When studying for tests and quizzes or even your midterms it’s very important that you are choosing efficient ways to use your time. Here are a few methods that are proven to be effective and have the best results.
Study Cards
When it comes to learning or memorizing vocabulary, flash cards are an extremely efficient and useful study tactic. You can use words, phrases and even images to help you remember the information. It’s completely adapted to what personally works for you! The repetition of flipping between term and definition is also beneficial because it prompts active recall in your brain which not only helps you memorize but also helps you actually learn the meanings of vocabulary.
Spaced Repetition
Spaced repetition is a very useful method due to its ability to have the brain retrieve information while also guaranteeing that the knowledge “has deep neural pathways.” This basically means that the information you’re trying to memorize is actually staying in your brain, not in one ear out the other. Some ways that you can use spaced repetition while your studying are strictly memorizing what you need to know, and then reviewing this material in intervals like every couple of hours then days until you have to take your test.
Test Yourself
Testing yourself is just as effective and one of the methods I personally use the most because it will clearly show you what you know versus what you don’t. Then once you find out what you don’t know you can focus on that more than repeating the information that’s already in your brain. It’s best to have a friend or family member read off the questions and you answer them so that there’s no way for you to cheat or trick yourself into thinking that you know something that you really don’t.
While all of these methods are extremely helpful it’s the most important to prioritize yourself because when studying you can easily get wrapped up in your work and forget that you need sleep and breaks which are just as important as the studying itself.
