Common mistakes when studying
1. Studying what you’re good at
It can be quite tempting when studying, to study what you know, rather than what you’re not so good at. It’s okay to sometimes study something you know to give yourself that little confidence boost, but don’t forget to go over the things you are weakest at. Make a list of the topics you struggle with - you can identify them perhaps by doing test papers. It’s quite likely that those topics will come up so make sure you understand them
2. Underestimating work loads
When i had my GCSE exams, i went over what i had to study before i had the exam in February (exams in may), and made a timetable for studying; it turned out i had so much more to study than i realised and so little time left. I was glad that i checked at that point in the year and not any later, because my timetable brought me right up to the first day of exams, and that was just to study things once. I really recommend at the start of this school year or now (depends where you are in the semester/term) to check what work you have and make sure you don’t run out of time.
If you’re like me, there’s no way information can go in your head just by writing it down. It may work for some people, but chances are, just copying down notes straight from a textbook isn’t going to get you that A*. There are plenty of other ways to study that are effective - flashcards are great, as long as you condense the information - quizzing yourself and getting others to quiz you - trying to visualise things rather than read them, perhaps draw pictures related to processes to help you understand them.
4. Focusing too much on memory
Memorising is vital, yes. However, it isn’t any good if you have no idea what the things mean that you are memorising. Your brain works best when it can make connections to things, so if you try your best to understand what you are memorising, you’re more likely to remember it. I found that when i read something that i didn’t understand and then re-read it and tried to make sense of it, it was one of the things that i never forgot, because i took the time to go over it.
We’ve all done it. Sunday night up until 11pm. It’s not nice. You wished that your past self had done some work. Your brain can’t handle cramming, especially late at night. If you do find yourself in this situation, don’t study everything; pick out the biggest topics, the ones your teachers emphasise the most, and the ones you don’t understand. Leave the rest behind and pray it doesn’t come up lol :)
so that’s all my tips for fixing bad study habits, i’m hoping to do more original help posts like this soo please follow to see them!
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