How do you study

Pre-College Topics High School Life
1

<p>I'm only a sophomore, so I don't really have any distinct study methods. My freshmen year I used to skim the book and think about the topic in my head, and of course I would silently review my notes and then my quizzes.</p>

<p>I found this method pretty interesting: </p>

<p>"The Quiz-and-Recall Method</p>

<p>Most students study using rote review. The method is simple. Collect all of your notes from both lecture and reading assignments, then read them silently to yourself, again and again, as many times as you can tolerate before you become overwhelmed by fatigue.</p>

<p>Conscientious students start a day or two in advance and are able to review everything several times. Less conscientious students wait until the night before — and are often still rote reviewing up to the literal last minute before the test. Indeed, the word “cram” can be defined as: “rapid rote reviewing.”</p>

<p>The straight-A students I interviewed did not do rote review.</p>

<p>In fact, they despised rote review because they could correctly identify its inefficiency. As any cognitive scientist will tell you, silent reading is a terrible way to retain material. Your mind wanders and the material is retained at an abysmally low rate.</p>

<p>Here is what straight-A students do instead:</p>

<p>** 1. They collapsed their notes into clusters which I call big ideas. It doesn’t really matter how they decide this grouping, it’s enough that clusters are somewhat consistent.
2. They assigned a one-sentence prompt for each big idea. For example: How do Gibbon’s ideas contrast with the scholars of the early 20th century?
3. For each prompt, they attempt to lecture out loud, as if talking to an imaginary class, the main points from the corresponding big idea. They do this without looking at their notes. If they are successful, they move on. If they had trouble, they put a checkmark next to the big idea.
4. After the first pass, they take a break, and then repeat, only focusing on the big ideas that got checkmarks. After this run-through, they repeat again, focusing only on the big ideas that still gave them trouble in the second pass. And so on.
5. This continues until they finish a pass with no checkmarks.**"</p>

<p>This was posted by the guy who runs this site Study</a> Hacks</p>

2

<p>Anybody who does that has no life.
I “study” by mostly rote memorization, but I do actually remember the information [unlike most people, I’d say, who just cram and then forget right after the test].</p>

3

<p>Well, the only class this technique might help with would be history, IMO. However, if you have an easy history class, I think rote review is less time-consuming and quite sufficient. If you have a difficult history class (for example, an AP one), then I don’t know if this method would be enough to remember the little details that you will certainly be tested on.</p>

<p>For science/math, I just do some problems that I think I may have trouble with.</p>

<p>My English classes have been too easy so far, so I don’t study for them.</p>

<p>And for history, I use Cal Newport’s focused question clusters idea. It’s quite efficient; I received the third highest grade in the class (on a big test) even though I did <50% of the assigned reading. You can find a post about it in his blog.</p>

<p>Can you tell history is a very big deal to me? :)</p>

4

<p>I’m bumping this too because I need to know this.</p>

<p>I’ve never studied a minute before in my life, and I’m starting now and yesterday I sat in front of my desk and said, “wait a minute, what? I don’t get it…”</p>

<p>More responses. I don’t get how to study of the act itself.</p>

<p>EDIT;

Indeed, I actually read the OP just now and wow? You have to do ALL that just to study? Why not just read the darn thing? It’s easier?</p>

5

<p>how have you never studied for something if you are a soph in HS? That makes you 14 or 15 with never studying?</p>

6

<p>

In classrooms, and school, yeah, I “absorb” information, if that counts.</p>

<p>I meant as in, by myself, sitting in front of my desk, and actually “studying”.</p>

<p>I’ve never done that. At least I don’t remember a single day when I did such a thing. </p>

<p>Shameful, maybe…that’s why I’m trying to study now and it’s fairly difficult to learn how to do the act itself in the first place. ugh. ;)</p>

7

<p>jckund – many people on this forum have never really “studied,” aside from doing the assigned work. (Although Invoyable doesn’t even do that sometimes… <em>cough</em> summer homework <em>cough</em>)</p>

8

<p>Wow I don’t see why y’all are thinking this type of studying method takes a long time. I just did it for my AP world history class over all the classical civilizations and it didn’t take long at all, it’s a better way to study then reading over your notes until you memorize them.</p>

