Study Techniques

1. You Don’t Have to Write Everything Down

As a student, you might think that by writing everything down word for word as it is in the textbook, it gives the impression that you're actually understanding the material. The truth is, that is far from what is actually happening.

Yes, one can say that you build muscle memory because using your hands to write creates a link between your brain and physical movement neuroscience calls this the sensorimotor encoding effect, where activating the motor cortex, visual processing, and tactile feedback creates stronger neural pathways in the brain than passive copying or typing.

But I can guarantee you that what you need to do instead is read the material and allow your brain to actually do the understanding. You don’t have to fuss about writing everything down.

Another reason why you shouldn’t is simply that you don’t actually have the time. You might have an exam coming up, and you can save yourself a massive amount of time if you just read the material through. Imagine if you are majoring in the life sciences with massive syllabi and hundreds of medical and biological concepts how do you honestly intend to write every single thing down?

The best way is to read the content directly and focus your mental energy on comprehending as much as possible.

That brings me to my next point...

2. Repetition Is Better Than Volume

When reading, you want to break your material down into small, manageable chunks.

Let’s say you have a textbook or handout that is about 500 pages long and you want to master it. Instead of burning yourself out trying to force through 50 or 100 pages at once, just take the first 2 pages. Don’t even try to write anything down from those pages onto paper. Just read them, absorb them, and then take a rest.

Come back in the evening and tackle the next 2 pages. This ensures that your learning is spaced out rather than crammed. If you read those same pages 5 times across roughly two and a half days, you will retain at least 40 percent of the material with genuine understanding rather than superficial memorization.

One key thing to note before I wrap up this point: for content that contains mathematical formulas, equations, or derivations, you do want to write and solve those. That actually requires active problem solving.

You can create a clear separation in your head by treating them as two separate entities: The theory (read and comprehend conceptually) The mathematical formulas (actively solve on paper)

Schedule your solving sessions around midday, and make sure the amount of problem solving tallies with the theoretical aspects you read. Aim to solve and work through each derivation or contextual problem roughly 5 times until you achieve complete mastery. This repeated practice is what builds true understanding.

3. Use What Works Best for You

Another very important thing to note here is to use what works best for you.

Some people already have personal study techniques they have developed over the years that help them excel and smash their exams. If that’s you, then by all means continue with what is already working.

However, if you want to give a new approach a shot and adopt a pattern that helps you learn faster without draining your energy, this method is for you. Above all, make sure you don’t overwhelm yourself when studying. I learned this lesson the hard way back in university it was only when I stripped away the fluff and used this exact focused, spaced approach at the last minute that I ended up pulling straight A's.

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