As someone who is dyslexic, ADHD and has a terrible memory, I have had to perfect the art of studying in college. Here are a few of the most successful techniques I have learned throughout school. I always try to use a mix of these strategies when I am studying.
1. Become best friends with Quizlet
Making a Quizlet itself helps you memorize the material you are studying. Quizlet has several features to help you learn the information. Explore the website, especially the “learn” function.
2. Start with the big picture and work down
For a long time, I had a hard time connecting ideas into a big picture because I would always study each concept independently first. Read over the materials, try to get an understanding of how the concepts work together before going into the small details of each term. As a visual person, I also find it helpful to draw out how the terms are related to each other.
3. Work on memorizing four notecards four at a time
If a test requires you to memorize a lot of terms, notecards are the way to go. I don’t know about you, but simply reading over terms has never worked for me. You might think you have them down, but you’re probably just familiar with them. I had a teacher once who told me to work on four notecards at a time and only move on when you can recite all four from memory. This goes for the notecards you write on as well as Quizlet. Focusing on a few at a time makes you focus on them more than if you go through all 95 notecards at once.
4. Write it out
I write what I’m studying over and over again to help myself memorize. I typically do this the most when I’m trying to remember a concept that has four sub-points to memorize. I also do this when I get down to the last few things I’m having trouble with.
5. Work on it a little a day
Everyone hates this one. We want to study the night before and get an A, but it doesn’t work out like that most of the time. I have to force myself to do this, but I promise, if you spend a little bit of time studying each day for several days rather than the night before, you will do much better on your test.
6. Apply concepts, think of examples
When you think of examples and imagine the contexts in which the items you are studying relate to, you will understand it much more than if you solely try to memorize. When you understand something, it is much easier to remember.
Studying is really about the effort you put into it. If you spend a decent amount of time and utilize these tips to study smart, you will be set for finals.
