What are some of the best ways to study?

Best ways to remember what you study?

• I just got my report card and I am not too happy with it. Luckily, my mother is the type that says "It's alright. As long you get at least average, I am happy" but my father however, is the type that says "If you get anything under an A, don't bother coming home". My father is really rough...and he isn't joking. He hasn't picked me up from school once because I wasn't doing well in Math. He told me to stay at the library and study until I understand it all. It was around 7:30pm when I finally got home. Anyway, my point is my dad is strict on my grades so I really want to improve my grades. What were some things that helped you? I am not too good with studying. I can focus on what I am studying, it is just I forget it as soon as I shut my book/laptop. Even if I read it over and over again for hours, the next day, it is all jumbled in my head.

• Answer:

  Like any thing, it depends. Mainly, it depends on the person. Recent studies have shown that people learn through three stimuli: kinesthetic, auditory, and visual. Kinesthetic learning is learning through doing stuff. Dancing, singing to yourself, any sort of physical activity. Auditory learning is learning through auditory input, or hearing things. Listening to lectures, listening to videos, stuff like that. Visual learning is learning through visual input, or seeing things. Reading notes, reading books, reading, doing math, etc... So, figure out what how you learn best! Take a learning styles inventory to see (may or may not be accurate). Once you figured that out, study for what you're going to be doing. If you're going to take a math test, don't sit there and try to memorize every single equation! Try to figure out and understand what you're doing! I still don't know what the distance formula off the top of my head is, but I can sure tell you where it came from and how to find it! Have a math test coming up? Do bunches of math problems to get ready! If you're studying for something like a history exam, don't read the entire book! Read summaries, notecards, vocabulary, anything like that! The test isn't going to test you over every single little detail, it'll test you over the important things that you really ought to know! So study those. And lastly: spacing. Don't sit there for hours on end studying. It's a) not good for you and b) useless after a certain period of time. The spacing effect is a learning effect in which people space out what they're trying to learn to learn more effectively. It's better to study in six 10-minute increments than to study for an hour at once. Do a little everyday! It's guaranteed to be better than cramming a couple hours before the big test! Although, you should always cram. It helps to get in those last-minute bits of information. Well, that's it from me. Good luck!