Tips to Study Faster
The speed with which you are making progress as you study is directly affected by your study methods and choices. Improving your studying pace is all about changing your studying habits and improving them for the better.
Below are ten tips that will help you to study faster.
Top 10 Tips To Study Faster
Sticking to hard copies
Polls have shown that the majority of students prefer reading print and hard copy materials as opposed to using tablets, laptops, or other digital devices. While it’s okay to use them for studying, research shows that many people have to read and reread new information more times to understand it.
If you feel that reading notes on digital devices is slowing you down, it could be time you tried printing them. You may be surprised at how fast your study pace picks up.
Testing yourself
Testing your skills improves your overall performance. Quizzes can help you figure out which topics you haven’t understood yet. You can then schedule your study sessions to target areas where you feel farther behind. It becomes easier to pick up your study pace and increase it each time you revisit something you’ve tested yourself on.
You can visit the reliable Get Better Grades Now website to find the materials that will help you test yourself.
Don’t overlearn
The law of diminishing returns sets into place fast when you overdo it while studying. Your brain needs rest after an hour of learning. Continuous reading for hours slows your studying pace down significantly.
To ensure you keep studying at a fast and constant speed, take breaks once every 50 minutes or so. During these breaks, you can do a light exercise or meditate to refresh your mind. The breaks should also not be less than ten minutes.
Reviewing your learning materials sooner
Studies have shown that students can retain up to 80% of the information they’ve been taught if they review it within 24 hours. This process is cumulative, and, from there, you will only need several minutes of studying, or less than an hour, to retain 100% of the information. Your studying pace will also triple or quadruple with this technique. This style of reading is much better than cramming.
Taking on the role of a teacher
Research has shown that students develop better tactics of recalling and organizing information when they know they will be teaching it to someone else. Organizing these elements in your mind as you study positively impacts your studying speed.
Your brain absorbs the information faster, processes it, and connects the dots quickly. You can, therefore, start giving yourself roles of teaching someone else what you’ve learned after studying.
Exercising
The benefits of exercising on our physical health and fitness are immense, as proven in the fields of sports and health. In the same way, certain exercises stimulate our brain activity and give us a boost of brainpower.
A short workout before you study can give you the brain energy you need to read for the next hour actively. After that, you can then take a short break and do another light exercise to stimulate your brain some more. This will keep your mind active, thus helping you study faster.
When you study
There is no better time to study than during the morning hours. Your brain activity is usually high, and this impacts your studying speed positively. You will be able to understand what you read faster and make quicker progress across difficult topics.
Where you study
The choice of your study location affects your learning speed. Based on the environment, it can either slow you down or increase the pace. This has a lot to do with where you feel comfortable studying. Therefore, it’s up to you to figure it out.
Some people are more comfortable in the library while others prefer the comfort of their rooms. When choosing a place, ensure there will be no distractions around you, such as noise or chatter.
Learning the same information through different methods
Different learning media stimulate various parts of your brain. There are several ways through which you can learn about the same topic. Changing your learning tactics will help you absorb the information much faster and learn quicker. Here are some ideas for you to try out:
- Going through class notes
- Looking up other online resources, such as the Get better grades now website
- Reading a textbook
- Watching videos
- Creating mind maps
- Practicing problems from various sources
Bonus tip: Diversify your subjects
Studying one subject continuously for three hours can be tedious and monotonous. Sometimes, it gives you a ‘burned out’ kind of exhaustion. Instead, create a plan where you read 2 or 3 three subjects within three hours. As you change to a new topic, your brain rejuvenates, and your studying speed continues to stay high or get even higher.
The don’ts that will slow down your studying speed
The following are habits that negatively impact your learning pace. Avoid them at all costs.
- Multitasking – Human beings are not designed to handle a variety of tasks at once. You will falter on one, and it’s usually what you are studying. Multitasking significantly slows you down and affects your information retention capability.
- Studying when you are exhausted – Late-night studying is slow-paced, because your brain is tired from all the activities of the day.
- Playing loud music while you study.
- Texting or using social media during your study hours.
- Failing to organize your study schedule – Disorganization negatively impacts your study session and creates a chaos of information in your mind. This forces you to slow down, since it becomes harder to understand what you read.
Conclusion
The tips listed above will help you improve your studying pace significantly. As mentioned earlier, all it takes is adjusting your learning environment and reading habits.
Try to avoid a noisy or distracting environment, since they can slow you down by 50% or more. Practice what you learn, and you will make impressive progress with how you study.