Student support: Top 10 Study Tips

Do you find study hard work? You’re not alone. But help is at hand. These tips have been used by some of our most successful students. Try them and see how you go.

1. POST A GOAL ABOVE YOUR DESK

Write down the goal you want to achieve and display it prominently above your desk. This helps you focus and having your reason, front of mind, might motivate you to study harder.

2. CREATE A POSITIVE STUDY ENVIRONMENT

Clear your study area of non-study related distractions: mobile phone, toys (that means your iPod!), non-study related books and magazines, photo frames (unless the photo motivates you to be a more productive studying machine) and other junk. Your room should contain only what you need to study well.

3. SET A TASK LIST

Rather than just allocating a time frame to study, say 7pm to 10pm, allocate time to sit down and get through a certain amount of work. Having a designated workload means that you have a result-orientated goal. This minimises any time wasting during the ‘allocated study hours’.

4. FIND YOUR ZONE

Find the best time of the day/ night when you are most productive. Do your low-brain activities (easy tasks/subjects) when you are not in your zone of effectiveness and plan your high-brain activities (the trickier ones) when you are in the zone!

5. WORK A BIT HARDER

Working smarter means working harder. Unfortunately, there are no short-cuts and the marks you receive at the end of the year generally correspond to the amount of work you put in.

6. USE HOLIDAY TIME WISELY

Regardless of the amount of work you set out to accomplish in your holidays, you need to plan for it. Whether you choose to do no work at all, a little bit, or study 10 hours a day every day, the trick is evaluating which approach suits and works for you.

7. MASTER YOUR SUBJECT

It’s one thing to know your subject material, but knowing it in great detail and having it committed to memory is how you will excel. To raise yourself above the learning stage and start to master the concepts, you need to commit to going the extra mile, be an effective note taker, understand how all the information fits in together and be able to quickly tailor and reproduce information.

8. PLAN FOR EXAMS

Aim to know everything you need to know, in the detail you need to know, prior to the exam. Sound like a dream exam day? It needn’t just be a dream if you plan properly.

9. BE AN EXAM ROOM STRATEGIST

Develop a simple routine to have a light, healthy breakfast and ensure you stay calm. Once you are in the exam room, focus and regain your calm. When you are allowed to start on your paper, look at the questions and ration your time, read the question carefully and re-read before answering. Always spend 5 minutes planning your essays before starting to write.

10. REST UP AND HAVE FUN

By monitoring your stress levels, managing your mental and physical wellness and having a healthy social life you are creating a study/ life balance.

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