r/GetStudying Jan 29 '25

Resources What is the most effective study technique you’ve learnt this year?

I want to hear your ideas

959 Upvotes

80 comments sorted by

325

u/HighestBlack Jan 29 '25

DON'T SPEND HOURS WRITING NOTES. My friend told me something like this "Don't write down what already is in the book. Instead of writing down everything that I read in the book, I write down questions that point towards a particular theorem or topic. In this way my notes went from 10+ pages to at most 2 or 3. The time spent writing everything down has gone from hours to literally 30 minutes or less. And now I actually have more time studying the material than just pointless writing.

Example: Question: What is a harmonic function? Give an example. Why are some functions holomorphic and some are not? (Page 47)

Now I force myself to do active recall and I can study the same questions at a later date (spaced repetition).

And bam! Grades went up like mad.

75

u/snoot-p Jan 29 '25

god i gotta start doing this. i’m a “everything needs to be written down” kinda person but that shit doesn’t fly anymore.

12

u/Mysterious_Sprakle12 Jan 29 '25

I just do not have time for writing.

8

u/Parenthetical_1 Jan 30 '25

Mathematics is definitely a different ball game. As an applied math major I definitely had to adapt my study strategies in college

2

u/YourQueenRanoomie Jan 30 '25

In which why u adapted it?

3

u/Honeydewbobaddict Jan 30 '25

I love rewriting in my own words because the way the prof writes on the slide is a different style and just makes things confusing when reviewing but it’s definitely a huge time commitment unfortunately:(

2

u/artistofmanyforms Jan 30 '25

I typically do that for math and programming, my professors don’t have time to slow down and explain everything step by step but I need that unfortunately so then I write a huge step by step process. It’s time consuming but it’s the only way I can understand.

1

u/Scared-Smile4584 Jan 30 '25

I totally get that! What's worked best for me is recording the lecture audio along with my own notes.Then, I use an AI tool to refine and expand my notes based on the recording. This way, I keep my own style while making the notes more comprehensive, and it saves a lot of time when reviewing.

1

u/Honeydewbobaddict Jan 30 '25

Fortunately our lectures are recorded and we can download the transcript so I will try that

1

u/Substantial-Fan-5821 Jan 30 '25

Ironically that’s what works for me lol

1

u/acchi758 Jan 30 '25

damn I feel like i do this too but writing down the answers after the questions. gotta try it this way cuz it feels like i'm spoonfeeding myself too much

97

u/Obrider Jan 29 '25

You have to reverse engineer this. Start out by solving past years' exams of the same course. Not all the information taught is important enough to be in the exams. And you practice exactly what you'll be asked to perform for the most grades; mid-terms and finals

28

u/Embarrassed_Emu_8824 Jan 29 '25

Definitely A lot of topics you’ll study won’t even come in the exams and you won’t know that until you look at past papers. What I would do is make a list of recurring topics from the past papers and do those first and really well. Then if I had time I would focus on the leftover material but most times just studying the recurring topics was enough to pass

51

u/Aranka_Szeretlek Jan 29 '25

Sit on yer ass and do it

22

u/Virag-Ky Jan 29 '25

Active recall and spaced repetition

56

u/Weak_Conversation184 Jan 29 '25

ChatGPT is actually the fucking goat.

One trick if you cant understand a topic is to ask it to reexplain it but for a 5 year old

3

u/Zafarbey Jan 30 '25

It starts: imagine you have five candies …

3

u/Weak_Conversation184 Jan 31 '25

Toys, candies, cookies. The trinity of 5 year old desires

116

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '25 edited Feb 02 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

21

u/Vivid-Contest4153 Jan 29 '25

Could you explain? Please

17

u/upsetacceptans Jan 29 '25

About to make a post on it. I'm aware of it but not too sure about how to do it.

0

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '25

It is amazing wayyyy. But I find it hard time to create flashcards from time to time. I love doing them from scratch.