9

<p>I just read the books and do the assigned problems. Taking notes is too arduous, 'specially when I’m reading quickly.</p>

10

<p>I read the textbook and write a sentence or two for every paragraph, which works for me.</p>

<p>Produces a lot of writing, though.</p>

11

<p>Some mix of recite and listen, active recall, grouping, imagination, and actually paying attention during the important parts during class.</p>

<p>I do rote review for vocabulary though, but only because our teacher requires us to put down the exact definition as stated in the book.</p>

12

<p>Yeah, Invoyable, I agree - I don’t know exactly what this “studying” is. All I know how to do is maybe skim over notes that I take during a lecture or something over important dates and people, and just.. uhh.. remember them? lol.</p>

13

<p>Study Methods:</p>

<p>These may or may not help you…but I thought I might just throw them out.</p>

<p>Mnemonics: Using acronyms/acrostic sentences/rhymes, etc. and associating ideas with words or letters that your mind for some reason remembers. Examples: ROY G BIV, PEMDAS</p>

<p>Loci (Location): Imagine an area you know REALLY well. Create a mental walk through it, and remember important objects. Then associate those objects with something you must remember. We did a demonstration in my AP Psyche class, and I really amazed myself by being able to repeat almost 10 things perfectly when all of them were only said once. </p>

<p>What NOT to do:</p>

<p>Study and go to sleep right away. It’s been proven that the hours before sleep are the best for retention, whereas the minutes before sleep are the worst. The mind needs rehearsal to properly encode, but at the same time it needs a break. This is why I try to study after dinner.</p>

<p>DON’T CRAMP. It’s also psychologically proven that cramping is the absolute worse for long term retention. While it’s ok for some classes and things, if you are in an AP class, cramping is quite a bad idea, as tempting as it is. The less time you spend learning, the less time you’ll remember what you learned. Better to study for 15 minutes over 8 days than 2 hours the day before. </p>

<p>That’s all I can think of off the top of my head. Hope its helpful!</p>

14

<p>CRAMPING. ■■■■■. That’s fairly epic lulz. +1 (lulz/hilarity) respect.</p>

<p>I still don’t see the point of these “methods” or anything. I figure you’d just…read the darn thing and remember it? olol. I don’t even take notes in class so..</p>

15

<p>Haha yeah thought you guys would like the cramming thing. </p>

<p>Rote is okay, but its just a slow and ineffective way to study. Haha, to be even more nerdy:</p>

<p>You retain
10% of what you hear
30% of what you see (meaning you read)
50% of what you hear & see
70% of what you discuss
75% of what you apply
90% of what you create or teach</p>

<p>^ This is why I like to study with friends, whether it be talking about the material, coming up with ways to remember, or teaching it to each other. </p>

<p>Whatever works for you…</p>

16

<p>For classes with lecturing, I don’t really “study”, i just try to pay attention and it usually works out fine
But for the classes that don’t have lectures, i read/review the material and then create the lecture. It really doesnt take up much time. Actually, it takes less time than taking notes.</p>

<p>But that’s because im mostly a mix between an auditory and a kinesthetic learner. I can make rhymes and mnemonics pretty easily, so i do that alot. And for some reason, i always have to pace when I’m reviewing notes.</p>

17

<p>I just read two or three times over the material, take a diagnostic test (if possible) to see weaknesses, shore up the weaknesses by rereading those sections a couple more times, and then am done. That’s all I ever did for APUSH, and got the highest score 4 out of 6 times on the MC tests (and the only 5 on the real test.) Notes don’t work.</p>

18

<p>^ notes work for people who need to write to learn. I cannot learn if I don’t write notes for history, draw pictures for physics problems, etc.</p>

19

<p>I am not a studious person, if I study I do it very disconcentrated ussually watching TV and using the computer at the same time. I dont like to study alone in my room, and silence makes me crazy. Although I am messy for studying, I get high grades. I will try to change my study habits and try to concentrate more though.</p>

<p>Thank you</p>

20

<p>“You retain
10% of what you hear
30% of what you see (meaning you read)
50% of what you hear & see
70% of what you discuss
75% of what you apply
90% of what you create or teach”</p>

<p>Where is this from? I can’t imagine this is how it works for every single person. I learn absolutely best by hearing and explaining. Reading and writing never do me too much good.</p>