Learning Center

Study Strategies: How to Get the Most from Your Classes

Many students believe that studying entails six hours the night before an exam, but in reality, studying is an everyday time management skill. Once you have completed your courses for the day, the trick to becoming a prepared student is to re-read, re-copy, and review all of the material that you covered that day in classes, and utilize any academic support systems available (study groups, tutors, study guides, etc.). Right? Well, it depends on your learning styles and preferences. Click here to learn more about how you learn best. Once you have determined your style(s), learn more about the study strategies that work best for you.

You ask, "But how do I study for a test?" If you have been studying for your classes on a daily basis, then the night before the exam should be spent reviewing, once again, your notes, graphs, and handouts that pertain to the exam. Reviewing may seem to be a waste of time, but in the long run, you will be saving your energy and an immense amount of time. For more information on preparing for exams, click here.

It is possible that the study skills you used in high school (if you used any at all) may not work for you in college, and with a more complicated lifestyle, studying can become a burden; but with a few simple changes in your habits, studying can become part of your day, just like brushing your teeth, eating lunch, and sleeping. "Never say never." With just a few adjustments to your study skills, university pressure will be alleviated.

Study Time Tips

Learn to say "No" to distractions (parties, movies, TV, etc.).
Do not study for more than two hours at a time.
Use the 30-3-2 schedule. Study for 30 minutes; take a 3-minute break, and when you return, take 2 minutes to review what you just studied.
Prioritize. Stay organized. Get a planner, set study times, and stick to them.
Try to study during daylight hours. Natural light is more conducive to learning.
Study in a positive atmosphere: good lighting (not dim), a clean (distraction-free) work area supplied with all the materials you need to study effectively, comfortable (but not too comfortable) seating with a work surface (i.e. table, desk, etc.), any munchies necessary to curb your hunger pangs, etc. (Your bed and/or bedroom are not conducive to study because your body/mind equates sleep and relaxation to those locations.)
Have a regular study location that is free of distractions.
When re-writing your notes, take time to predict possible test questions.
Use your old exams, quizzes, and handouts for study material. Use them to predict test questions.
Use concept maps, time lines, process diagrams or part/function diagrams as visual representations of the material you need to know.
Create mnemonics that will help you remember information by organizing it and triggering recall. Remember these: HOMES, ROY G. BIV, or Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally?
Sharpen your listening skills and note taking skills. Studying will become review time rather than crunch time.
Utilize academic support services available to you. Supplemental instruction (SI), tutoring, review sessions, and study skills workshops are offered for many courses and subject areas. Check out the Learning Center or ask a professor or fellow classmate for assistance.

The SQ3R Method of Study

Created by Francis P. Robinson in 1941, the SQ3R method of study is one of the most common and easily adaptable study techniques for university students. You can follow all steps as written, or modify them to best fit your learning styles.

SQ3R is an acronym for the following activities (or steps):

Survey: Before reading a chapter, skim the contents, visuals, headings, bold-faced words, etc. This step allows you do develop a framework, a context for what you are about to read. It is important that you develop an idea of what you plan to learn from the material.
Question: Based on the textbook headings and bold-faced words, end-of-chapter questions, of beginning-of-the-chapter outline, form questions that anticipate finding the answers to while you read. You may also with to use a study guide handed out by the professor prior to reading the chapter.
Read: Read the selection section by section...reading with a purpose: 1) to learn and understand the information in the chapter and 2) to answers the question(s) you created.
Recite: Stop reading after you have completed each section, and check to see if you can answer your question(s) for the section.
Review: After reading the chapter, go back and review each section by answering the questions you created, highlighting or marking important points/information in the text.

Suggestion: If you come across confusing material mark it and continue on, or seek help by asking questions of your professor, a tutor, or classmate. By simply rereading time-and-again material that is difficult or hard to understand, you will only frustrate yourself. Make questions in your notes or in the margins of your book and seek the answers from a fellow student or the professor. Although the SQ3R appears to be a study-reading technique, you can also apply it to your lecture classes and lecture notes. Preview study guides, textbooks, etc. prior to arriving at your lecture course. Create questions about information you hope to learn. While paying attention to the lecture, take notes about important information. If you find that some material is confusing, be sure to mark that in your notes so you can ask questions when appropriate (during a question/answer period, during professor's office hours, at tutoring sessions, with classmates after class, etc.). You can review your notes alone or with classmates in study sessions and can compare the textbook material with lecture material.

These are only a few study techniques that students have used to attain academic success. The Learning Center staff can assist you in developing a study routine with techniques that work for you! Stop by and check us out or attend one of our workshops offered each semester! Click here for a link to Virginia Tech's useful study skills information.