Academic study is often a constant for many of us. From a tender age we are confronted with the rigours of academic study. The rigours of academic life can be brutal. No wonder many people find ways to skirt going through academic study. There are revealed principles and means required to excel academically. One of them is diligent study. That is a vast area with so much we can discuss. Today we are looking at 10 academic study tips for outstanding grades.
Scope What You Are Studying
Scope refers to the breadth, depth, or reach of a subject; or a domain. This means before you start delving into a subject matter, get to know where it starts and where it ends. Get to know the areas it entails. This is as good as mapping what you are studying. This will give you an overview of what you can expect. That way you can easily connect the dots as you move along. You will also be able to have an idea of areas you might already know, that is new, and that needs some more attention. You will not start the journey blindly or clueless.
Prioritize Your Areas Of Weakness
There is a temptation to spend more time on subjects that you are good at. This is because it is fun to do something you are good at. This is not a wise approach though. You need more time on subjects that you are not that good at. If you do not do this you will have sterling grades for subjects you are good at. Then you will have mediocre grades for the subjects you are not good at. Yet the thrust should be to deliver balanced results across all subjects.
Base Your Study Timetable On Retrospective Revision
Do not just plan the subjects you want to study without context. Yes at first you might do that because there will not be any context yet. Once you go at it the first time, the next time you want to study, plan retrospectively. This means you look back and figure out which areas need attention. You can tell by taking note of areas you struggled with. Then you plan your subsequent study times using that approach. This is a repeatable cycle or routine you can do after every study session. That way, your study schedule will not just be random but will be informed by empirical retrospection.
Note-Taking Might Not Be The Best Approach
You probably might have never thought about this but note-taking may be bad. I do know that it depends on how you take down the notes. For most, it is mostly as good as copying and pasting. Yet note-taking should not be like that. Note-taking can only be best if you are taking down sketchy pointers that you will use as cues to recall what you learnt. Otherwise, the best thing is to use other methods to take in information other than taking down notes. The goal should be to build neural pathways in your brain to connect pieces of information. Essentially you want to commit to memory only small pieces of information that are enough to represent a whole subject matter.
Focus On Understanding
There has often been debate about the Zimbabwean education system. Many people have called out how many students focus on just memorizing stuff. Then they get into an exam and just regurgitate what they have memorized. This is not only happening in high schools but in universities and colleges as well. That is why you get into the industries and you hear employers complaining about unpolished graduates who are clueless at work.
All this happens because they focused more on memorizing rather than understanding. What many people do not realize is that seeking to understand requires less brain power than memorizing. If you focus on understanding, even your study sessions will be less tasking. If you cannot explain a subject matter to someone else then you have not yet understood it. You can test yourself by trying to comprehensively and simply explain it to someone else.
Mock Exams Are Paramount
I once did an article on 2 critical thinking techniques to use in business. One of those techniques is one that I developed with my friend in high school. We called it CRIDABESSQ. This stands for critical data analysis by effective self-set questions. Here is an overview of the technique:
Let us suppose I wanted to learn about a new topic in a particular field. I would start off by writing down or thinking of questions I might have pertaining to that field. I would do that before reading anything on that topic. After that, I would go through some reading material on the topic. After that, I would go back to my questions from before and try to answer them given my newfound knowledge. If they were not answered I would research more plus in the same process I would also develop more questions. I would repeat this cycle of processes till I was an expert on a topic. This made it possible for me to get full marks on in-class tests lots of times.
The thrust is to test yourself as much as you can. You can even just take actual exams by yourself. So many ways you can approach this.
Take Your Coursework Seriously
This may not apply to some contexts but in tertiary education there usually is coursework. This is simple logic but some do not take it seriously. Maximizing your coursework will reduce the pressure to study. Let us suppose you get 30 percent out of 40 percent of coursework. This means even if you get 50 percent on the final exam, you will still have a pass. Acing your coursework increases your chances of having a high final grade.
In closing, I will just mention 3 more tips namely, Group Discussions, Productive Workspace, and Make It Worthwhile. Approach group discussions with caution though; if you are not careful they can be counterproductive. Have a dedicated study workspace that is conducive to productive study sessions. Then in everything make it worthwhile, as in, figure out how to make studying enjoyable. With these 10 study tips, you can achieve outstanding grades.