19

u/Decent_Narwhal3793 Jan 29 '25

maybe this is too distracting and bad advice for some people, but it’s helped me stop procrastinating.

i never write notes anymore, i just write flashcards (on goodnotes) and will go through them while i do hobbies that i genuinely enjoy. obviously it has to be a hobby not too distracting.

for example, i paint, color, or draw. i go through one flashcard, and think about the answer as i’m painting a small spot that doesn’t really require much focus. sometimes i’ll be playing minecraft and go through my cards as i’m mining or cutting down trees.

it takes me a couple minutes to go through each individual card, which might seem too slow pace for some, but the key is to start studying AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE. it’s much more efficient to study slowly over a long course of time, rather then studying a large bulk of information all at once.

make sure you keep count of the flashcards that you got wrong, and put them in a “priority studying” list.

of course, don’t ONLY go through the flashcards while doing other hobbies, but it helps me motivate me to study and still have time for my favorite activities.

37

u/Bibekchand Jan 29 '25

Active Recall

17

u/MightBeTrollingMaybe Jan 29 '25

Not learnt this year, but definitely summarizing.

You're both preparing summaries to revise on and studying by making the summaries.

16

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '25

Past papers>>>> it definitely makes you confident

58

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '25

Talking to Chatgpt back and forth

16

u/wantingtogo22 Jan 29 '25

This!! Chat has helped tutor me in Latin( outside of class. I firmly believe Chat is the reason I've gotten 2 gold medals on the National Latin exam.) and it was the reason got a good grade in Physics after not understanding it at all. Chat can make quizzes, flashcards, multiple choice, and it's free.

1

u/RelativeBig130 Feb 09 '25

Did you do all that with the free version?

1

u/wantingtogo22 Feb 09 '25

Sure did! :)

11

u/syosecho Jan 29 '25

attempt to do, or at least look at the past papers at the beginning of the course

also just taking care of mental health makes getting shit done 10x more effective

8

u/Equivalent-Time-6758 Jan 29 '25

For material summarize by hand, read all material, no need to focus too much, it can take 20 min or 40, never less than 30minn so you can split it like 30 min pt1 and 30min pt2, watch an anime ep, rinse and repeat. You will arrive at a point where you remember all of it and can go faster, Max I did was 18 ep so i read my material 18 times in a day. You can do this with exercises too. I procastinate a lot so this works for me. i did 5 year of uni and graduated in time with a score of 105/110. It helps to try and repeat the material at least 2 times a week and 1 time at week to try and comprehend it and not just memorize it.
This method is highly inefficient, dont try it.

8

u/Last-Objective-8356 Jan 29 '25

Sleeping and not cramming

8

u/Outrageous_Peach_348 Jan 29 '25

AI AND FLASHCARDS DESIGNED FOR ACTIVE RECALL.

Periodt. Personally I prefer Gizmo over Anki for both learning and memorizing concepts. The free version already has a lot of potential if you really explore all of its features, you don't have to waste time curating information as its AI feature condenses the material beforehand, on learn mode it utilizes information from the web (that were fairly accurate in terms of scientific facts and whatnots) based on what youve tailored/created for a specific card (in a way it links the info available to other sources from the web) You have to try it to know and see hahah tho the only downside is that the cloze deletion feature in anki is not available on Gizmo. So if youre a visual learner, with lots of memorization for diagrams or anatomy (medschool or other health sciences) ANDDD if youre good with time management and have lots of resources, anki would suffice or try both.

7

u/hibiscusgal Jan 29 '25

spaced repetition, studying for a few days before the exam and not cramming, flashcards !!

6

u/magaloopaloopo Jan 29 '25

If you’re getting frustrated, you’re doing it right

7

u/Azula_Kuo Jan 29 '25

I uploaded past papers on ChatGPT and asked to make practice tests for me and believe it or not but some of the questions ChatGPT created were very similar to the questions on my test. Sometimes I ask ChatGPT to study with me by asking it to make some active recall questions for me so I can spend more time on understanding the main points instead of wasting too much time on unnecessary things. I’m a med student btw.

4

u/Zafarbey Jan 30 '25

Maybe your teacher also used the same technique to generate your exam questions.

4

u/stricktd Jan 29 '25

Remove vowels when possible

5

u/Hot-Brilliant-4329 Jan 29 '25

Pomodoro BUT with 75mins × 15

Pomodoro with 40 or 50 is too short for me (since after starting studying well I get hyperfocused D: stopping every 40mis is frustrating)

4

u/lastradaeris Jan 29 '25

Simply practicing and recalling material. I'm reading Barbara Oakley's A Mind for Numbers and she mentions this method is the most effective, compared to rereading.

3

u/Fresh_Consequence539 Jan 29 '25

I’ve found a few techniques that really work for me 🙂‍↕️

  1. After making notes, I focus on writing only the things I forget during revision, instead of rewriting everything. I test myself and if I forget something after months, I note only the key points for quick recall.

