5 Study Techniques That Actually Work
I spent like all of freshman year studying the wrong way. Would literally be in the library until 3am just rereading notes and highlighting stuff. Still did terrible on exams.
My GPA freshman year was rough. Not gonna say the exact number but it started with a 2. Had to figure something out or I was gonna lose my scholarship.
These are the things that actually helped. Some of them sound boring and some of them I still don't really like doing but they work better than whatever I was doing before.
1. Spaced Repetition
This is the one where you review stuff multiple times but spread it out. So like you learn something today then review it tomorrow then again in a few days then again next week.
I'm not gonna lie this one is boring as hell. But it actually works.
I use the flashcard thing in Crammi because making physical flashcards takes forever and I always lose them. It tells me when to review stuff so I just do it.
It doesn't feel as productive as cramming everything the night before but my test scores are better so I guess it works.
2. Active Recall
This is when you try to remember stuff without looking at your notes instead of just rereading.
The problem with rereading is your brain sees the info and thinks "oh yeah I know that." Then the test asks you and you blank.
I do practice quizzes mostly. It sucks because you realize how much you don't actually know but that's kind of the point I think. But there are explanations which is good, atleast I can see why I got something wrong.
Crammi makes these automatically which is good because I'm definitely not gonna write my own test questions at midnight.
3. Teaching It to Someone Else
I forget what this is called but basically you explain something like you're teaching it to someone who doesn't know anything about it.
If you can explain it simply you understand it. If you can't then you found what you need to work on.
I do this out loud when I'm studying alone. My roommate thinks I'm weird but whatever. Try explaining photosynthesis like you're talking to a middle schooler and you'll see what you actually understand vs what you just memorized words for.
4. Mixing Different Topics
Instead of doing like 50 calculus problems in a row you mix it up. Calculus then stats then back to calculus. Crammi lets you do this by uploading separate photos in one upload. I just screenshot different notebooks in my ipad app and put it in one batch.
Your brain hates this because it's harder. But apparently that's good? It teaches you to figure out what kind of problem you're looking at.
On exams they don't label stuff by chapter so you have to figure it out yourself. This helps with that.
I started doing this with practice tests and my scores went up. Still don't love it but it works.
5. Practice Tests
Just take practice tests. There's like a ton of research on this.
It helps you remember stuff better, shows you what you don't know, and gets you used to test pressure.
I used to walk into exams having no idea if I was ready. Now I do a practice exam with Crammi a few days before. Still get nervous but at least I know what I'm walking into.
The timed ones are better because real exams are timed. Obvious but I didn't think about it before.
What I actually do
I just combine all of these. Make practice quizzes, review them on a schedule, do practice exams that mix topics. When I get something wrong I try to explain it until I get it.
It's not complicated. You just have to be honest about what you actually know.
Final thoughts
I wish someone told me this stuff freshman year. Would've saved me from tanking my GPA.
Studying doesn't have to be staying up until 4am hoping you remember something. Just use stuff that actually works.
It's still not fun but at least it's less miserable and you actually pass your classes.