It’s common knowledge that everyone studies difirently. Some, better then others. But for prople like me, who have ADHD, studying can be quite the challange. But with the right technique, it’s still possible. Due to my inability to study properly in the comfort of my own home, I tend to sit in the class rooms and try (Try, being a strong word here) to listen to what the professor explain the lecture. Things.like Spanish or English class are easy to understand once you’ve gotten the hang of a few tricks. But classes like management theory, throw all of this stuff out the window. I can’t listen to a lecture that’s very irritating and boring, so it’s hard to learn anything from those classrooms. In the event of that happening, what I do is write anything important from the class down, and waste a bunch of hours on end trying to memorize them. It isn’t the best way, but that’s how I managed with a B in that class. Enough about me, what are some of your guys techniques. Feel free to write them down and discuss it.
I'd say I have ADHD, but I don't trust my old doctors with their words. I'll just say I don't, then throw it out the window. Personally, I don't like to study, I just take the notes, take a few tricks from them, then never look at them again. For some reason, I'm capable of memorizing problems without trying too hard - this has led to me being better than a majority of the people I know in math, history, geography, and most science classes. So, I'd just say I look at the notes, ignore the teacher, and do what I can do. I don't know. Studying is really a weak point of mine.
I might have ADD? Something like that. But I have terrible focus, so I’m not good with studying. When I study I generally look over notes or Quizlets (basically flash cards, they’re really helpful). That’s about it, I don’t think I’m all that good at studying.
If I need to really memorize something, I write it down multiple times in different colors. It's an old technique but by doing it it makes your brain think the information is more important because it takes more notice of things in color. Try picking a bright but easy to read color and using that to take notes. Also try breaking things down into basic parts and writing down key details. When you go over your notes, read them to yourself aloud. Doing so helps you retain the memory and makes you think more about the information. Try seeing if you can record the lectures, then replay them when going over the notes. If you have a doctor you are seeing you might want to try seeking accommodations through your college. If you have an academic advisor, ask them about getting accommodations like being able to record the lecture. You may also want to look into the american's with disabilities act if you are in the states, it protects people under a very wide umbella and includes both work and school. This last part isn't much of a tip but perhaps it can help. Hopefully this information was helpful.
Everyone has their own methodology when it comes to studying, but the one thing I think could and should apply to everyone is this: quality over quantity. An hour of good, solid, attentive studying is worth more than five spent trying to force yourself to pay attention. Cramming does not work. I know so many people who spent literally entire days in the library, pulled all-nighters, and still didn't get the marks to show for it, because they burned out, got distracted, didn't plan properly, or just weren't interested. Seriously. Find out what your threshold is before your mind starts to wander, the time of day when you are most focused - for me it was the morning - and study in that period only. Take the rest of the day off to do what you want to do. Study when you WANT to study, not when you think you should. You will find it much easier to absorb and retain information this way. When I was at University I started revising for my exams about a month beforehand, and I did 4 hours every weekday, from 8 til 12. Then I went home and spent the afternoon and evening slacking off, occasionally flipping through my notes whenever I had a spare minute. Across 3 years, only 2 of my exam results were below 70% - I got 50% in a Statistics module because my mind just does not process these things easily, and I got 68% in Business Analysis because it was my turn to have the exam flu that was going around my study group and I spent the 3 hours in a semi-lucid paracetomol-fuelled haze wishing I could crawl under my desk and die. Everything else, I aced. Even my Taxation exam, and that was basically the exam from hell for everyone. Wasn't quite so lucky in my postgrad, but that was substantially harder...I still didn't get below 60% in anything though. Quality over quantity. Studying for me was all about note-taking, though. I had my painfully scruffy lecture/seminar notes, which I would meticulously copy - adding where appropriate - as neatly as possible, then I'd abridge them onto pocket-sized study cards, which I would carry with me everywhere and read anytime I had a spare moment. On the train, walking down the street, during meals, just before I was about to go to bed, if I woke up in the night...anywhen. Until I could memorise what was on the cards, and practically memorise my more detailed notes, too. It's generally easier to remember key phrases first and then expand upon what they mean rather than trying to take in everything at once. Think of it like playing word association. Then I just did practice questions from past exam papers until I was seeing the answers in my sleep. Exams aren't very creative: they usually have a number of topics that get cycled throughout the years, and there is never much difference between the questions. Doing exam questions from past papers is the best way to prepare yourself for your own exams, because not only will you learn how to answer them quickly and concisely, if the topic comes up again then you've basically passed the test. Practicing under exam conditions is invaluable and I highly recommend it when you're studying casually, because you need a level of speed and accuracy to go with the knowledge that a lot of people overlook. My exams were three hours each in my second and third year, and even though I only had to answer 3 out of 5 questions for a lot of them I needed every minute. Practice answering questions quickly, and make sure you factor in at least fifteen minutes to check your answers at the end in the amount of time it should be taking you to write out an answer. Know your strengths, and then study up on your weaknesses in case those come up - there's no point going over what you already know, outside of occasionally making sure you DO know it. It's better to be well-rounded than an expert in some subjects and clueless in others, because the ones you know nothing about will be the ones that come up. Being boxed in to answer specific questions on multi-choice tests - or not being able to answer any because your topics aren't on the paper - is a nightmare. Finally...use all your resources. A resource a lot of students seem to forget about are their teachers. Make them earn their paychecks. If you don't feel comfortable asking in class, ask them outside of class, and get them to go over what you don't understand privately. They're being paid to teach you. ...and that's about it. xD
When I have to study and do school work, I make myself do what I need to (read/listen/take notes) and focus as much as I can. When I feel myself starting to get distracted (usually a few minutes later) I take a few minute break. I listen to a single song and do something relaxing while doing so, and then when the song's over I go back to studying. This on again off again method definitely makes things take longer, but it works to motivate me to do schoolwork at all, by having a quick little reward system going.
For most subjects, I’ll take notes on just about everything I hear. Just the process of writing down what I’m reading or hearing makes it easier to remember. Of course, I still look over my notes from time to time in case anything gets fuzzy. My studying method for my online Japanese class is completely different. When I run into a new grammar pattern, I’ll try to make sentences using vocabulary I already know. Once I can make basic sentences without much hesitation, I’ll move on. Any new vocabulary I find goes on a flash card app called Anki. There, I spend 15 to 30 minutes a day reviewing new words and older ones I struggle with.
When it comes to studying of me, its a little different. For common classes, (not in my major) I listen to the instructor, and write down the notes. A quick review of the notes before testing is all I need. I automatically memorize most facts people say so I only spend a day or so reviewing material for the course and that's all I need. For courses in my major, their a different story. Because those are mostly physics classes and physics are poorly taught at my university, I have to do extensive studying. The one thing that hurts and I hate doing is reading books, reasons why have been stated else where. So I mostly spend my entire time rereading lecture notes, redoing the HW assigned, and doing previous years exams (usually my teachers give these to us). I don't ever work at home, too distracting. So I go to the university and study in quite spots whenever I have free time to do so. I have never pulled an all nighter nor do I ever wish to. I would prefer to spend my entire weekend doing nothing but studying than lose sleep over school work. I can usually rest assured if I find a problem I don't know how to solve because most people in my physics classes generally average their scores at the 60% or 50% so I try my best and often do feel assured that I'm at least passing.
