Perfect Your Study Skills with Prelum, Powered by Kaplan

As a high school student, you’re likely starting to face difficult obstacles when it comes to managing your schedule and productive studying. As you know, developing good study habits is essential for academic success and personal growth. Efficient study methods also optimizes learning time, improving information retention and understanding. From setting goals and finding subjects that interest you, to understanding the importance of discipline and mentorship, identifying and practicing study skills will also help you avoid distraction or panic.

Moreover, good study habits prepare you for college preparation, equipping you with transferable skills like critical thinking and time management. These are crucial in both education and the workforce. Prelum, Powered by Kaplan, provides 10 tips essential for studying success.

10 Study Tips for College Preparation

1. Find Your Learning Style: There are a variety of ways to test your knowledge beyond simply reviewing your notes or flashcards. Although it might take a bit of trial and error to figure out what study methods work best for you, trying different strategies creates awareness of your own thinking skills to help you determine what study methods are most effective for you. Examples of learning styles include:

• Visual learning: using images, diagrams, charts.
• Auditory learning: listening to lectures, podcasts, audio books.
• Reading/writing learning: reading texts, taking notes, writing essays.
• Kinesthetic learning: doing hands-on activities, experiments, simulations.
• Logical learning: using reasoning, logic, patterns.

2. Plan Ahead: Having a study plan with set goals can help you feel more prepared and can give you a roadmap to follow. Procrastination is one mistake that students often make. Set a study schedule ahead of time and stick to it. Effective time management skills are highly beneficial for academic success.

3. Try to Avoid Cramming: It might be tempting to leave all your studying for a big exam  until the last minute, but research suggests that cramming doesn’t improve longer term learning. As determined by the American Psychological Association, studying with the goal of long-term retention is best for learning overall.

4. Find a Study Partner: Having other people to study with means you can decipher the material together, quiz each other, and build a network. Reach out to classmates and form a study group to go over material together, brainstorm, and support each other. 

5. Take Breaks: The brain can only absorb so much information at a time. According to the National Institutes of Health, research has shown that taking breaks in between study sessions boosts retention. 

Rest allows our brains to compress and consolidate memories of what we just reviewed. Make sure that you’re allowing enough time, relaxation, and sleep between study sessions so your brain will be refreshed and ready to accept new information.

6. Create a Dedicated Workspace: Where you study can be just as important as how you study. Find a space that is free of distractions, and has all the materials and supplies you need nearby. Eat a snack and have a water bottle nearby so you’re properly fueled. 

7. Reward Yourself: Studying can be mentally and emotionally exhausting, and keeping focused can be challenging. According to an article for Science Daily, studies show that small rewards throughout can help keep your motivation up. Next time you finish a particularly challenging study session, treat yourself to something you enjoy.

8. Review Everything: Practicing the information you’ve learned is the best way to retain information. Researchers Elizabeth and Robert Bjork have argued that adding specific types of challenges to learning, which they call “desirable difficulties,” can help us become better learners, as they essentially exercise our memory’s retrieval mechanism.

For example, testing yourself with flashcards is a more difficult process than simply reading a textbook, but will lead to better long-term learning. Another tactic is to “teach” someone else the material. By verbalizing the material, it’s easier to retain it.

9. Set Goals: Setting specific goals along the way of your studying journey can show how much progress you’ve made. Psychology Today recommends using the SMART method: 

• Specific: Set specific goals with an actionable plan, such as, “I will study every day between 2-4 p.m.” 
• Measurable: Create a measurable benchmark, such as planning to study a certain number of hours daily, or raising your exam score by a certain percent. 
• Attainable: Don’t make goals so complicated that they’re unreachable. Make sure that you can commit the time and the resources to complete it.
• Realistic: It’s important that your goals are realistic so you don’t get discouraged. For example, if you currently study two hours per week, increase the time you spend to three, rather than 10. 
• Time-specific: Keep your goals consistent with your calendar and other responsibilities. Using a handful of these study tips can ensure that you’re getting the most out of your coursework, and help set you up for success. 

10. Ask for Help: You don’t have to struggle through difficult material on your own. By being proactive about identifying where you need assistance, and seeking assistance quickly, the easier it is to move forward. The longer you wait, the more difficult it becomes to catch up.