Study skills

This resource will help you to organise your study time, be more productive, and get more out of your lessons. Try to implement these in class and when doing schoolwork at home. With practice and a bit of patience you should start to see improvements in your learning. It is best to learn and practise skills in a stress-free environment (not on the run up to an exam).

Environment

The environment you study in is important to help you keep focused and remember new information.

• have an allocated work space
• keep it organised and tidy
• find somewhere that is free from distractions and which is not associated with other things, for example avoid studying in the bedroom in which you sleep
• set specific rules for yourself about using mobile phones and other technology during study time

Plan your time

Give yourself plenty of time to prepare for exams and tests to avoid cramming last minute. Studying little and often works the best.

Have allocated study time, and plan this into your day. Make a timetable for which subjects you will study and for how long. Make goals of what you would like to achieve each day, week, month. Monitor progress with checklists and specific targets which you can achieve. Everything always takes longer than you think.

Use diagrams

Using mind maps and spider diagrams will help you to organise the information, make links, and will make it easier to visualise.

Breaks and rewards

Make sure you have breaks between study periods, for example a 10 minute break every 45 minutes.

If you feel fatigued, you will probably need more regular breaks. The ability to stay focused varies from person to person, and you will need to learn how long you can stay focused for and build breaks into that timing.

Active reading

When reading text books practice active reading. This means using pens and highlighters to write down key pieces of information, or highlight key sentences in the text. This will help you to focus on the material, and it will be easier to remember. It will also make it easier to revisit.

Expanded rehearsal

Rehearsing information will help you remember it. Rehearse information straight after learning it, then again after a short break, and then again after a longer break, and so on, expanding the length of time between each rehearsal.

Testing yourself with classmates

Study with other people in your class and ask each other questions on the material.

Make links and associations

Making links and associations between new information and existing knowledge will help you to make sense of the new information, and will give it more meaning. The more links you can make, however silly or bizarre, the more likely you will remember it.

Note taking

If you find it hard to make notes on the whole lesson, just focus on getting the main points down first.

Do not be afraid to tell the teacher if you have not understood something or have missed something, they can help get you back on track.

Try to take near organised notes.

Make use of colour coding, highlighting, and diagrams.

If you find you struggle to keep up with lessons, ask the teacher if you can use a voice recorder and record the class, or ask if you can have handouts covering the lesson material.

Physical and mental health

Look after your physical and mental health. Make sure you eat and keep hydrated during the day and set yourself a bed time that allows you to get enough sleep. Sleep is important in helping our bodies to recover and remember new information.

Try to notice when you might be getting stressed and take a break. You might want to do an activity that makes you feel rested, take a walk or have a chat with a friend or family member.

Other things that may be helpful

Other resources that people can find helpful include:

• flash cards or Post-it notes with key information about a topic
• doing past papers and quizzes to test yourself
• completing test papers under time conditions like in an exam
• get feedback on draft or mock paper answers from a teacher