Study Skills

Tips on how to study effectively

 

1. Environment

Find a good place to study. It should be comfortable, quiet and warm but not too warm. If you get too cosy you might fall asleep!!

Ask if you can use a desk or a table at home. It would be great if you could keep all your materials there.  If that’s not possible, invest in a box file or a magazine file so you can keep everything tidy and together if you have to move it.

2. Materials

Make sure you have all the materials you need before studying...

Textbooks  Folders  Jotters  Pens/Pencils  Highlighters  Blank and lined paper

3. Get Organised

Plan your time carefully. It can be useful to create your own study plan. Don’t study for longer than about 25 minutes to half and hour in any single sitting.  Take lots of short breaks – but avoid TV, surfing the internet (unless it is study related), chatting online to friends, sending texts or any other distractions. Make yourself a cuppa or have a drink of water and get back to it after about 5 or 10 minutes.

4. Study Techniques

Over the years you have been introduced to a wide variety of study methods including mind-mapping, mnemonics, memory skills, etc. This is the time to use them all. Test yourself. Use past papers to practise and ask family members to quiz you. It all helps!

Study skills posters (click to view) courtesy www.learningscientists.org

Websites which give useful information on study skills…