Jahangir's World Times First Comprehensive Magazine for students/teachers of competitive exams and general readers as well.
12 Tips
to make your
STUDY PROCESS
more effective?
Magazine Desk
Making a good plan and sticking to it is the only way to develop a successful strategy for preparation of competitive examinations like CSS and PMS. You have only a limited number of hours that you can spend learning every day or every week. This is why you need to learn how to make the best of them. Since CSS 2020 examination is approximately 4 months away, there won’t be enough time for you to study and focus on learning new pieces of information. Not to mention, that there won’t be any time left to meet up with your friends or relax. The best thing that you can do is to think about smart strategies and techniques to work smarter and more efficiently.
Here are the best and easy to follow study tips that will boost your performance:
- Set Realistic Goals
Most students make a mistake when they set goals that are impossible to achieve. There is a limit to what you can do over a certain period of time. Knowing your ability and setting a doable plan is a good decision. When you set goals that you can’t realize, you end up frustrated, which can affect your overall performance. One of the best study methods is to break your tasks into chunks. Once you’ve achieved one, you can move on to the next. This sense of accomplishment will keep you going.
- Make a Plan
As you set your goals, you should think about the time you need to achieve them. This helps you become more organized and can also eliminate the stress. Don’t forget to devote time to rest and fun. When the plan is too strict, you are more likely to deviate from it. Taking study breaks helps your mind absorb information, thus you can better retrieve that later on.
- Stay Away From Distractions
Whether you are studying in a class or at home, you need to stay away from all distractions. In class, avoid sitting next to people who will keep you busy, and also switch off your phone. Listen to your teacher and take notes. When you are studying at home, you need to pick a quiet, comfortable spot. You need to steer clear of social media distractions by putting your phone away.
- Make Use of New Technologies
Nowadays, the best way to study doesn’t involve sharpening your pencil and having a stack of paper to jot down notes. There are new technologies and services that can make your study process more efficient. You can check online study apps and platforms. Online tests are good tools to check your understanding as you get immediate feedback.
- Learn Various Subjects Everyday
Study can be boring if you do the same thing for a long period of time. When you are creating your study plan, make sure that you include 2-3 subjects everyday rather than focusing on just one. This will also help improve your performance at several subjects.
- Review Periodically
One of the best study tips for CSS, PMS aspirants is to review what you’ve studied earlier before starting something new. This will move the information from your short-memory to long-memory. By reading the same information over and over again over a long period of time, it becomes a part of your acquired knowledge; something that you don’t exert an effort to remember. This is exactly what you need to ace your exams.
- Simplify and Summarize
You can create your own secret word or song to remember a difficult piece of information. Research studies show that using acronyms is one of the best study tips for exams.
- Learn and Revise in Multiple Ways
By learning in different ways, you are activating different parts of your brain. Use different skills and methods every day. You can read your lesson and record your notes. When it is time for your review session, you can listen to your own recording and start to write about it. Use the computer once and your own hands on another occasion. Changing your learning methods can help you learn better.
- Ask Questions
Highlight the problematic areas and ask your mentor or teacher the next time you see him. You will only be able to do this if you don’t start learning one day before the exam. Start early, thus you can have time to process more challenging information.
- Test Yourself
A lot of aspirants find that they automatically forget what they’ve studied once they sit for an exam. This could be related to the pressure and stress that is present in the exam environment. The best way to overcome this is to practice and prepare for your exams. Get into the exam mood and make sure that you take it seriously. You might not perform very well at first, but practice makes perfect.
- Work with Partners
A lot of students report that studying with their friends and colleagues is helpful. Pick one or two of your friends and agree to study together. You can sit down to write and compare notes. This will help you if you are confused about something and can’t reach your teacher. Don’t worry about meeting them too. You can use online platforms, messages and other new technologies to share information.
- Stay Positive
Your attitude and emotional well-being have a huge impact on your learning process. Focus on the positive things and what you have achieved, than on the things that are to be done. Thinking positive can help you work better. Remember that everybody is different. It is OK to do things your own way. Establish your routine, and make necessary adjustments if you feel that you have to. The most important thing is to stay consistent and stick to your plan.
