Study Smarter,
Not Harder
1
Preparing to Study....Be Nice
to Your Brain

Sit in a QUIET place. TV and
radio distracts your brain.

Don’t procrastinate. It puts your
brain under stress.

Don’t study after you normally
go to bed. Your brain wants to
sleep at that time.
2
Preparing to Study....Be Nice
to Your Brain


Take breaks. Your brain gets
tired too.
Set reasonable goals and
reward yourself-”I’m going to
study for 20 minutes then take a
snack break.”
3
What Kind of Learner Are
You?

Auditory Learners: Learn by
hearing
 Use
a study group
 Study out loud
 Pay close
attention to lectures
4
http://www.studytechniques.org/learning-styles-auditory.html
What Kind of Learner Are
You?

Tactile Learners: Learn by
touching or using
 Use
practice questions
 Pay close attention to lab
5
http://www.studytechniques.org/learning-styles-tactile.html
What Kind of Learner Are
You?

Visual Learners: Learn
by seeing
 Use
flashcards
 Review diagrams from the
textbook
 Pay close attention to
class notes
6
http://www.studytechniques.org/learning-styles-visual.html
Study Method #1: Repetition

Review your notes the same day
you get them. That’s when your
brain remembers the best!

Then review your notes daily.
Give your brain the chance to
repeatedly see the information.
7
Study Method #2: Writing

Rewrite your notes

Type your notes

Or do both!
8
Study Method #3: Condensing



Day 1: Write out everything you
need to know. You’ll have several
pages.
Day 2: Condense this information
into half the number of pages.
Take out extra words not needed,
not important details.
Day 3: Condense this information
into one page divided into four
sections.
9
http://www.gearfire.net/3-effective-methods-to-study-for-exams/
Study Method #4: Talking to
Yourself

Say or sing your notes out loud




Read only 1 sentence of the notes at
a time
Cover the sentence up and say it
several times.
Check your notes to make sure that
you got the sentence right
This words great for diagrams
too!

Cover up the labels and try to guess
them correctly.
10
Study Method #5: Flashcards

While studying flashcards, make 3
piles
 What I know
 What I don’t know
 What I guessed right

Focus your studying on the “What I
don’t know” and “What I guessed
right piles”
11
Study Method 6: Mind
Mapping

Rewrite your notes using only
key words and images
Example
12
http://www.sabceducation.co.za/VCMStaticProdStage/EDUCATION/StaticHTML/Youth/Real%2
0Life/Study%20Methods/How%20to%20mind%20map2.html
Study Method #7: Study
Buddy

Use a study buddy
 Have a friend ask you questions
about your notes.
 Answer their questions without
looking at your notes.
 If you get a question wrong, ask
your study buddy to tell you the
right answer. Make a list of the
questions you get wrong.
 After the last question, have
your study buddy ask you the
questions you got wrong again.
13
Study Method #8: Mnemonics

Catchy words or phrases


SPONCH
 sulfur, phosphorus, oxygen,
nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen =
the 6 most common elements in
biology
King Philip came over for good
spaghetti
 Kingdom
Phylum Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species
14
Study Method #8: Mnemonics

Visualizing


Fondant is a sweet,
smooth, elastic icing.
If it’s freezing you
need a blanket.
Fondant looks like a
smooth blanket over
a cake or cupcake.
Buttercream is a light,
creamy frosting.
Buttercream is
creamy!
15
Study Method #8: Mnemonics

Chunking

Abraham Lincoln was shot
on April 14, 1865 by
John Wilkes Booth
 Abraham = April
 Abraham Lincoln has 14 letters = 14
 He was a president and you can vote for
president when you turn 18 = 18
 Lincoln is a type of car that can by found
on the highway going 65mph = 65
16
Study Method #8: Mnemonics

Story Method

Counties in Southern England: Avon, Dorset,
Somerset, Cornwall, Wiltshire, Devon,
Gloucestershire, Hampshire, and Surrey.

An AVON lady is walking towards a strange house.
She is hot and sweating in the SUMMER
(Somerset) heat. Outside the house, there is giant
CORN (Cornwall) growing, but it's beginning to
WILT (Wiltshire) in the heat. She knocks on the
DOOR (Dorset), which is opened by the
DEVIL(Devon). He is smearing honey on a HAM
(Hampshire), making in GLOSSY (Gloucestershire)
in the bright sunlight. The Avon lady panics,
screams 'SORRY' (Surrey), and runs back down
the path.
17
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTIM_01.htm
Study Method #8: Mnemonics

Journey Method

Shopping list: Coffee, lettuce, cauliflower, French
bread, chicken, pork chops, bath tub cleaner
1. Front door: spilt coffee grains on the doormat
2. Rose bush in front garden: growing letuuce around
the roses
3. Car: with cauliflower on the driver's seat
4. End of the road: an arch of French bread over the
road
5. Traffic lights: chickens squawking and flapping on top
of lights
6. Past church: in front of which a pig is karate chopping
wooden boards
7. Supermarket parking lot: a filthy bath tub is parked in
the space next to my car!
18
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTIM_05.htm