while and so it cannot retain the information that you poured over for hours on end.
By channeling your energy to switch between learning and revision, you can easily beat boredom. Let’s explore the following Smart Studying techniques to maintain focus and reduce distraction.
Pomodoro Technique
Time Management can help you counter boredom. An example is the Pomodoro technique, which can also be applied to learning effectively. This method recharges your brain and makes studying unboring.
Here’s how you apply the Pomodoro Technique for Studying
Divide your study time into slots of 25 minutes of work and 5 minutes of breaks in between work slots.
Study for 25 minutes with full focus and effort.
Then take a 5-minute interval for a leisure exercise or activity that can act as an energy booster. Such as looking out of a window, a 5-minute walk, a quick game, or anything else that works for you.
Come back for another 25-minute study slot, and once done, take a 5-minute recharging break.
You can continue this for 4 to 5 cycles of study and break or as long as you want.
Spaced Repetition
Another interval hack is the method of Spaced Repetition. It is applied for revising learned information until it solidifies in your brain. Opposed to Rote Learning or Cramming, this method allows the information to stay in your brain for a while before the next revision.
Here’s how to apply Spaced Repetition to Studying
Choose a topic to learn.
Memorize key concepts by making Visual Notes such as Mind Maps or Concept Maps.
Take short breaks (1-2 days) between revisions.
After 3-4 reviews, take moderate breaks, which can be a few days long or even as much as 2 weeks.
After another 3-4 revisions, you can give yourself long breaks. Such as a month or 6 months. Depending upon the complexity of your learning material.
Avoiding Distractions
One of the best ways to become an expert is to dedicate full concentration to whatever you do. Devoting undivided attention to your tasks helps create a thorough understanding of your lesson.
To stay focused, start by identifying the factors that distract you. These distractions might include notifications from social media apps (turn them off), persistent thoughts or worries (try meditating to clear your mind), or even background noise (consider using headphones). By addressing these distractions, you can maintain better focus on your tasks.
Whatever your source of distraction is, minimize or exclude it completely. Concentrate on your work mindfully so that you can benefit from your powerful mind!
Smarter Study - Skills Of The Future
If you are wondering how long to study for an exam, for example, the Bar Exam, the CPA Exam, or the SIE Exam. You need more than just self-discipline. To memorize your notes faster and forever, you must learn how to study Smarter . Wasting your energy on mundane and ineffective methods will take you nowhere. Imagine spending weeks cramming 100 pages of biology notes. And still forgetting what you learned at the time of your exam!
To combat weak memory and forgetfulness, you must use the following tricks. For they are easy, doable, and result-oriented.
Feynman Technique - Teach Others
You can never tell how well you know a topic until you sit down to explain it to another person. You need skills to communicate what’s in your mind with clarity.
Recognize your gaps in knowledge by teaching others what you have learned yourself. Then, work on your weak areas and see how thoroughly you have understood a concept. Teaching is an invaluable skill as expressed by William Arthur Ward in these words:
Teaching is more than imparting knowledge; it is inspiring change. Learning is more than absorbing facts; it is acquiring understanding.
William Arthur Ward
Feynman's technique was inspired by the distinguished physicist Richard Feynman. It employs the use of teaching for complete comprehension.
Apply the Feynman Technique while Learning Something New:
Select a topic you want to memorize,
Explain it to yourself or someone else, by listing down everything you know about it
Identify Gaps in your memory by going Back to the source of information, and
Fill in Gaps of your knowledge for concrete understanding.
Another interesting way to learn something is through Mind Maps. They are fun and creative. And its visual appearance aids your learning process like magic.
Mind Maps contain Colors, Images, and Connections. Your brain is tuned to understand colorful images rather than text, hence Mind Maps are easy to remember for the longer term. Moreover, these visual learning materials are so concise that your revision time can easily drop by about 90% with Mind Mapping.
Here’s how Mind Mapping makes you Smarter:
Summarizes Notes
Highlights Important Points
Organizes Information
Simplifies Complex Ideas
Visualizes Information, and
Boosts Brain by Developing Skills
o Creativity,
o Problem Solving
o Critical Thinking
o Project Management
o Memory and Retention.
Developing Memory Skills
Imagine remembering every important detail when you sit down in your exam hall. Yes, you can do it with “Accelerated Learning”. It is the future of teaching and memorization. These methods speed up your processing power by using efficient learning techniques.
As you know, Dancing, Sprinting, and Swimming are advanced forms of Walking. Similarly, there are better ways to memorize. You only need training in the field of memory to bring out your true genius.
Memory Skills can be enhanced through brain-boosting exercises and hacks. You can also take training or online courses for this purpose.
Take Peer Help
The last tip on our list is seeking help from peers. When you’re stuck on a problem that seems impossible to solve, don’t hesitate to ask friends or seniors for advice. They’ve likely faced similar challenges and can offer valuable insights. People enjoy sharing their experiences, so take advantage of this opportunity. Give yourself a breather and seek assistance from someone with a deeper understanding of the topic.
Wrapping-Up Tips On How To Study Smarter
In a nutshell, to Study Smarter, you must have self-discipline and smart skills. Teach yourself to prioritize tasks, avoid distractions, and take energizing breaks. Couple this with accelerated learning methods such as the Feynman Technique, Mind Mapping, and working on Memory Skills.
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