It’s cram time. You have exactly three days to learn everything that you’ve slept through all semester, and now you need to know how to beat your own brain.
Luckily, there are scientists out there who spend their time learning how we can best do that. So, for you scrambling, desperate students out there, here are the best study tips that science can give us:
1 – Don’t Cram
I know, now you hate me, but I’ve got to get it out of the way. The truth of the matter is that cramming can actually damage what learning you’ve already done. Your brain gets a bit fried and starts making stuff up, just to make you stop.
Reviewing your notes on a relaxed schedule can double or even triple your memory of the information. Too bad you didn’t know that a week ago, right?
2 – Studying Before You Sleep
We’ve all heard this one before. If you study right before you sleep, your brain keeps thinking about it all night long – right? Actually, this can be a really effective study means, just like you’ve been told. Unfortunately, during cram week, this can have a side effect that isn’t ideal – Insomnia. If you are stressed about studying, studying just before you sleep will only make you fixate on how little you’ve studied. You wind up lying in bed for hours, and when you finally do sleep, all your poor brain can think about is how stressed out you are.
3 – Study With A Schedule
People are creatures of habit. If you wake every morning at 6 am, before long you will start to wake up before that alarm goes off. If you eat every day at 5:00, skipping dinner for an hour can seem unbearable. The same goes for studying.
Studying at the same time every day means that your body prepares for it. Your body expects to study at that hour, so you will be mentally and physically prepared. A bonus – it works with food too. If you eat a Twinkie every day before studying, health aside, your body will associate learning with Twinkies. Then, you eat a Twinkie before your test and your brain gets a quick charge to get you remembering.
4 – Teach Others
This one may seem strange, seeing as you are trying to learn the material yourself, but studies have shown that teaching another person increases your understanding and comprehension. So, whether you bore your roommates with an in-depth discussion of string theory, or spend a couple of hours explaining it to a few noobs online, the act of teaching cements that understanding in your own head.
5 – Learn What Works For You
I know, this sounds like a cop-out, but it is totally true. For me, the following help:
– Kinetic Studying – Associating a specific movement with a concept.
– Pictionary – Drawing out concepts – see how visual you can make them.
– Study Games – Like drinking games, only with less alcohol, and probably a little less fun.
But for you, something else entirely could be the key. Most of what scientists are learning is that the human brain is way too complex to be summed up in a quick blog post. Experiment a little and you might find something that really works for you. Of course, without a lot of time to experiment before that big final, you may just want to apply for the data-chip that the neuroscience department is developing.
About the author: Kathryn is a writer for MyCollegesandCareers.com. For those that want to enroll in online colleges and get their education, this is the site to look at first.