What is the best way to study for exams?

In a room by yourself, music for background noise, comfy, but not too comfy clothing, something caffeinated to drink, and plenty of snacks.

I need quiet. I retain better when sitting at a desk or table for some reason.

For me, it also helps to write out what I’m reading in my own words.

I agree with other suggestions on this thread although I would say that IF music contributes to your comfort (it always did me), use it. I recommend the lyric-less kind.

Whatever is best for you. We are all different.

@Headhurts for you?

When I was studying, I had to do it in total silence. I had enough noise in my head without any anywhere else.

The best method that I ever came up with for doing well on exams was to pay attention in class and take good notes. I rarely – almost never, in fact – “studied” for exams. I would review notes for mathematical and chemical formulas that I had to know how to resolve, but that was pretty much it. For me it was the process of listening (with comprehension) and taking down the notes that made me “get it”. (Not permanently, alas, because I can’t recall much of what I learned in Chemistry, for example, even though it made sense at the time.)

I attend class and take good notes – that’s the first line of defense. The rest depends on the class.

In my Psych of Development class, I read the chapters as we cover them and take my own notes at home. I also take the study quizzes at the end of each chapter. I study my notes and those practice questions to prepare for the exam.

In my Latin American Civ course, we get a study guide of people/terms/events that may show up on the exam. First I write down everything I know about the topic from my notes and supplement it with info I find online. Next, I rewrite them all on notecards and go through those over and over again.

In my Drug Use and Effects class, I just print off the PowerPoint presentations she posts and read and re-read them, highlighting what I think is important.

Being alone in the quiet to study is best, but that’s rarely how I end up doing it. I’ll review my notes on the couch while my husband watches TV or during the 2 hour break I have between classes during the week.

I don’t pull all-nighters and I don’t cram. Never have. I spread my studying out over several days so I can quit when the words start running together and go back to it the next day.

Works for me. My 4.0 in high school and 3.8 in college is proof of that.

I’ve read that it’s best to study in the same environmental conditions in which you want to retrieve the information. If you’re going to be tested while reclining in a comfortable chair, with music playing and snacks close by, then that’s the way to study. [ context-dependent memory ] One book about teaching older learners stressed good lighting, quiet setting, and supportive furniture as aids for both learning and retrieval; I would think those things would help everyone.

What has worked best for me, though, was mastering the material as the course progressed so that there was no new learning to be done at exam time; it was all review.

My thorough notes, judicious highlighting and annotating of the text, practice essays, and review of earlier quizzes and exams were essential. Rewriting basic information in tabular form so I could see it all laid out in meaningful relationships was useful for some types of material.

To my surprise, I also found group study sessions helpful. I organized review sessions with three or four students in one class, students I chose because of their class participation, and we spent several hours going over the material systematically. We all aced the final, and two of them said they wouldn’t have otherwise.

Remembering facts is different from remembering concepts. Remembering process is different from remembering content.

It was not ever thus. I was a smart kid and didn’t expect to have to work very hard to get good grades. So I was lazy in most classes and settled for a lot of easy B’s when the A’s didn’t come without effort. When I got to college I was stunned because I actually needed to study, and I’d never learned how. Students who weren’t as bright were outpacing me in GPA. Nobody thought to offer me any help because able students weren’t supposed to need any, and I was too embarrassed to ask.

I evolved my study methods as a slightly older learner, a late returnee to college after a hiatus of some years, and then as a much, much, much older learner.

Nothing has ever been as effective as being interested in the subject. As a retiree taking college classes for the pleasure of it, I have kept a solid 4.0 (which I never had during my youth), despite declines in mental elasticity, retentive powers, and physical endurance, because I finally had a good system and because I genuinely wanted to acquire the knowledge.

Knowing why you’re in school and what you want out of your education is a great motivator of effective learning.

I’m the same as @CWOTUS . If I pay attention in class and write things down then I’ll remember it(at least long enough for the test.)

If I pay attention in class but don’t take notes I won’t remember half as much. It’s interesting because I never go back to read the notes but I guess since I’m taking the time to write them and think about it a bit more I’m able to retain it better.

Depends for me, if it was a lot of reading then total silence or white noise. If it was math related then talk radio/music with headphones to break the monotony. If I was coding or using a computer then I’d usually disconnect from the network. My work area needed to be free from clutter and the temperature needed to be slightly cool. Coffee but not too much. If it was interesting then it did not matter. The actual secret is to approach everything as if you are really interested. This is the hard part but for any given subject I found it was often best NOT to follow the lesson plan but to explore what interested me about that subject. It could hurt your grades slightly because you’ll have limited time but you’ll get much more out of the education process this way. Usually I found that this made learning the rest of whatever subject easier. You have to remember that education is your journey and it’s not always in your best interests to color inside the lines all the time. Some subjects will never be interesting but usually will lead to understanding that is…so it is important to constantly think about what the less interesting things will eventually allow you to do.

One method for exams that works well especially for STEM classes is to make a “cheat sheet” Take one sheet of paper front and back and write down only the most important notes as if you could bring that sheet in with you for a test. Even if you are allowed to bring it you’ll probably find that after you decide what needs to go on it and put it on writing that you will not actually need it.

I used to set aside a specific time each day to study, preferably early morning, when there is no disturbance. Most of my friends did combined study but I could learn better and get more work done when I do things alone. I always loved to take a warm bath before study. I could never concentrate if I am tired.

As a teacher at a university:

1. Go to Someplace Quiet where you won’t be disturbed.
2. TURN OFF all mobile phones, computers, pads, anything which might be a distraction.
3. Take at least a 10-minute break every hour.
4. Don’t eat or munch on snacks while studying, they’ll only make you sleepy.
5. Keep up with the work during the course of the semester so you don’t have to do a lot of last minute cramming which won’t do you any good. Study time for exams should be more a review time, especially if the exam is comprehensive and goes all the way back to the beginning of the semester.
6. Try outlining the chapters in the book as that material is covered in class.
7. Take copious notes in class – a lot of what a teacher tells you isn’t in the book, but may be on the exam. And, I don’t know of a teacher in the world who will object if you record their lectures.
8. I know it sounds nutty, but sit at a desk or table – don’t lie down!!
9. Get a good night’s sleep before an exam.
10. Forget about “cheat sheets” and other methods of cheating. If you get caught, you’re in major trouble. (I can’t believe someone actually suggested that!)
11. Form a study group where you and other people in the class can quiz each other.
12. If a Supplemental Instruction (outside of class) program is offered, sign up and attend all the sessions. You’ll find they’re very helpful.
13. During the semester, don’t be afraid to ask the teacher for help. None of us bite – you just think we do!!

Obviously, different things work for different people, but these are the bulk of the things my students have passed on over the years as what works for them – so I’m more than happy to pass them on to someone else.

@TheRealOldHippie Well explained!

Its depend on you & in what kind of environment is suited to you. But don’t forget to take a small break in between your studies.

@TheRealOldHippie, I did not advocate actually using it if it was not allowed, that would be cheating. It’s a tool that allows you to focus on the core concepts and it is something to build and add to as the semester moves along. For math/science & engineering classes where there are hundreds of formulas to commit to memory 1 formula sheet was usually allowed on test days. Again, once you have organized what needed to go on it you usually did not need it.

Plenty of sleep.

Regular study and revision, regular exercise for mental and health well-being and enough sleep to reduce unnecessary stress.