We all have one of these exemplary students in our proximity: they are incredibly talented in all subjects; they don’t have any troubles completing the given assignments, and they magically manage to cover the entire material for the exams. While their friends keep scratching their heads wondering what they are doing wrong, these high achievers maintain successful academic and social lives at the same time. What’s their secret?
Let’s examine some of the common habits of successful students. If you learn from their practices, maybe you’ll boost your own ability to learn and achieve every goal on time.
1. Creating personal study notes
Everyone knows it’s easier to skip the note-taking process and copy the
study notes someone else has created. Will that help you learn more
effectively? No! The most successful students are active learners. They
create their own notes, mindmaps and flashcards during the studying
process. Thus, they are able to memorize the information easily.
2. Working under detailed study plans
The best students always work according to a plan. They know how much
studying it takes for a particular exam, so they plan their days and
weeks accordingly. They never leave things for the last minute. Having a
well-balanced study plan that involves the right dosage of learning,
exercise and rest will help you focus. Good results will be inevitable.
3. Effective breaks
Someone mentioned rest? It is important to realize you cannot process
too much information in too little time. You need to allow for the facts
to settle in before you continue with another session of studying. Plan
the time wisely and use the breaks to recharge your batteries. Choose
an activity that boosts your mind to work in an active mode. Make a
healthy smoothie, take a power nap and you’ll be able to proceed with
high energy levels.
4. Self-testing
This is
another habit of successful learners that mediocre students choose to
avoid. If you review the coursework material in regular bursts, you will
become aware of your strengths and weaknesses. Thus, you will be able
to refresh your memory and fill in the gaps. You can create practice
quizzes that will add some fun in the process.
5. Imposing questions
When you go through the exam material, are you wondering what questions
the test might include? You should be! Instead of passive reading and
repetition, you should act like top-performing students: they ask their
own questions and plan possible answers. The best students take one step
further: they get into discussions with the lecturers. If they don’t
understand parts of the material or they simply want more information on
certain points, they are not afraid to ask their questions.
6. Working under test conditions
If tests stress you out, the best way to make yourself feel more
comfortable in such setting is to practice. That’s what some of the best
students do. When they prepare for tests, they create a “real”
situation. They put the books away and time their answers. This strategy
helps them focus and come to a real estimation of their knowledge.
7. Learning from mistakes
No one is spared from bad experiences. Even the perfect achievers have
their moments of weakness. The difference is in their attitude: instead
of being stressed about the lower results, they learn from the
experience and think what they did wrong.
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Enhancing your learning after mistakes is one of the most important habits you should try to adopt.