This post is meant to help all of you who find it hard to learn for final exams or test papers. The following suggestions helped me learn easier and I'm hoping you'll find them helpful as well.
1. Find your own pace
And don't get panicked when someone is telling you how easy they learn or how great they do it. Don't even insist on doing what they do if it doesn't feel good for you. For example, I learn easier during nightime ( and write better) but that doesn't mean you'll also learn easier during the nightime. It means you have to find your own pace...So read my list and try out my suggestions but if they don't help, let them go and try other means of learning until you find a combination that suits you.
1. Find your own pace
And don't get panicked when someone is telling you how easy they learn or how great they do it. Don't even insist on doing what they do if it doesn't feel good for you. For example, I learn easier during nightime ( and write better) but that doesn't mean you'll also learn easier during the nightime. It means you have to find your own pace...So read my list and try out my suggestions but if they don't help, let them go and try other means of learning until you find a combination that suits you.
2. Find a good learning spot
Oh, I can't stress this enough. A quiet, comfortable spot to learn is extemely important. You might think: "Aw, I can learn anywhere." and I won't disagree with you at all, but you'll learn easier if you find a comfortable, (you won't waste time twisting and turning to be comfortable) quiet ( no distractions from your focus) spot to learn.
Oh, I can't stress this enough. A quiet, comfortable spot to learn is extemely important. You might think: "Aw, I can learn anywhere." and I won't disagree with you at all, but you'll learn easier if you find a comfortable, (you won't waste time twisting and turning to be comfortable) quiet ( no distractions from your focus) spot to learn.
3.
Clear your mind
Before you go studying take care of all the things that bug you or might distrutpt your attention. If you can't take care of all of them and you are worried you might forget some of them, just write them down. That way you can focus on learning and you won't forget the things you have to take care of because they'll be on a piece of paper.
Before you go studying take care of all the things that bug you or might distrutpt your attention. If you can't take care of all of them and you are worried you might forget some of them, just write them down. That way you can focus on learning and you won't forget the things you have to take care of because they'll be on a piece of paper.
4.
Get accustomed
Go through everything you have to learn before starting to learn. Get familiar with the concepts and the methods of that subject. It will be harder in the beginning to focus since you won't be accustomed to the words and the concepts of the subject but if you focus for a while and read it through it will be a great help.
Go through everything you have to learn before starting to learn. Get familiar with the concepts and the methods of that subject. It will be harder in the beginning to focus since you won't be accustomed to the words and the concepts of the subject but if you focus for a while and read it through it will be a great help.
5.
Read it out loud
Reading and repeating out loud helped me greatly. Sometimes it seems as if you have it all right inside your mind but when you open up your mouth to speak or to write down what you've learned... blank... nothing, nada comes to mind. At least it happened to me, I don't know about you. Everybody has a different way of learning so you might not find it necessary but you can use it anytime to check and see if you actually remember what you've learned.
Reading and repeating out loud helped me greatly. Sometimes it seems as if you have it all right inside your mind but when you open up your mouth to speak or to write down what you've learned... blank... nothing, nada comes to mind. At least it happened to me, I don't know about you. Everybody has a different way of learning so you might not find it necessary but you can use it anytime to check and see if you actually remember what you've learned.
6.
Gist ideas
Memorize the gist ideas and learn how to express yourself about the details of the lesson that aren't really that necessary. Don't waste time memorizing all sort of things that won't help you later on in life, learn the gist ideas and impovise (well, not neccesarily, unless it is a subject you can easily improvise.) If not, read those details several times and try to remember the idea of the whole section. Wrap it up!
Memorize the gist ideas and learn how to express yourself about the details of the lesson that aren't really that necessary. Don't waste time memorizing all sort of things that won't help you later on in life, learn the gist ideas and impovise (well, not neccesarily, unless it is a subject you can easily improvise.) If not, read those details several times and try to remember the idea of the whole section. Wrap it up!
7.
Split it up in sections
After you got the idea of what the subject in matter is all about split the lesson/material into sections and learn section after section.
