HERE’S EVERYTHING ON EVERY STUDY TACTIC YOU’VE SEEN A YOUTUBE VIDEO ON
By Mehak Oberoi, Junior Reporter
For many college students, simply hearing the phrase ‘study tactics’ has been known to cause a striking physiological response, bringing back deep-rooted moments of panic at 3 a.m. The last few hours before a final are the moments where your sleep-deprived brain tries to convince itself that it can hack its own way out of time, and figure out how to cram the information out of sheer force of will.
The next moments probably make you a little sick to remember: going on youtube to look for answers. Fighting the panicked sense that you’re losing time while you try to tell the difference between study tips, vlogs and motivational speeches with ripped men on the thumbnail.
Having been down that path too many times myself, I’ve compiled a list of every study tactic I’ve ever read about:
Active recall
This method is about actively engaging with the material in order to optimize your memory retention. Active recall, which can be practiced through various techniques, is all about testing your knowledge on the subject. While that might not sound so appealing while you’re preparing for a test, multiple studies have shown that active recall is a high-yield method as compared to reading and repetitive note-taking.
2. Blurting method
This is a great way to understand your knowledge on a subject and plan out future studying. To do this, you’ll need to write down everything you know about your chosen topic. Once you’ve done that, you can review the gaps in your memory and study accordingly.
3. 80/20 rule
Probably the best news I researched for the article, this rule states that about 20% of your work leads to 80% of the knowledge you retain and apply. The technique addressed by this rule is to cut down your studying time by prioritizing the key concepts in your course.
4. Pomodoro technique
The pomodoro technique is about timing your studying to be at its most effective. Developed by author Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s, it’s a way to track your attention on a task by dividing it into 25 minute study sessions, broken up by having 5-15 minute breaks in between. According to its creator, the technique is effective in compartmentalizing other distractions and worries. The philosophy behind giving a smaller goal your full attention is also considered by Cirillo to be a way to manage your work without being overwhelmed, which is often a cause of procrastination.
5.Feynman technique
Physicist Richard Feynman didn’t believe in rote memorization. Instead, he created a four-step technique for learning:
1.Pick a concept to study.
This should be a focused set of topics, ideally divided by study session.
2. Teach the topic.
This can either be by addressing it to yourself or someone else, but teach the topic aloud as if to someone for the first time
3. Keep going back to the material.
Reference your study materials every time you notice gaps in your knowledge
4. Keep straining out the information.
Keep making your descriptions more concise and easier to interpret, even if you’re only talking to yourself. Incorporate devices such as mnemonics and analogies into your understanding of the concept.
6. Mind-mapping
If active recall and the blurting method had a baby, this would be it. While using mind-mapping as a note-taking method wouldn’t be more than a step up than actual note-taking itself, using mind-mapping as a mental challenge can be far more useful. You can start by mind-mapping everything you can remember on a topic. Once you have your initial draft down, you can continue reviewing the information and expanding the mind-map with your revised memory.
7. Traffic light system
This is a way to cover your bases and keep track of your weakest areas. Write down every topic in your syllabus in a table, and mark each topic based on how well you’ve understood it with red, yellow or green. Focus on the red areas first, and keep updating the table as you revise until you’re good to go.
8. Spaced repetition
This isn’t a technique as much as a habit. Spacing your study sessions is proven to significantly heighten your memory retention. While I won’t give cramming the night before a test more hate than it already gets, the idea of cutting down your overall work is pretty good motivation to start studying early.
Let the hunger games begin? May the force be with you? Good luck and have a great term!