7 Effective Study Techniques for High School Students
As students progress through high school, the amount of work that they are expected to complete can begin to feel overwhelming. High school students often have to balance study with numerous extracurricular activities, social lives, and family commitments. It can be a juggle to dedicate enough time to each.
Add to this the pressure, especially in senior years, to study enough to get good results, and it’s no wonder stress is so common in high school students. However, getting great results is not just about how hard you work - it’s about how smart you work.
There are some techniques that high school students can use to get more out of their studies, helping to maximise results even for those who don’t feel like they have enough time to dedicate to every subject or exam. Here are some of our top tips for effective high school studying.
Improve Your Study With These Top Tips
1. Utilise Proven Techniques
From Pomodoro to Feynman, there are a number of scientifically-backed study techniques that can help with time management, recall and everything in between. (The Pomodoro Technique suggests setting a timer for 25 minutes and focusing on your task until the timer goes off. Take a 5 minute break and then repeat. The Feynman Technique uses teaching others and creating simplified explanations and analogies to better understand and recall learnings).
If there is a certain area you’re struggling with, look online to find a technique or two that might help you manage it. You might be surprised by the difference a small shake-up to your process can make.
2. Mix It Up
While it might seem logical to spend large portions of time dedicated to studying each topic or subject in depth, studies have shown that some people actually achieve deeper learning by incorporating multiple subjects in one study session - a technique called interleaving. By changing topics every 1 to 1.5 hours, you can concentrate more without becoming bored or content becoming repetitive. It also better represents a test or exam environment, which can be helpful for exam preparation.
3. Test Yourself
One of the most common and popular study techniques is using practice exams, flashcards or even online quizzes to test yourself on the information you’ve learned. Try testing yourself right after a study session and then a couple of days later to see how accurate your recall is. This is a technique often used in online tutoring, to great effect.
4. Get A Group Together
While socialising and studying might not seem to go together, some people find collaboration with others to be a helpful way to study. In a dedicated study group, you can test each other, teach each other and swap notes and tips. Working through subjects with others can help build a better and different understanding of the content. If you’re not able to get together or attend a group, private tutoring can deliver a lot of the same benefits.
5. Recall and Repeat
While making notes and testing yourself is great, repetition in all forms is proven to help recall. Repeat the content out loud, explain it to someone, or write it down. The more you repeat the content, the more naturally you will be able to remember it. Studies show that the better you can explain a concept, the more deeply you understand it.
6. Break It Down
Studying for complex subjects or big exams can be incredibly overwhelming, so it can help to break it down into smaller parts. Organising or categorising information or study tasks into easier-to-manage groups will help you get through it better - and make it easier to remember. Try using dot points or colour codes to breakdown or group information. The human brain naturally likes it when we group things, so why not use it to your advantage?
7. Think About Environment
Did you know that some studies show that chewing gum can improve memory and recall? That’s how much of an impact your environment can have on your brain. Having a proper study environment is crucial (and we don’t just mean a stockpile of gum). Make sure you have a quiet, clean, temperature-controlled and well-lit space to study in and consider keeping water and healthy snacks nearby to reduce interruptions or distractions.
Work Smarter, Not Harder
The way in which students study and the techniques they use to learn and remember information can have a huge impact on their learning and their performance in assessments. Finding the right techniques for your academic level and learning style is the key to maximising your time and results.
High school tutoring can help teach these techniques and ensure students get the most out of what they’re already doing. Like a coach helps them get more out of their sporting efforts, a tutor helps them to get more out of the work they’re putting in.
Whether the goal is to study better during the year, or you need techniques to help study for entrance exams, tutoring can provide students with a competitive advantage and progress them further than they could do on their own.