Study skills in my opinion are not taught enough, or early enough. I was not taught how to study until my 2nd year of my psychology undergraduate degree, which to me seemed crazy! If I had learnt that in high school or even in my 1st year of uni, I would have been so much better off, achieved higher and stressed less! Learning how to study can increase your efficiency and lower the time spent studying, oh... and increase your marks!
So, let us break it down a little. Firstly, how do you learn the best? How do you learn best; reading, watching, listening or are you a hands-on learner? Once you figure this out you can approach your study using resources which support this.
So, you are in high school and your teachers hand out the assessments all at once! Overwhelmed you try and hold in your head all of the things you need to do. Or, like many you put it in a pile thinking the due date isn't for several weeks so you don't worry about them.
Planning: Invest in a calendar or planner and write down your due dates as you get the assessments.
When you get your assessment, read through the assessment task to determine what is being asked of you. Do you understand the question and how to approach the assessment? If not, ask your parent or teacher for help.
Time management: Determine roughly how much work you think will be involved. Determine how much free time you have, minus other activities and commitments such as work.
Research: Knowing how to research can cut hours off your study time. There are heaps of online guides and videos to help you know how to find the information you need. Trust me; it's worth investing the time to look at these.
Starting your assessment: When starting your assessment, writing the first words and knowing where to start, can be very daunting. Using programs such as MS Word, brainstorm your ideas as you go, and then rearrange the information into coherent paragraphs. Don't forget to keep note of any websites and sources as you go. This will save you lots of time with your bibliography or reference list.
Exam tips How you approach your exam can really affect your performance. Take the time to read through your exam before starting. This will give you an idea of what you know and the things which may take longer or you may struggle with.
If there is a question you do not know the answer to, skip passed it and on to the next question. You can come back to the ones you don't know later. Once you have completed the ones you know, you will feel more confident and may find you now know how to answer the others. Anxiety and frustration from not knowing how to answer questions can get in the way of answering the questions you know! By skipping those, for now, you can focus on the ones you know, then go back to the rest.
ATAR There is so much confusion and stress around these 4 letters. Here are some videos which can break it down and help you understand how your achievement is calculated. Receiving a low mark on an exam may not be the end!
HSC study tips This is a time when many students feel very overwhelmed. So much pressure and so little time left! It is completely normal to feel stressed, anxious and overwhelmed! It is important to develop a study schedule of some sort, with what you will study and when. This will help lower the stress levels and increase the ability to think, process information and remember. The visual planner is invaluable for calculating when you have time available and what you need to do. It is important to be realistic about this! You need to add in all of your commitments, not just study. You will also benefit from scheduling exercise, regular breaks and downtime/relaxing activities. Without this balance, you may burn out quickly. Pushing yourself beyond your limits can lead to exhaustion, stress, loss of motivation and sickness.
If you feel like you cannot cope, are anxious and/or depressed, it is important to reach out to a parent, trusted adult or counsellor! This is not a sign of weakness! It is a sign that your resources are running low and you need support! You are not alone in this.
Mindfulness activities, yoga, exercise, drawing and many other activities can really help you to manage at times such as these.
The Pomodoro technique is a useful tool to maximise your study session productivity. The video is above.