Learn 10 essential study skills to retain information, stay focused and understand more

Learn 10 essential study skills to retain information, stay focused and understand more

Are you tired of pulling all-nighter study sessions for tests? Do you find yourself constantly distracted or falling asleep while studying? Or do you end up with low grades despite your best efforts?

You may benefit from learning how to study.

The key is to understand that learning is not measured by the amount of time you spend in class or with your books and notes, but by what additional knowledge you've gained from those experiences. With effective study habits, you have the potential to accomplish much more in less time. Think quality - not quantity, explains Charlene Holler, a retired academic skills specialist at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

Here are some of Holler's best study strategies based on research, learning theory and years of meeting with students at the Counseling and Testing Center on the UWL campus. Also see Holler's test taking strategies.

1. Use daytime hours to study.

Prioritize academics when you are more alert and have access to resources. In college, this might include tutors, professor office hours and labs. In high school, it might be teachers, parents, friends and others. Reward yourself during the evenings with social and personal time. With less on your "to do" list, you can also maintain a consistent sleep routine, which is crucial to effective brain health.

2. Establish specific study times each day.

Those study times also need purpose, which means "to do" lists. Create both a "must get done" and a "should work on" list each day. Make these academic tasks specific and attainable; so you will be less likely to procrastinate.

3. Review material close to when it was first presented.

Don't wait until the mid-term or final exam to study. Revisiting your notes with the lecture still fresh in your mind helps you both reinforce and clarify the information. Confidence in your notes during follow-up reviews is essential. The longer you wait before reinforcing the material, the more difficult it will be to connect to upcoming concepts.

4. Review in an active way.

"Looking over" notes is the most common way students explain studying. Students are confident they "know their notes," but become frustrated when "the test didn't look like my notes!" Silently reading over notes, which are always in the same order and the same wording, often leads to an illusion of competence. You think you know the material, but have only memorized bits and pieces. Your instructor will be assessing how you can connect and apply multiple concepts.

Active study involves reading out loud, drawing diagrams, listing steps, working problems, etc. Explaining information in your own words is a higher-level thinking skill than silently re-reading. Students should write down key points after every lecture. Better still is to get in the habit of writing a three to four sentence summary. These lecture-by-lecture takeaways can serve as a study guide for an upcoming exam.

Some prefer using online study tools. Check out these popular options.

5. Use short and focused study sessions.

Break your study sessions up into intensive, 25-minute segments with two-minute review periods and breaks in between. [See the Pomodoro technique below].

6. Set specific goals for study segments.

Instead of setting a vague goal like "look over my biology notes from yesterday," figure out exactly what you want to accomplish. For instance, maybe you want to "learn the seven steps of digestion." Just like going to the grocery store with a list helps you spend less time, less money, and get exactly what you need, starting a study session with specific tasks is an efficient use of your time and can lead to effective learning outcomes.

7. Learn in two directions.

A metaphor for learning can be building a wall. Pieces of information are the bricks. Content background is the foundation and review is the mortar. As new content is added, your wall of information rises. But your wall is only as strong as your effort to connect concepts through review. But building a high, solid wall is not enough. Your instructor will want you to see what the building looks like. For that you need to step back for a wider perspective. Sometimes students are surprised when the test does not look like their notes; they didn't spend enough time seeing the building from multiple perspectives.

8. Prepare for classes.

Lectures are often the primary way classroom content is presented, so making the most of that time makes sense. Our brain works better when it has a framework of what is going to be presented in a lecture. Think of this framework as a mental outline. When material is presented, you can start to see how concepts are connected. Think of preparing for class as getting a running head start in a foot race. Three ways to prepare for a class will make class a first review of material, making solidifying new concepts after class that much easier.

• Look over your previous class notes.
• Look over required or suggested reading to see what the author emphasizes. This cursory view can be done quickly by focusing on an introduction, learning objectives, bold headings, vocabulary terms, graphics and chapter summary.
• Look over PowerPoint slides for an idea of what the instructor is going to emphasize.

9. Get proper sleep, exercise and nutrition.

Take care of yourself, physically and mentally. Your body needs proper care to allow you to learn. This is especially true for sleep. Lack of quality sleep can take both a physical and mental toll in just a couple of days. Sleep not only replenishes your energy, but is crucial in strengthening and consolidating information.

10. Control electronics.

Turn your phone off or move it out of sight. When the brain is constantly switching between tasks - from studying to an instant message and back again - it is harder to learn material. What you think are only momentary interruptions result in huge losses in overall productivity. Ironically, there are apps that can help put you in control. Examples include Forest, AppBlock and Cold Turkey.

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