10 Study Tips To Help You Succeed

At some point in everyone's life we need to study for either school, to further our education, post-secondary education or for work. The problem is that study can be daunting to a lot of people as they are not sure what practical techniques to use.

Here are 10 study tips to help you succeed:

1 - Get organized – being organized to study will keep you focused and on track to help stop wasting time searching for materials such as textbooks or even a pencil sharpener.

2 - Stay focused on the task - often before you try to study you have one million things going through your head. These "things" will be a great distraction while trying to study. A great little trick to get these things off your mind is to write them down in a note book to clear your mind. Now when you have finished studying you know exactly what you were thinking of so you can continue where you left off when you wrote them down.

3 - Find Your Space - The most important step in being successful in study is to find "your space". Everyone is different and we all learn at our best in different environments, the secret is to find the place quickly. Some points you may consider for finding your study area:

- Do you study better in silence or with background music?

- Do you study better in a group or on your own?

- Is studying from home, school, Uni, TAFE or in a library the best place to offer minimal distractions?

4 - Motivation - Most of us really do not like to study. A good way to get motivated to study is to think of the outcome and what it will mean for the outcome if you do well in their studies. Keeping the long-term results in mind will help keep you motivated to study instead of going out and partying with friends.

5 - Schedule your study - Create a schedule for your studies. This will give you time structure and help to reduce wasting time.

6 - Know how to take in information - Everyone learns differently, the secret is to know how to get the most information absorbed into your brain quickly and easily. Some forms of learning include:

- Audio - use sound to listen and learn. If this works for you a good technique is to write down the important notes from your study and then record the notes so you can listen to them via your MP3 player.

- Visual - Visual learners use pictures, colors and diagrams to learn. Try to use different color highlighters when highlighting important aspects of your notes. Other techniques include the images for notes or remember the notes by placing them in diagrams.

- Kinesthetic - Kinesthetic learning is learning by doing. Role playing or build/drawing models to remember the important points are good ways for kinesthetic learning.

7 - Take notes - Take detailed notes along the way on important issues. This will save time later and help you get a better idea about the concept. Adding real life examples to your notes will also help you apply what you are trying to learn.

8 - Your own material - Making your own study materials like flash cards and exam questions is a great way to learn. This technique actually allows you to learn the material twice, once when you create the materials and another when you use them for study.

9 - Testing - Getting a friend or family member to test you on key points will give you an understanding of knowledge about a topic. This allows you to pinpoint areas that you need to further study and areas that you have a good grasp on.

10 - Need a break? Take one - you learn better when you feel refreshed, so it is wise to take a break now and then. Sometimes just one hour to get some fresh air, sometimes it may take several days. Take the time to revitalize your mind and body and focus.

These are general tips; the best techniques are the ones that work for you. Experiment finding your own learning strategies that work for you and you will find that your studies will give better results.


Article by Bradley, editor of Gold Coast Education and for EIM Training, provider of Gold Coast Tafe courses.