Posted on by MukhtaarWaja · 1 Comment

How to Study like a Genius and Ensure You’ll Get Full Marks on Every Test You Take

Exam season is almost upon us, and the campus air is filled with tension and panic. Students cower in libraries and empty lecture rooms, attempting to prepare themselves for the end of block, and the harrowing start of the June exams. The weather grows cold, the people grow fearful, and, as always, I show up to save the day! As someone who hasn’t written a test in two years – and who hasn’t written an ­in-person test in four years – I am clearly the perfect candidate to prepare you for these trying times, and to equip you with some great studying tips, dear reader! I am the greatest student to ever live, after all…

Stress is a great motivator, but it can also be a great hindrance. I want you to walk into your exam confident and calm, and the most important skill you will need to achieve this is good time management­. I know how overwhelming it can feel considering how much content you need to cover before an exam. Just thinking about it can freak you out and send you into a spiral, making it difficult to even start working. That’s why good time management is everything. Assess how much work you need to get through, how much time you have to get through it all, and then create a study timetable that will allow you to work through everything while allowing yourself ample time to rest and recover. I am a huge advocate for sleeping, and I refuse to let anything encroach on my beauty sleep – that’s why I look so young and vibrant despite being well into my early twenties.

It is critical not to overwork yourself, because that will only make it harder to study and to retain the information you study. Don’t work hard, work consistently. Creating a study timetable – and sticking to it – will ensure that you’re not up the night before an exam, desperately hoping you can skip an entire section of work that probably won’t be in the exam anyway*. There is no shortage of great apps designed specifically to help you create a detailed study timetable, so there’s really no excuse not to do it!

* Cramming is a wonderful way to increase your stress levels, and decrease your ability to retain information. I highly recommend cramming if you love procrastinating and hate passing your exams. Check with a trusted medical professional before trying cramming. Side effects may include mental exhaustion, poor marks, and a deep sense of regret.

Once you’ve created a comprehensive study timetable, you need to create a good study environment. Clear your cluttered desk, throw your phone into the nearest body of water you can find, and grab some good old-fashioned pens and paper, because we’re about to get knee-deep in note-taking! I prefer to work without music – especially music with lyrics – but if you find yourself in a noisy environment that you can’t escape, I recommend listening to the work of Ludovico Einuadi. His instrumentals are mostly piano based, and I find it very calming and easy to tune out while working. Except for the times when he shreds on the piano – avoid the songs where he goes absolutely wild on the keys, because while it’s exhilarating, it’s not conducive to working. With regards to how I work, my studying involves writing a lot of notes. I like to ease into the work by simply going through lecture slides, readings, and textbooks, reading aloud and highlighting key points, ensuring that I have a good understanding of the content. If there’s anything that confuses me, I’ll dig deeper into that topic and ensure it makes sense to me before I move on. After this, I begin taking notes, creating mind maps, and actively engaging with the content. I have developed my own personal shorthand which makes my notes incomprehensible to anyone who isn’t me, but it saves me so much time when writing and revising my work. It’s good to start off by writing comprehensive notes, and then having the notes become less detailed as you revise them and rewrite them. Flashcards with key terms are a great way to keep information fresh in your mind and to quiz yourself on the work you’ve covered.

Finally, I want to let you know about a friend you should never neglect. That friend, of course, is past papers. Ignore the questionable grammar in that sentence, and focus on the sentiment. It’s not enough to just remember study content – you need to know how to apply your knowledge to answer a question. Past papers give you an idea of how you’ll need to utilise the content you’ve studied, how questions will be phrased, and how answers should be structured. Working through past papers is a great way to not only revise your work, but to refine your exam taking abilities. They’re also a window into the twisted minds of the people who create your exams. Know your enemy, dear reader!

Now, go find the nearest body of water to throw your phone into, and get studying, dear reader! I know you’re going to do great!

Posted on by johanne_marais

Study tips and self-guided learning techniques by praxis

What do your moods, behaviours, motivation, memories, and emotions have in common?

These are processed in the same brain region called the limbic system! The word limbic means on the border, here describing the border of the cerebral cortex; the characteristically ‘iconic’ portion of the brain.

Part of the limbic system which is specifically important for learning and memory is called the hippocampus.

On the topic of learning and memory…

I took two gap years after matric. By the time I began my undergraduate degree (after being situated in the role of an active worker and a passive student) I had completely lost touch with how I preferred to consume knowledge. If I travelled back in time (and I absolutely can time-travel, of course. I simply choose not to), I would begin by prompting my younger self with three reflective questions:

  • What kind of learner am I?

I now know that I learn best through a multi-modal approach – combining note taking; watching videos; listening to lectures; reading books; drawing images; touching structures; practicing techniques; using colourful pens… Understanding the mode in which you best absorb specific information is a very important first step.

  • Where do my interests lie?

Interest-based learning is a tactic that appreciates how easily our minds take in information that feels relevant to us, and relatable to our lives. Studying is about more than simply remembering information for a test. It’s about gaining understanding and feeling excited about what you can learn! Curiosity and intrigue will encourage you to get through your coursework effortlessly.

  • How do I want to engage with what I learn?

Perhaps it’s a consequence of studying the microscopic world of proteins and ion exchange and cellular interaction, but keeping the bigger picture in mind can be a flaw in my learning process. I combat this using mind-maps. The brain often harnesses association and imagery to improve memory retention and recall. By drawing a mind-map, I connect specific concepts to areas on an A3 page and can emphasize this with drawings or bold mnemonics that remind me of the central theme.

The RSVP to active learnership promises a perpetual feast on an intellectual snack platter; a byte-size buffet of your selection.

However, if the intention is not only to absorb and regurgitate knowledge, but to take a bite; taste it; experience the textures… flavours… and say “I don’t like this” or “Oooh, yummy, I would eat that again”, then the takeaway tips to all students everywhere are these:

  1. Become that ‘first row’ student.

Dissolve the idea that you need to maintain a coolness factor by not participating in your own acquisition of knowledge. There is no shame in asking questions. It’s cool to pay attention.

2. Learn by both listening and teaching.

Good learning techniques start with acute listening skills. By explaining to someone what you have learned, and allowing them the chance to ask questions, you will see knowledge gaps in your description or think about how you could better understand the information you are sharing. Do not harbour knowledge for yourself.

3. Think critically about the source of your information.

There are both implicit and explicit bias in every bit of knowledge you gain and share. Are you learning about the history of South Africa through a book written by a privileged, older man with high socio-economic status? Are you being told that homosexuality is a sin by a theology lecturer? Are you checking multiple sources before you decide “Yes! This is objectively true!”?

4. Have a plan and plan to take breaks!

Consistency is my key to maximizing memorability and motivation, while avoiding overwhelm and burnout. Detailing a study plan helps me hold myself accountable to realistic daily targets. My plan often includes studying across topics, like a study trifle, so that I can keep my interest up and my “information-saturation” down. I cannot emphasize enough how necessary it is to plan for rest, too.

5. Repeat steps one to four.

Repetition helps to consolidate short term memory to long term memory.

Since you’ve come to the end of this blog, I wonder if you could teach someone else the answers to these questions:

  • What is the role of the hippocampus?
  • Where in the brain is it situated?
  • What do your moods, behaviours, motivation, memories and emotions have in common?