7 Study Mistakes You Should Avoid
As someone who loves studying, a lot of people, especially my classmates, have been recognizing my study habits. They are praising my study routine because of the grades that I got for exams, quizzes, and even activities. However, little did they know that I took so long to finally find the study routine that works for me. Honestly, it’s been a series of trials and errors to test what best routine suits me.
Trust me when I say it took so long. I started to navigate what study routine works for me when I was 10 years old. From then, I keep exploring various routines that might be effective for me. Consequently, I discovered habits that actually work and things that did not work for me.
Until today, my exploration of study habits and routines is still in the process. In fact, every semester, I got to learn something significant regarding what is effective and what is not. And throughout the long years of navigating, I keep in my mind the things that would not work in studying.
So, here are some study mistakes to avoid to ensure you’re getting the most out of your study time:
1. Passive Studying
The most frequent error made by many students is passive studying. Subsequently, this gives the impression that you are working hard when you are not. The majority of students participate in this by just going through their notes once or twice out of habit.
Therefore, change into active studying. You just need to effectively interact with the material by employing active revision strategies. This includes making memory maps or flashcards and using them as tests of your knowledge. Consequently, active learning accelerates learning, increases productivity, and ensures that knowledge is retained.
2. Non-Stop Studying
Many students think that they are effectively studying when they keep on studying for hours and hours. In fact, some students do not take breaks for hours just to study the whole lesson. However, the above-mentioned active studying does not involve studying non-stop. Thus, active studying is using the best active strategies to use your studying time effectively.
To prevent this, try making a schedule in advance. This will guarantee you to have enough time to complete the assignment before the deadline. In addition, try incorporating breaks into your study sessions by employing the Pomodoro technique.
3. Whole Page Highlighting
For many students, especially visual learners, highlighting notes draws attention to the most important information in the text. Also, most students see this as a great way to maximize their note-taking skills. However, sometimes, students tend to overdo this. They try to read everything and always end up underlining the whole page.
To avoid over-highlighting, make sure to pause to consider what you just read and identify the key ideas. By doing this, you can more easily identify important ideas and lessen pointless highlighting. Additionally, find the phrase that most effectively conveys the core idea. Thereby, you will only highlight individual words and phrases rather than complete sentences.
Lastly, take into account using color coding. Employing this, pick one color for definitions and another color for essential points.
4. Multitasking
Some students try to do all of their homework at once. They attempt to work on all their assignments by alternating between them frequently. Moreover, this is very common when the finals come up.
Subsequently, not a lot of people can succeed in multitasking. Some of the students can effectively slay these strategies, however, some students cannot.
The only key to avoiding doing things at a single time is to plan ahead. Therefore, students should plan their study time in advance and decide what subjects they will focus on each day. As a result, students can assimilate the information more quickly than they would if their focus was divided.
5. Social Media Disturbance
I think all of the students will be guilty of this habit. Some students tend to message their friends, scroll on social media sites, or even watch Netflix while studying. But, honestly, this habit will not help you to ace your exam or to understand your lessons. This will just make you distracted.
The best possible way to avoid the usage of phones while studying is to shut down your phone. Additionally, try also to go into a quiet place to help you focus more on studying.
6. Memorizing instead of Understanding
I think most students tend to memorize their notes rather than understand them. Well, memorizing your notes is an advantage, it really is. However, problems might arise when you only memorize them without understanding the key concepts.
To avoid this, make sure to utilize techniques that will make it easier for you to comprehend the underlying ideas. This includes the practice of explaining the information in your own terms or explaining the subject to a novice. Additionally, when taking notes, employ annotating. By this, it will be easier for you to understand each concept more quickly.
7. Not Utilizing Test-taking Strategies
Some students do not mind how they will be examined when they study. Additionally, some just read or memorize their notes without considering the type of test they will be taking. Sometimes, especially in studying for exams, you also need to suit your study routine to a specific type of test.
The students should learn about the exam’s structure. Would the exam be by a multiple choice, identification, essay, etc? For instance, compose some practice papers when you study if you are aware that the exam will be an essay writing type. Therefore, you will be able to structure your paper quickly and learn how to better manage your time.
Above all these techniques, the main secret to studying is your commitment. You would not get a good grade or cannot ace an exam if you are not committed to studying.
However, this commitment does not involve hours and hours of non-stop studying. You should also remember to take breaks–take frequent breaks. After all, there’s nothing wrong with taking a rest. In fact, our minds cannot function to their fullest when we are tired. Therefore, learn to take a break.
Furthermore, we should acknowledge the fact that every individual has their own study mechanism. One study routine might be effective and ineffective to some. Therefore, now is the right time for you to start navigating the study routine that will best work for you.
