Effective study skills

When to Study.

1. Plan the week's study ahead.
2. Sessions should be from one to three hours.
3. Study most difficult subject early in study
4. Have a definite break every hour.
5. Avoid late hours.
6. Plan some time for relaxation and recreation.

Where to Study

1. Always in the same place.
2. Choose a well-ventilated room with good lighting.
3. Away from other distractions.
4. Properly furnished for the job.

Attention and Interest

1. Remove irrelevant and unwanted stimuli eg noise, hunger.
2. Suppress unwanted thoughts by quickly switching to topic under study and work at a good pace.
3. Understand what you are studying.
4. Take a lively interest in the subject outside your study hours

Memory and Learning

1. Never try to memorise what you don't understand.
2. Go over notes, reading etc within 12 hours of writing or reading.
3. Master each topic before leaving it.
4. Start each session with a review of the previous session.
5. Overlearn. Don't stop when you have only just mastered something.
6. Select important points to learn.
7. Organise selected items.
8. Use active recall (recitation or writing )* to aid memory.
9. Break up long pieces into manageable chunks.
10. Use rhythm when learning by heart.

Active Study Strategies

Reciting:

1. Describe or explain aloud any topic in your own words.
2. Teach or explain information to someone else.

Writing

1. Make a study review card for each topic with main ideas, key events and people, causes and results and so on.
2. Draw a diagram, map or chart from memory and check your book for accuracy.
3. Write questions you think could be asked in the exam and recite the answers.