With pressure and competition rising in education, students nowadays are eager to find the best methods or tools to improve their academic scores. So, questions like “What is the best study method?” or “How can I learn 10x faster?” arise in their minds. In this article, we have presented some of the best tips on how to study effectively. Also, this article is based on thorough research and the opinions of some teachers and students.

Before we find out effective ways to study, we must understand the challenges students face while trying to prepare for lessons at home.

These are:

• Difficulty to remember
• Lack of focus
• Unfavorable study environment
• Lack of motivation
• Learning disorders

Out of all these, learning disorders require special attention and professional help in most cases. But, the other affecting factors can be taken care of easily with a little discipline and willpower. You can find below some of the effective study methods you can use to study effectively and efficiently.

10 Best Tips on How To Study Effectively

1) Use effective music

Although many people believe that studying in silence is the best practice, modern educationalists suggest something else. According to them, certain music can help the students concentrate better. Music like obscure 18th-century composers, classical music, or jazz can even help in this case. Music will not only help learners to focus but will elevate their mood.

2) Play the role of a teacher

The best way to remember lessons is to say them aloud to yourself. Once you learn a study material, try to explain it to yourself or your friends. This will help you to clear your confusion related to the lesson. Also, you can ask yourself questions just like your teachers would ask you. This will not only help you to retain the information but will help you to be prepared for assessment.

3) Sleep-learning

This one might sound silly but its effect is amazing. New researches show that your brain can help you to focus more when you are extremely tired. Thus, it can help in retaining more information. Also, learning before sleeping can trigger the best memory-consolidation. So, it would be a wise decision to go through your study materials before going to bed.

4) Remember the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve theory

The Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve Theory helps us to know how memory works for us. According to this theory, you can remember in the following ways:

• 100% of what you learn instantly after you complete studying
• 58% of what you learn after 20 minutes
• 44% of what you learn after 1 hour
• 36% of what you learn after 9 hours and more

So, the effective way to study materials is to review them within 24 hours. Also, this review process can be added to 2 to 3 times a week. Because of the cumulative effect of reviewing, you might be able to retain 100% of the lessons even after reviewing them for only 5 minutes after a week. Yet, according to this theory spending time understanding a lesson is more effective than cramming.

5) SQ3R method

Many students ask themselves one question – How can I study smart? SQ3R is the answer to this. This is one of the best methods to study. SQ3R comprises 5 steps. These are:

• Survey – Students gain an overview by reading the headings, images, bolder texts, charts, and subheadings.
• Question – Students generate questions like what the chapter is about and how much does he or she know the subject?
• Read – Read the full chapters to answer the questions formulated before.
• Recite – They need to summarize what they have read. Also, they have to recall the major points.
• Review – Once a chapter is finished, one has to review what has been learned. Quizzing oneself and re-reading are crucial steps at this stage.

6) Distributed Practice or Spaced Practice

Distributed practice is a study method wherein a student distributes his or her study lessons over multiple short study sessions. Also, it encourages the students to study a lesson over a longer period rather than cramming only once. Besides, it is one of the best effective study methods for exams. The best practice is to set a 50 minutes study session every day for each subject. Distributed practice is much more effective than Massed Practice wherein one has to study a subject without many intervals. Also, the more the student revisits and reviews the study materials, the better he or she can recall information.

7) Leitner System

This is another spaced-out learning method and is the most effective way of studying. This method requires you to use flashcards (electronic or flashcards). These flashcards are nothing but major points of your study materials of different subjects.

Also, create 3 to 5 physical or electronic boxes with study time. For example, Box 1 cards need to be reviewed every other day; Box 2 cards need to be reviewed every day; and Box 3 cards need to be reviewed once a week, etc.)

As you start reviewing the flashcards as per the Box levels, you can shift the difficult flashcards to Box 2. Likewise, you can shift the things that you are becoming good at remembering to Box 3.

8) Feynman Technique

This unique study method was used by the famous physicist and philosopher Richard Feynman. This method helps to learn new concepts easily. Besides, it even helps one to recall any information. This has the following steps:

• Write everything you know about a chapter and add new information to it as it comes.
• Write your notes in such a way so that a child can understand them. So, the content has to be written in simple terms.
• Identify the points that you have missed.
• Pretend to tell a story with your notes.

9) Workout before studying

Many students face a challenge like “Why can’t I remember what I’ve studied?” It has to do a lot with fatigue. A fatigued body is a barrier to learning. Exercise helps keep us energetic throughout the day. Exercise before studying helps to elevate your mood. So, you can start studying with positive vibes. Also, it helps to make one more alert and that can help in remembering facts and figures. Thus, exercise is one of the best studying tips.

10) Mind Mapping Technique Study Tip

Mind mapping is a visual study technique that helps students to retain information for a longer period. Besides, it can help one improve creative writing skills. This is one of the strategies to study effectively.

For this technique you need to:

• Make a circle in the middle of a blank paper.
• Write one word in the circle that shows the main point.
• Now draw many lines from the circle to different directions and add a circle at the end of each line.
• Now write subheadings or subpoints in these circles.
• You can draw other lines from the sub-points. The whole thing looks like a tree as branches coming out from the main point or sub-points.

Last but not the least, these tips on how to study effectively can only work if there is enough motivation and willpower to do well in life. Also, a student has to create small milestones for each subject. He or she has to motivate himself or herself to reach these mini-goals to aim for the major goals in life. The rest will be taken care of. As the famous saying goes:

It’s not about perfect. It’s about effort. – Jillian Michaels