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While you are not going to get a speeding ticket for racing through your studies, you might be missing out on a lot that’s happening around you! Well, the truth is that getting a grade you wish you hadn’t received is something similar to getting a ticket. So, why not learn the best methods of learning from our secret study hacks?
Noon Academy brings you the best tips to avoid studying hard without techniques. We do want you to do the hard work with patience and invest your time in studies, but studying hard should not cause a burn out. Mostly students who are putting in the effort without paying attention to the smart hacks are losing out on the fun of learning.
In this blog, we will present to you tips and tricks to help you study smart.a After reading this article, share your style with us in the comments below: Studying hard or smart?
What is studying smart?
Studying with techniques and management of time and resources is the best way to study smart. Studying hard is when students study with no clear direction or goals. They may be studying for hours, sacrificing sleep, copying the notes of the toppers but still not being able to produce the results they want. That’s where studying smart comes in!
Keep reading to explore different methods of learning to study smart!
Time management skills
As a student with thousands of opportunities and possibilities lying in front of you, you have to consider time as a real commodity that you won’t be able to purchase, extend, or change. Students need to understand that time is precious and it certainly needs to be managed.
You can manage time using two techniques:
- Pomodoro technique
- Creating new habits
- How to ignore old habits?
#1 Pomodoro technique
How to be smart in learning If you have a habit of unfocused study? For instance, you are a hard working student, but when you sit to study, your mind tends to wander a lot. Pomodoro technique can be helpful for you. As a result, you end up studying in a very unfocused mode.
One of the smart study tips to improve focused study is Pomodoro technique. Study with a deep focus for 25 minutes then give yourself a short break. Give yourself a small reward for coming so far. Then start studying again for 25 minutes and so forth.
#2 Making new habits
To overcome your habits of delays, unfocused study, and repeated use of gadgets without thinking, then you are in need of creating new habits.
Whenever you are trying to create a new habit, the first step is to attach a cue to it. For instance, every time you see the red light at a signal, you will instantly stop. That’s a habit many of us have. Similarly, every time your phone rings, you pick it up without much thinking. The red light and the phone ringtone are cues to your habit.
The cue to concentration can be a certain time, such as 4:00 PM. It can also be switching off the internet and the phone. So, the moment you switch off the phone, your brain receives a cue that it has to go into concentration mode.
#3 How to ignore old habits?
While you are trying to develop new habits, you might still be clinging to some old ones too! For instance, if you are trying to not attend to the phone while studying, you may still attend it on some days and become distracted when it rings. The way to control the old habits is to ignore the cue that triggers the old habits.
Methods of learning to improve memorization
Making chunks of information is an interesting way of memorizing through joining little bits of understanding till the process of learning becomes automatic and you can start applying the learning without thinking. So, let’s learn to create chunks!
- Work a key problem out by slowly understanding the method. For instance, if you are learning any study material, such as chemistry, understand one method and don’t rush in the process. Look at the solved examples.
- Tackle a similar problem, focusing on the key processes. For instance, now look at similar solved examples or spot an unsolved question that is based on the same process.
- Take a break or sleep.
- Do another similar problem. Remember to keep on focusing on the same process.
- Add another similar problem – review the problems in your mind while doing some unrelated activity. For example, go for a walk but keep your mind busy with a problem.
Learning exam solution skills
Always start testing yourself with the hardest question first. Your brain will turn on the diffused mode of thinking so you can work out an easier problem while your brain figures out the answer to the difficult question! Learning skills to solve specific types of questions is also very important.
How to solve MCQs based questions?
Here are some tricks to solve the MCQs based questions:
1. Don’t skim the questions
Skimming doesn’t save time and it doesn’t get you marks. MCQ based exams are thoroughly tested for time management by those who make these tests.
2. Don’t rely on feelings to choose the right answer
Do not rely on your personal bias towards a specific option just because it looks and feels right. Remember to recall information as you had learned it before the test.
3. Know why all other options are wrong
You do not need to mark the wrong options but you do need to read the options carefully and quickly know why they are wrong before choosing the right one.
4. Read all the options carefully
Sometimes the options share very similar words. This is true for logic or literacy sections of the test. So, don’t choose an option quickly by spotting a keyword. The same keyword may be present in other options too.
5. Skipping a question isn’t always bad
If you are well prepared, skipping a question doesn’t mean you don’t know the study material. Instead, it means that you need some time to get the answer from one of the layers of your memory. Once you have activated your brain to think and find the answer, it is working in the background while you move on to the next question.
6. Manage your time well
Time is measured in seconds in an MCQ based exam and not in hours. Knowing when to skip a question, when to make a guess, when to take a second’s pause – this is all time management. How to learn it? Through practice tests at home.
How to be smart in studies with study hacks?
1. Teaching improves your own learning
Teaching others is not just a fulfilling and rewarding activity, it will help you revise the concepts in a different way. Some college toppers even go as far as reading teachers’ guide books to take another look at the material. So, go ahead and find someone who needs to be taught and get started.
2. Cramming is not a solution
Cramming without understanding is not going to benefit you in the long run. You might be able to appear in the exam but you would simply miss out on the joy of learning. Don’t be concerned with the grade only and enjoy the process of learning.
3. Minimize distractions around your
Should you turn off your phone and smart accessories when you are trying to study? Definitely yes. You should try to minimize distractions by switching off your phone completely and turning the internet off.
You can remind yourself that studying for a minimum of 25 minutes and then a break is important. Keep a little reward for yourself for following this! Keep reading ahead to find out about how to make new habits and control the old ones.
4. Changing your place of study improves your memory
Wondering how to be smart in studies? Change your place of study often! This might come as a surprise for someone who has been believing in the power of the same, but latest research and trends suggest that our brains remember information while associating the smells and feels of different places.
5. Feeling unfocused? Chew a gum
Chewing a gum improves blood circulation to the brain, thus increasing the focus while studying. Pick your favorite flavor and chew your way through the fuzzy brain!
Final takeaway: You need to work on your long terms goals now
Many students open a book of past papers the night before exams, just to read through the papers! If you cram all the syllabus, take exams without practice, keep reading the same material without understanding then it is likely that you have defined very short term goals.
When you plan to study, just don’t take shortcuts because this isn’t hard or smart either! You will get to your goals in a few years. In fact, you will have a full career in front of you after 10 years. Benefits of defining your long term goals will be with you for a lifetime!
Now, let’s share your thoughts with your friends! Don’t forget to download the Noon App and start learning.