The start of the school year is here and that means now is the best time to start developing your study habits! We’ve conjured up 5 of our best performing study hacks that students of our services use to help keep ahead with good grades! Before we jump into it, I want to take a moment to talk about our tutoring services. Now is the best time to stay ahead on school work by scheduling tutoring appointments. Scheduling these appointments will set your student up for success before that first exam roles around. Alright without further ado, let’s dive into some of our best study hacks that you can implement during your study time!
Study Hack 1: Have a Dedicated Space
While this one may seem ridiculous at first, study spaces provide a number of benefits. northlake.bh.org described the spaces as:
A specific area dedicated solely to studying helps create a mental association between that space and the task. This can help you get into a focused mindset more easily and minimize distractions. Additionally, a designated study space can help keep you organized and provide a conducive environment for learning.
We’ve seen with our own students that when they have a dedicated space, both inside and outside of school, they’re more efficient and able to get work done. That being said, it’s not as simple as just saying a particular space is now your study space. You need to take measures to limit the amount of distractions present there. This means you need to limit access to things like:
- Your phone
- The Television
- Videogames
- Board Games
This is by no means an extensive list either. Distractions for each student can be different so experiment with your study space to see what works best for you.
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Study Hack 2: Set a Routine
Now that you have a dedicated study space, it’s important to establish a routine. Like anything, practice makes perfect, and you need to ‘practice’ your study techniques. This means establishing a dedicated time during your day to sit down and cover material learned that day or week. While this time can be used to complete homework, make sure to establish that time each day. We recommend at least 30 minutes to an hour each day. (but make sure to give yourself a break as well!)
Study Hack 3: Flashcard Review
The old tried and true method of flashcards is by far one of the best ways to study! Luckily in 2024, we have many different ways of accessing flashcards. While the old method of writing the term and answer on the back still works, there are services like Quizlet which offer new ways of engaging with your terms. Many teachers even create their own Quizlet deck for the class when tests start to creep up.
We recommend regardless of the method you choose, to create the flashcard decks yourself. The reason for this is you’re actually studying when creating the flashcards as you engage with the content as well as making sure the content in the flashcard deck is what you are actually learning. While Quizlet lets you browse already created decks, most of the time these decks are created by students at different schools which may have a different curriculum. This can result in you memorizing/studying concepts and topics that you may not necessarily need to.
Study Hack 4: Take Breaks
We mentioned previously that it’s a good idea to take breaks during your week between your 30 – hour long study sessions. To double down on the importance of breaks, we wanted to iterate the idea of taking breaks during your study sessions as well. Studying is more of an art than it is a science as each person is different. While some students prefer 30 minutes of intense study time, other students may prefer a slower paced setting. The great thing about studying is that there is no wrong way of studying as long as it works for you. Regardless of how you study, taking breaks should be incorporated into your routine. A general rule of thumb is that for every 30 minutes of studying, reward yourself with a 5 minute break. This is important for not only preventing burnout, but it also gives your brain time to subconsciously digest the information you’ve been studying up to that point.
You can take a break by:
- Getting up and eating a snack
- Take a brief walk outside
- Read a book
Study Hack 5: Experiment!
While we’ve stated the importance of trying different ways of studying, it’s important to constantly experiment and iterate your study time! change up how you study. Are you using Quizlet? Maybe try using physical flashcards for this study session and vice versa. Give yourself the opportunity to try out as many different study methods as possible. This will help you better understand yourself and your preferences for studying. When considering our study hacks this is probably the most important as it allows you to really find what works best for you.
Explore Better Ways of Studying with Tutoring!
Tutoring is a great way to explore different studying techniques as well as study hacks. Our tutors work with our students to understand the best ways they learn. This is a great way for students from 5th grade to 12th grade to get a handle on their studying. You can fill out the form below to schedule your first free session with one of our tutors! Just fill out your information, tutoring needed, date requested, and we’ll reach out to you.