Your studying smart tips?

It often happens that students who study all the time merely manage to pass exams, whereas many who study for just a short span fare well in exams. Does it have any thing to do with their Intelligence Quotient or is it related to their Studying techniques? Does Grade “A” actually indicate that the student is intelligent or can he be rightfully called a smart learner?

The answers lie in the effective studying habits adopted by smart students during the exams. Believe it or not, how ‘sharp’ one is, is actually just one side of the entire tale! While studying, it is very important to stress upon the quality of your study time rather than the quantity of study i.e. the number of hours you spend studying. The key to effective studying is not cramming or studying till the wee hours of morning but to study smart. Here are some smart studying tips that can make your studying fun and effective.

• Set SMART-F targets! Targets that are Simple, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time- bound and most importantly, Flexible. Aim to achieve them.

• Assign yourself a study space! Each of us has a corner in the house that is free of distractions, well-lit and comfortable. Equip your study area with all the necessary books, revision notebooks, computer and other related material that you might require while studying. Avoid studying sitting on the bed as the temptation to lie down can sometimes be difficult to resist.

• Make a schedule that you can stick to! The study plan should be such that it clearly lists down your targets for the day, allots time for required breaks, reflects the time set aside for revision and most importantly helps to clearly demarcate your eating and socializing hours from the study hours. The study plan should be balanced with a mix of various subjects so as to avoid monotony. It should be flexible and should ideally be set by you and not your parents or your tutor!

• Use the SQRW method i.e. Survey, Question, Read and Write.
  • Survey: First take a quick look at the entire chapter, glance through the various headings and sub-heads and get a gist of the entire chapter.
  • Question: This process of surveying leads you to formulating questions which help you stay focused.
  • Read: Now read the entire chapter in depth including all the details mentioned in the various heads and subheads.
  • Write: Finally, write down notes using heads, sub-heads and any other special characters that help in recall when you sit down to revise.

• Use Memory Games! Devise a game or a technique that enhances your chances of remembering a particular concept. For example put together the first letter of each word for effective memorization like VIBGYOR i.e. Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Red, that represents the colours that appear in a rainbow in order.

• Do not forget the reward! Stick to short term goals and once you achieve those goals reward yourself accordingly. For example, an extended 15 minute break, additional time for the next chapter etc.

• Attitude matters! Keep the right approach towards studying. Do not consider studying as a burden. It will make things worse for you. Once you look at it as a stepping stone to achieve your goals, the entire learning process becomes enjoyable. When you are not in the right frame of mind, do not force yourself to study. It will be a futile exercise. And you would probably be better off doing something else.

Last but not the least, do not forget to memorize those important facts. Understanding is important but one cannot undermine the importance of memorizing important information well. We at meritnation.com hope that these smart studying tips will help you score well in exams and make your schooling easy. Meritnation.com is continuously striving hard to help you in your quest for being a smart learner.