Science can help you improve your study methods. For more than 100 years, psychologists have done research on which study habits work best. Here are 4 tips to improve your study habits.
Space out your studying
Nate Kornell, a psychologist at Williams College, thinks it's a good idea to study the day before a big test. . Instead, space out those study sessions. Kornell compares our memory to water in a cup. Try to refill the cup while it's still full, and you can't add much more water. Allow time between study sessions, and some of the material may drip out of your memory. But then you'll be able to relearn it and learn more in your next study session.
Practice, practice, practice!
Musicians practice their instruments. Athletes practice sports skills. "If you want to be able to remember information, the best thing you can do is practice," says Katherine Rawson.
Test yourself
Scientist Nebel suggests. " Put questions on one side and the answers on the other side of the card and try to quiz yourself the way the teacher asks questions." she adds. "It will be of great help."
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It's hard to remember a string of facts and figures if you don't push further. Ask why things are a certain way. How did they come about? Why do they matter? Psychologists call this elaboration. It's taking class material and asking a lot of how and why questions about it. This helps you combine new information with other things you know. And it creates a bigger network in your brain of things that relate to one another. .
A. Dig deeper
B. Try your best
C. Of course, nothing can replace studying with your mother
D. The same should go for learning
E. That larger network makes it easier to learn more and deeper
F. Create a pack of cards every time you learn new information
G. But research shows it's a bad idea to force all your studying into that day