Good Study Habits for Students

Tests, and the studying that is needed to prepare for tests, can be very stressful and overwhelming for students. Most of the time, students don’t know where to start with all their class materials or how to study the materials in an effective manner.

1. Begin Studying Now— Studying begins on the first day of any class and should be an ongoing process. Set aside a few minutes every night to review what you learned in class that day, regardless of whether you have a homework assignment or not. Choose a different topic or area to study each night. Reviewing the material on an ongoing basis will help you learn the information, take the pressure off the test preparation process and help you perform better on test day.

2. Note-Taking Skills — As we discussed, preparing for a test starts much earlier than the week of the test. To have the right materials to study for the test, students must learn good note-taking strategies to implement during class and while reading school textbooks. Students should use different types of graphic organizers and outlines to help organize the information in meaningful ways. This, in turn, will help students synthesize, process and then recall information. Teachers will sometimes help students with taking notes by emphasizing points that should be written down during classroom lectures.

3. Know What to Expect — When you know you have a test coming up and want to know how to study for it, make sure you understand your teacher’s expectations. This means knowing what concepts will be tested and how they will be assessed. Pay attention when your teacher discusses expectations, and always ask questions if anything is unclear.

4. Create a Study Guide — While your teachers may provide study guides, it is smart to get in the habit of creating your own. Use old tests and quizzes to create your own practice tests or study guides based on the materials, format and question styles that will be assessed or that your teacher will use.

5. Break it Down — Once you have organized your notes and know the target of the test or quiz, it’s time to prepare for test day. Review your materials by sections or topics and start reviewing them part by part. Use different strategies to study different types of information or school subjects. Make sure to focus more time on topics or question types that you know are particularly challenging. Once you feel as if you have a certain topic covered, move on to the next.

6. Study with a Group—Work with one classmate or multiple classmates to prepare for an assessment. Also consider scheduling a regular time each week to review material as a group. Think of creative ways to work together to test your knowledge of the content. For example, you might create games to help test your knowledge and help boost each other’s confidence.