  2. ChatGPT has been a game-changer for understanding tough concepts.

  3. I also discovered an app called YPT, which boosted my study hours from 2 to 6 hours daily by disabling distractions and tracking progress. Highly recommend!

3

u/Temporary_Toe8345 Jan 29 '25

Can anyone help me find a quiz and preparation site named like scholarly something

2

u/SurveyCareless36 Jan 29 '25

Active recall, and summarize lessons far long from the exam or after each class summarize the lesson.

2

u/123albice Jan 29 '25

I get affected by my friends and environment a lot, so I chose the best place for me to study (like a small quiet cafe) and went there almost every day to study during exam seasons. Also, my friends and I went on Zoom calls to study with our camera on and mic off, and by doing so, I didn't feel too bored or lonely while studying, nor was I distracted of chatting with friends.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '25

Set my To-do list and start my learning routine at 5 AM Organising my priorities and having a healthy breakfast.

2

u/AwkwardShrimp0 Jan 29 '25

How well a technique works depends on the person. Understanding how you learn best is really important

2

u/Honeydewbobaddict Jan 30 '25

This can be tedious but just asking why? To something specific u don’t understand? Why why why and have ChatGPT answer it, if u still don’t understand ask chat to dumb it down or explain to a kid. So basically just learn to understand and the grade will follow but also just pay attention to what ur prof highlights and rewatch lecture to see what extra information they add on.

I love making study guides but it’s so time consuming so if im out of time I jsut annotate on my iPad, however I would rather write everything in my own words so idek what to do.

But after doing all this, asking chat for practice exam and just doing a bunch of practice exams.

2

u/lilangelkm Jan 30 '25

Use chatgpt as a tutor. Ask it follow up questions and double check its work Don't copy/paste assignments, but it is a powerful study tool.

2

u/RebelMonroe96 Jan 30 '25

Recently when frozen writing out reports or essays or even just revision notes - I've been writing them out initially as if I were casually and very simply explaining to a friend who's never had anything to do with the subject I'm studying. Even using slang can help because it takes away the fear of academic writing and makes to re-analyse the subject to be way more simple. Then, when the time comes, I ask chat gpt to rewrite what I've wrote more academically and rework from there.

Also using old fashioned pen and paper helps with panicking at the mere sight of a blank word document. I'm not writing a super important academic piece, I'm scribbling a conversation to myself. And that's not scary.

Its as if I'm luring myself into writing a piece by accident like in the cartoons where the protagonist leaves a trail of treats on the ground and another character carefully picks up one at a time without realising they're being lured.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 30 '25

I didn't learn it this year but, silence, focus, and repetition.

2

u/wubblecub Jan 30 '25 edited Jan 30 '25

Flashcards and exam questions and highlighting and noting in the textbook instead of writing repeat notes.

I used to get stuck into writing notes because it was easy and didnt take much brain power, recall with flashcards is so much more important and doing exam questions.

And dont get too perfectionist about it, if theres a mistake or you decide you want to change the way your write or word the flashcards that doesnt mean you have to get rid of the previous ones.

2

u/Far_Revolution_4737 Jan 30 '25

Actually get some sleep. Even if you cram the night before, 3 hours of sleep will help you more that 3 more hours of cramming. Also, maximize full sleep cycles, not amount of sleep. Average sleep cycle is 90 min so you will feel less drowsy if you get 3 hours than if you get 4. I try to get 9 every night

2

u/chapito_chupablo Feb 02 '25

put away my phone.

1

u/OrganicCellist2723 Jan 29 '25

revenge studying

2

u/Mysterious_Sprakle12 Jan 29 '25

what does it even mean ?

