
With midterms right around the corner here at JCHS, all students are going to be studying. However, few know about the correct way to study for such long tests. There are some tips that can make studying much more productive, and can definitely help get those last few points on midterms!
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- Avoiding the urge to Procrastinate
Procrastination is the disease that plagues each and every student while studying. Renowned poet, Edward Young wrote “Procrastination is the thief of time,” and he was not exaggerating. Results of procrastination may differ, whether it be all-nighters, or last minute cramming, the one result that holds true in every case is worse grades ensue. Avoiding procrastination can seem like a very daunting task, but by finding the source of procrastination, it can help diminish the amount of time you spend procrastinating. Nobody plans on procrastinating when they sit down to study, but life happens. The best way to avoid this happening is to locate the root of your procrastination, and work on changing something out of your routine to stop that trigger from happening. For most people, it involves picking up their phone and losing track of time. This leads into the second tip:
- Put distracting devices in another room
Many people sit down to study, and after a certain amount of time will instinctively pick up their phone, simply to check if they got a notification, or to check up on their friends. However, this has a snowball type effect, because of the dopamine released in your brain when looking at your phone. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter released in a person’s brain when they are expecting pleasure. With that being said, putting devices such as your phone in a different room on silent will increase productivity greatly. Even if you just check your phone for thirty seconds, you are no longer locked in on your studying, causing you to have to refocus all over again.
- Get enough sleep
As silly as it might sound, sleep is one of the most important factors that goes into memory and retaining information. Getting enough sleep for the days you are studying is imperative to ace your midterms. Not getting enough sleep can lead to loss of memory and focus, both of which are key factors to making your studying productive. A lack of focus opens a chain effect of incomplete information comprehension and retention. Although pulling all-nighters and trying to maximize the amount of time spent studying are common techniques, they actually lead to forgetting information. Sleep deprivation has extremely negative effects, making sleep greatly important.
- Find a space dedicated to studying
Finding a space dedicated to studying is often overlooked. However, making a space that is dedicated for studying is very important to focus. Studying in a room with distractions such as a TV being on or other people talking to you will interrupt your focus while trying to study. Finding a quiet, comfortable space, with no distractions to study will increase your focus greatly, resulting in better results on your midterms.
- Studying with a partner
Studying with a partner can also be a great tool to use when studying. Studying with a partner provides opportunities to ask questions you may be unsure about, as well as saying the material out loud. Studies show that saying words out loud helps tremendously for remembering. Studying with a partner also keeps you on track. Having a partner to hold you accountable for staying focused and on task can help those who are easily distracted while studying. Another benefit of studying with a partner is you gain insight on other methods of studying. Junior Silas Levy is preparing to take his third year of midterms, and provided some information on what helps him prepare, “When I study, I try and go over my notes while watching review videos, then I like to find a review game. I think review games help me with studying because it gives a fun, exciting twist to an otherwise boring task. I highly recommend trying to use these strategies the next time you study, because of how fun it can make studying.”
These tips, paired with determination and will are a recipe for success when taking midterms this January!