After you got the idea of what the subject in matter is all about split the lesson/material into sections and learn section after section.
8.
Write it down
Write down again what you are supposed to learn. It is a case of practice, and I find it pretty effective. Writing down what you are supposed to learn and paying attention to what you write is a sort of repetition.
Write down again what you are supposed to learn. It is a case of practice, and I find it pretty effective. Writing down what you are supposed to learn and paying attention to what you write is a sort of repetition.
9.
Debate
I find it easier to learn if I talk about it. It doesn't have to be just a debate, you can also study with a friend or have conversations with people who know the things you are supposed to learn.
10. Look for connections
Between the lessons or material that you are learning right now and what you've learned in the past that might connect. If for example you can't remember some concepts or words try making a song out of them, or a funny poem or anything else that works for you. Let's say you want to remember the notes of the treble clef lines in music, keep in mind this: Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge which stands for E, G, B, D, F.
11. Think of real life examples
This is in my opinion, the best way to learn. Schools can give you a load of theoretical stuff to remember that you'll forget most likely after the exam/test paper. If it's pure theoretical, it's going to be really hard to remember it, but if it relates to certain events in real life - that makes the most of a difference.
12. Use colored markers
If you have a good visual memory and you are a visual learner. I use colored markers to decide the importance of notions. For the titles I use a color, for the gist ideas I use another colored marker and so on. And btw, I chose the importance of the marker's color based on the colors I like. So, for gist ideas I use green - because I really like the way it looks.
13. Study in periods of 20-50 mins and take breaks
Well, this depends once again on you. Maybe you can learn it all at once and you would lose your focus by taking breaks so often. But take breaks when you feel the need to. Go take a walk, take a shower, go buy yourself some healthy snacks to help you focus further....which brings us to my next suggestions ->
14. Healthy snacks
Snacks are not necessarily a bad thing as long as they are healthy. Get some fruits next to you, some peanuts and carrot sticks. They'll help you get energized and study better.
15. Reward yourself
Oh, this is my favorite part! You should always reward yourself for what you've acomplished. Therefore, if you spend several hours learning, reward yourself for it - you deserve it! This reward can be anything from a box of your favorite chocolate to a day of doing absolutly nothing or a whole day doing what you want/like.
I find it easier to learn if I talk about it. It doesn't have to be just a debate, you can also study with a friend or have conversations with people who know the things you are supposed to learn.
10. Look for connections
Between the lessons or material that you are learning right now and what you've learned in the past that might connect. If for example you can't remember some concepts or words try making a song out of them, or a funny poem or anything else that works for you. Let's say you want to remember the notes of the treble clef lines in music, keep in mind this: Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge which stands for E, G, B, D, F.
11. Think of real life examples
This is in my opinion, the best way to learn. Schools can give you a load of theoretical stuff to remember that you'll forget most likely after the exam/test paper. If it's pure theoretical, it's going to be really hard to remember it, but if it relates to certain events in real life - that makes the most of a difference.
12. Use colored markers
If you have a good visual memory and you are a visual learner. I use colored markers to decide the importance of notions. For the titles I use a color, for the gist ideas I use another colored marker and so on. And btw, I chose the importance of the marker's color based on the colors I like. So, for gist ideas I use green - because I really like the way it looks.
13. Study in periods of 20-50 mins and take breaks
Well, this depends once again on you. Maybe you can learn it all at once and you would lose your focus by taking breaks so often. But take breaks when you feel the need to. Go take a walk, take a shower, go buy yourself some healthy snacks to help you focus further....which brings us to my next suggestions ->
14. Healthy snacks
Snacks are not necessarily a bad thing as long as they are healthy. Get some fruits next to you, some peanuts and carrot sticks. They'll help you get energized and study better.
15. Reward yourself
Oh, this is my favorite part! You should always reward yourself for what you've acomplished. Therefore, if you spend several hours learning, reward yourself for it - you deserve it! This reward can be anything from a box of your favorite chocolate to a day of doing absolutly nothing or a whole day doing what you want/like.
Your turn. Any learning tips you could share?
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