20 Best Free Study Tips

There are actually some common traits in successful students who see results in their life.Here are twenty-one methods to improve yourself.

1. Before each online session or class, review your notes from the previous session. It helps to refresh your memory and get you focused.
2. Use folders (either tangile/physical or the virtual ones). Don’t let your desk or your desktop get out of control.
3. Highlight (with question marks) what you don’t understand during class or study notes. Then ask your instructor after class, and/or research alternative materials.
4. Organize your thoughts before e-mailing questions to your instructor. This will not only help you think more carefully about your question, but make you look good.
5. Review errors on corrected assignments/exams. Make sure you understand exactly why you got each one wrong, so you’ll be less likely to make the same mistake twice.
6. Less memorization, more comprehension. Sometimes it helps to type out a paraphrased version of a particular passage or assignment, putting everything in your own words.
7. Study buddies are good and can help you get motivated. But save the beer until the end of the study session. Get off the computer. Online degree students should check out actual books to supplement studies.
8. A change of scenery, even just for your eyeballs, can refresh your brain. Pay attention, in person or online. Degrees cost money; make it worth your while. Online degree students sometimes have an advantage here, in their ability to rewind the lecture if they start to get distracted.
9. Be an active listener, whether online, in a classroom, or in a study group.
10. Ask stupid questions. Remember, you’re in the learning process. You aren’t expected to know the material until you’re taught it.
11. Study a little bit every day. Even if it’s just for five minutes on your busy days, it will help keep the material fresh in your brain.
12. Close the books, shut down the computer. After every study session, review in your mind or on paper what you’ve just learned.
13. Be a critical thinker. Apply newly-learned knowledge to your own experience to draw conclusions.
14. Don’t just regurgitate what you’re taught. Find a calm place to study. Library good, frat house bad.
15. Find your best study hour–are you an early bird or a night owl? Picking the right one will make a huge difference.
16. Eat well–plenty of protein and vitamins. You’ll be surprised how much more energy and focus you have when you’re getting the right nutrients.
17. Get enough rest. No matter how busy you are, make adequate rest a priority. Remember, your brain is a muscle too. It needs fuel (see above) and down time.
18. Be positive, even when you get frustrated. Make a list or note to yourself with your ultimate goal(s), to remind you why you’re doing this.
19. Think of studying as the ultimate strategy in your favorite game. Taking tests is like playing a strategic board or card game. Studying makes you a great player.
20. Reward (congratulate) yourself on a job well done. Eat your favourite meal or an ice cream or go for a movie might be an appropriate award for studying well.