Top Tips Tuesday with Toni Barrett

Good Study Habits

At the end of each school year we have diagnostic tests, examinations or assessments that evaluate how much knowledge we have gained during the course of the year. While pen to paper examinations do not justify how much a student has learnt, it has continued to be one of the main modes of quantifying this information. Good study habits are those things that we find comfortable to do while retaining the information we have learnt in order to attain good grades. Let us discuss five tips that may be useful in practicing good study habits.

Finding a quiet place to study/ make a study space – everyone is different, thus they may or may not agree with this point. Noise is a form of distraction and allows room for little to no productivity when studying. We cannot have a conversation with two persons at the same time without asking the other to wait or giving a wrong response to one. We have to give the book all our attention and eliminate all other distractions. If you find instrumental music to be beneficial to your studying then it cannot be accounted as a distraction as it is beneficial to your studies. Finding a quiet place will permit you to be more focused in retaining information.

Practice in areas of weakness- we can only get better in areas we are not good at if we continue to practice. Practicing when it is time for assessment or exams are not ideal but is a regular practice within our society. Practice makes perfect. You may not perfect these areas in the time for an exam, so do not limit yourself to understand a concept only for that time. Train yourself to practice throughout the course of the year as it is the only way you can build strength in the areas you are weak.

Ask for help- asking for help when you do not understand a topic is a good study habit. This is because it will help to strengthen your understanding in grasping the concepts in areas you are not comfortable with. Talk to your parents, teachers or classmates as they may have insights in those areas and you can learn a lot from their perspective on the subject.

Set a time for studying- whether you intentionally created a schedule or not, you will recognize that you are following a regular routine each day. You set aside a time to sleep, eat, bathe, play and get other day to day activities done. Therefore, setting a time for studying is just as important as those things. It gives you a sense of uniformity and order and does not give space for information overload or fatigue while studying.

Take a break- this is a very essential tip while practicing good study habits. The human body is like a machine and every machine needs optimum rest to function at its best. Taking a break will allow the mind to process what you have studied in order to produce it clearly through memory. It gives time to do things you rather be doing and to destress while you are at it.

These tips may not be new to you but can be useful to reduce the anxiety and pressure that are associated with examinations. Examinations are not the end of the world and certainly not the end of your life. They may determine if you qualify for another stage within the education system or society but is not your final destination if you have failed. Continue to practice resilience and take into account the way in which you study best. Remember, the darkest hour is just before dawn. All the best in your exams!

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