I need help to study

[braden]

Hey everyone,

 

Im in my last year of school and my most important exams are coming up, these exams will decide whether I get into university or not. This is my second year doing this year because last year I f**ked up my exams so I repeated. I don’t want it to happen again. I really need advice on how to study and what to do and what not to do. I just feel really lazy, and im very pessimistic about life. Ever since I saw loose change, I got addicted to the internet, sitting on my * * * all the time, I didn’t really care about life anymore because of what I see happening in the world. I think it’s because im not doing much exercising which is making me feel lazy. If

Anyone wants to second that, or give me advice or links please do. I appreciate it

[beh700]

hey...this may not be what you wanted in response, but when i'm lazy and have exams coming up i drag myself through this process: get up (before 9!), go through the whole getting ready tasks (so you feel good and awake), get out of your living space and go somewhere completely new (starbucks, local library, playground bleachers, state park etc.) and study. walk to the place if you want to work on excercising! nothing beats weights like a heavy bookbag.

 

personally, i have to read textbook after textbook, so i highlight my textbooks and at the end of a chapter i go back and quickly jot down the vocab and important points. once my mind shuts down (usually within three hours) i go grab lunch with friends or what not, and head to wherever there is a computer and type up a study guide from the notes i've taken. this also gives me time to get back to my dearly loved tecnology. as soon as the sun sets, i am definitely done though. unless i have a quick assignment due for another class, preferably not involving exams.

 

but i just repeat this process, switching places each day to keep my mind alive, and then by the time i've covered all the material and typed up my notes, i have a convenient little cheat sheet that i look over the night before and morning of.

 

it hasn't failed me yet. good luck with the exams!

[spirits]

Whether you can get in or not also depends on where you live and whether it's competitive there. So is distraction your main reason why you're not getting the grades you want?

[Timebandit]

Hi,

 

Two suggestions:

 

Firstly, try to use timeboxing. Work 45 minutes (or whatever you want, but probably not much more than that), and then relax for 15 minutes. I can keep myself more disciplined, and I can concentrate better when I use this method.

 

Secondly, try to understand your learning style. F.ex. some people need to get the big picture first, while others build up the big picture from the details. There are a lot of learning style tests on the net. This has a huge impact on how your study style should be.

 

One test of leaning style can be found at: link removed

 

It also gives you some suggestions on how to cope with your learning style.

 

Good luck.

[spirits]

I really suggests that you should know the materials the same day that it is taught so you don't have to study too much before finals. I realized these are the A student's way of doing things. Yes they are smart too, but they are updated with their stuff, and some even have a habit of pre-reading. Now, i couldn't help you in this exact situation because you are pretty much screwed if you have to study a lot for the final now when the final is coming soon.

 

That is simply not the way.

 

Learning style gives you insights too; see if it works for you. But never ignore the power of habits.

[Altruist]

I really suggests that you should know the materials the same day that it is taught so you don't have to study too much before finals. I realized these are the A student's way of doing things. Yes they are smart too, but they are updated with their stuff, and some even have a habit of pre-reading. Now, i couldn't help you in this exact situation because you are pretty much screwed if you have to study a lot for the final now when the final is coming soon.

 

That is simply not the way.

 

Learning style gives you insights too; see if it works for you. But never ignore the power of habits.

 

Yes, get course guides for all the courses that you are taking (for your future exams) start reading up on all the topics before they have been covered. I remember when I was still in school I was always reading up to two or three years ahead. When a topic was covered in class, I would know everything about it and so it was like revision. I even had time to assist senior students with their assignments! You could try doing the same. If you have access to past exam papers, look through them and try to answer the questions. That will give you a feel of the exam.

 

For now, since the exams are near what you need is a 'crash program'. It's going to depend on your learning style. This is what worked 100% for me and might also work for you:

 

I first take a very small notebook (usually A7 size) and summarize the main points of each chapter into 1 page. At the end of it I usually have less than ten tiny pages to study which I can easily read through about ten times until I remember everything in there. Its also important to do what works for you. For instance, most study experts advise against reading on the day of the exams. I have been able to pass extremely well after reading right up to the last few minutes before an exam.

 

Hope this helps you.