4 Ways To Study Science

Highlight important terms and concepts in your textbook. Write down any questions you have. If they aren’t answered in the lecture, make sure to ask.

Some teachers will provide students with copies of their presentation slides - this is extremely helpful. In this case, you only need to make notes in addition to anything already written on the slide, rather than needing to copy the whole slide. Some teachers may covertly (or overtly) tell you if the topic they’re discussing will be on the final exam. Make a note of this. They’re giving you a freebie - take it![2] X Research source Consider sharing notes with other students. You might have made a note about something they missed, and vice versa. At the very least, make sure you have another student whom you can borrow notes from if you miss a class.

Rewrite your lecture notes. Condense them this second time around. [5] X Research source Create flashcards from critical terms and concepts. Re-draw important diagrams by hand. Science includes a lot of diagrams, visualizations, and charts, and memorizing them all isn’t an option. Drawing them on your own, by hand, will help you remember more of what the diagram means than simply what it looks like.

Some lab instructors may provide tables to be used for recording results, in which case you do not need to prepare anything on your own.

Try a couple of different spots before deciding which one works best for you. If you find more than one spot that works for you, alternate between them. Don’t pick a spot that’s a hassle to get to, you might find yourself making excuses that you can’t study because you can’t get to your study location!

When making your study schedule, don’t schedule studying for one topic - say Physics - for six hours in a row one day. Instead, study multiple topics every day and space Physics out over a couple of days. This is called the distributed study method and allows your brain to absorb more information over a shorter period. Beware of other activities that may appear in your schedule and reduce your study time. These activities could include a part-time job, hanging out with friends, volunteering, etc. These other activities are important too, but like studying, they need to be done in moderation. Schedule this “fun” time in, but not at the expense of your study time. [11] X Research source

Reward yourself with a treat (not just food) after every x hours of studying. [13] X Expert Source Ronitte Libedinsky, MSAcademic Tutor Expert Interview. 26 May 2020. Start every study session with a review of previously learned material. Create a list of objectives for every study session. Tell someone to follow up with you about your studying every x hours. Turn off your cell phone and don’t check your email.

Breaks shouldn’t just be to stop studying - get up, walk around, go to the bathroom, etc.

If you do need to memorize something, such as the historical timeline for the invention of the telephone, try using memory tricks, such as mnemonics and repetition. [18] X Research source

Use your own words to describe the concept, equation, problems, etc. , and your own words to describe how the concept works, or the equation or problem is to be solved. [20] X Research source Write an explanation, in your own words, of why a concept, equation or problem is true, or why a concept, equation or problem ends in a certain result. [21] X Research source Link new concepts and equations to things you already understand. [22] X Research source Something you’ve learned recently may help expand your knowledge of an already-known concept.

In addition to the questions and problems at the end of a chapter, go through example questions and problems from the textbook on your own. Redo the question or problem without looking at the answers to ensure you understand how it was solved. [24] X Research source If you get stuck, take a deep breath and don’t panic. Take a short break and come back and re-try the problem a second time. The second time around start on a new page, slow down, double-check your work, and make sure your writing is neat and your solution is organized logically. When checking the solutions, pat yourself on the back for correct answers! Do a few questions and problems for one chapter or topic every day for a few days - don’t do them all in one day. [25] X Research source

If, after reviewing the problems you got wrong, you were unable to figure out where you made a mistake, go talk to the teacher. Ask them to help walk you through the specific problem and point out where you went wrong.

Don’t feel you have to stick to actual flashcards (i. e. the small cards made of thick card stock). Some science topics are too complex for something that small. Feel free to use larger paper if required.

The ideal group size is 3-5 people.

A facilitator isn’t required, but is nice to have. However, this person needs to know they are not “in charge”, but are simply making sure things are organized and staying on track.

Having clear goals and objectives helps make sure the study group stays focused on what they want to accomplish. [32] X Research source