5 Study Tips for Your Worst Topic

Nobody is the best at every subject. We all have that one subject or topic in a class that we just don’t get. But there’s no need to be discouraged! If you follow these study tips, you can make it through with no temptation to cheat on the big test!

Take notes in class

If you care about getting a good grade or understanding something new, this is the least you should do. I know so many people who complain about getting bad grades, but they don’t take notes in their classes! That’s their first - and biggest - problem. Handwritten notes stick in your brain the best. Also, instead of searching through a huge textbook to find information, you can review your notes and see what the professor actually talked about and wants you to know. A lot of times, you don’t even need the textbook; you just need to know the things your professor said, so you should always take notes.

After you take notes, always review them

It really surprises me how much I forget, even immediately after the class (especially a morning one)! You should glance over your notes right when you leave class to make sure they make sense. Then, at the end of every week, read over all your notes to review. You can even make flashcards with terms or important concepts on them. Reviewing your notes at least once a week takes away so much of the stress that you usually face the night before a test.

Quiz yourself

Find a practice test online, use flashcards, a friend, your textbook, or your notes. I like to find a heading or drawing in my notes and try to explain it to myself. The practice questions at the end of chapters in textbooks are also very helpful. They usually have the correct answer and explanation to read as well so you can make sure you understand a concept. When you study, make sure you really understand why something is the way it is. Otherwise, you’ll just be memorizing answers and meaningless information that you’ll end up forgetting.

Don’t spend more than an hour studying at a time

When you have a tough class, you’d rather be doing anything else in the world than studying the material.. That’s why you need to keep the intense study time limited to less than an hour. When you do study, go in a quiet room with no distractions. When you study, you need to be completely focused on what you’re doing, especially when it’s a topic that you’re having trouble with. If you goof off when you study, you’ll turn a half-hour study session into a four-hour waste of time.

Don’t study what you already know

This is one I recently learned, and it saves me a lot of time. If you already reviewed some concepts and you are certain that you understand them, don’t keep dwelling on them! Focus on the stuff you don’t quite get, or just can’t remember. This will keep your study time shorter and it won’t clutter your mind with things you already have locked away in your brain.