With most of us being back in school there are tests just around the corner. Whee... anyways I decided it would be good to put together a list of study tips. NOTE: Not all of these will work for everyone as everyone is different and learns in a different fashion.
1. Try studying with music-for some reason people think this is some sort of universal thing that everyone studies better with music. The truth of the matter is that it can help it may not. Though if you want to give it a shot try going for music without lyrics as people tend to concentrate on the lyrics rather than what they're reading.
2. Rewrite and condense the notes-now this may sound like a bore and a half, but it can really help things stick in your head. Get rid of the stuff you knew before the class and link notes together so you can get 4 or 5 different points into 1. Throw in symbols for words that repeat, not only may it help you remember but less hand cramps.
3. Draw pictures or make comics-obviously this one works better in some classes than others, but if you have a test about the French Revolution why not make a comic depicting what happened? It doesn't have to be publisher worthy it just has to get the concepts.
4. Make up or find songs-Suprisingly this is is fairly versatile. Obviously rhyming is your friend in this instance as rhymes tend to be easier to remember (we wouldn't have Beowulf if it wasn't for that.) There are a surprising amount of songs already written about events, stories and math. I learned the quadratic formula to the tune of "Pop Goes the Weasel" almost 4 years ago and I still remember it.
5. Watch documentaries or videos-Not everyone can take in information by reading or taking notes. Plus hearing the information from a different source can really help you get a concept if your teacher's or prof's way of explaining doesn't make sense to you. I found documentaries a huge help in my online history class because I couldn't hear the professor plus it also gave me points that were not covered in the textbook.
6. Study a little bit each day-DON'T CRAM THE NIGHT BEFORE!! For very very few people does this study technique actually work because you only tend to remember the stuff you read 10 minutes before stopping, not only that but you're sleep deprived which means, even with coffee, your mind isn't awake.
7. Mnemonics-Mnemonics for those who don't know are basically memory tricks, 4 would be considered a mnemonic, but I felt it needed it's own separate point. Anyways there's more to mnemonics than songs, weird sentences or stories can help. They don't have to do seemingly anything with the subject as long as it works for you that's all that matters. For instance in a history class I remembered "Austria mixing floors" to remember that the Austrian-Prussian war was in 1864.
8. Take breaks-For every 30 minutes of studying you should take a 5-10 minute break. It gives you a chance to stretch your legs and for the information to actually sink in before going on with the new material.
9.Replicate the test's environment-This is something to be done closer to test day. Obviously you won't likely be able to get the exact environment down, but do what you can. Sit at a desk or table, work in silence, wear clothes similar to those that you'd wear to the exam, drink a liquid you could bring into the test, that sort of stuff.
10. Study on a full stomach-You don't want to be getting up every 5 minutes to get something to eat or start thinking about what to cook for dinner.