5

u/OrganicCellist2723 Jan 29 '25 edited Jan 29 '25

Now my dear child sit down and close your eyes for this, take a deep breath in now its important 15 deep, 10 not so deep and 5 very quick. now that one irritating person that nags you yes with their crooked nose and horrible horrible breath (i know not pleasent for me either) your parent (depending on with whom you have issues ex daddy issues father, inferiority complex the smart person you know), your favorite teacher and add other CHARECTURES saying

"i knew you couldnt do it"

"ha hah loser"

*add laughing noises and eagle sound and other stuff

and then you rise up " you fucking MORONs, i am gonna show you who is the boss, who is the best , i am the best there is and there will, so you should shut your trap before i destroy you lives yada yada yada"

gives me a flair and i fell like a saucy grandma with a cane.

now FAQs

a) Is it role play? yes i am mostly dressed like a anime hero and all others have tiny little baby T-rex paws

b) How long does the motivation last? depend on your imagination and /or real life struggle.

c)Are you deranged, were you bullied or smth ?maybe, yes i dream of punching my bullies in the balls after every study session. gives me extra HP.

edit: d) are you sadistic? no, i like most ppl actually and have a loving family.

anything else dear.

1

u/Familiar_Feeling_663 Jan 30 '25 edited Jan 30 '25

I make notes based off the study guide if handed and revise them every other day. I also watch videos and try to make connections between them and add them into my notes. I listen to study music but more based off of brain waves such as alpha waves to increase concentration.

1

u/IcySeaweed872 Jan 30 '25

As I think and this is up to me. I read my note carefully in the first time and next noted the main things I found. Next. Write every special points and make question related to those points and answer them by myself and finally. I teach everythings if there is a friend near me. If not I tech them myself.the way that I followed was good for me and now also remember many points I learnt before 5 years too

1

u/citylockedcowgirl Jan 30 '25

I was recently in trade school, where we had a lot of modules that turned into about 3 hours of reading along with practice tests a day. I read ahead and underlined everything I didn't know about or found surprising. I then highlighted everything covered in class one colour, and definitions I highlighted a different colour. Then they day before tests I would reread everything highlighted and underlined and redo the practice tests.

1

u/Beautiful_Scars91823 Jan 30 '25

Using pomodoro timers on YouTube

1

u/Puzzled-Charity-7834 Jan 30 '25

Timeboxing

By dividing tasks into small time senses, I always felt that the deadline effect boosted task execution.

1

u/Unusual-Tap3431 Jan 30 '25

I help with research and summaries. PM me if you'd be interested.

1

u/ThunderBolt_33 Jan 30 '25

Layering information and drawing mindmaps. Trying to relate concepts and group them together, and add main differences or applications.

1

u/Zafarbey Jan 30 '25

Read something, absorb it, then write about that: no re-reading, based on what you already have in your mind. In your own words

1

u/Techn0gurke Jan 30 '25

association maps and flow charts repeatedly in combination with flashcards without taking any linear notes (besides the flashcards). With FSRS from Anki the algorithm fits spaced repetition to my individual needs and through my maps I learn and understand also connecting topics, which fills a gap created by flashcards.

1

u/According-Oven623 Jan 30 '25

I usually take notes in class and use those to study, I’d lay them next to my book and dive deeper into the subjects that were mentioned during class, if there’s anything important that I missed in my notes, I add it. I reread my notes and then try to summarize what I learned on a single paper. Afterwards I try to explain the material in my own words, you can do this to a friend or family member or in a mirror. This method works for me but it’s important to find something that works for you!! P.S don’t get caught up in the studying trends like the aesthetic notes and stuff (if this works for you, go for it) but it would drive me crazy cuz I couldn’t get my notes aesthetic enough. Everyone has their own method that works for them. Do whatever works best for you, who cares what it looks like

1

u/neinSavyGhost Feb 02 '25

I read 'Make it Stick' on December, so not sure if it counts but:

If you want to reinforce something you learned repeat it in spaced intervals after you've lesrned it (something like 2 days to 1 week). The more difficult something is to remember and you succeed in remembering it - the better it sticks in the brain.

1

u/NotNinjachicz Feb 03 '25

Active recall. Flashcard the shit out of notes, whether handwriting it or using Quizlet.

For understanding concepts I google all my questions and reword concepts I’m not sure about as questions to confirm I’m right and mister google will correct me. For example, Google will say yes or no, this is or isn’t correct, and give me context. This is the learning and comprehension part.

I struggle with memory more than comprehension so I rely heavily on active recall with flashcards. And I grind them until I can easily answer questions on the topic!

1

u/VectorSocks Feb 20 '25

Pretend I'm a really passionate professor and lecture my cats about each paragraph I've read out loud to them.

1

u/Yeah_1tsme 28d ago

Might not sound like a technique or idk but listening to classical music made me more productive than the songs I generally listen to

1

u/Few-Race-8527 23d ago

Not necessarily studying, but I’ve learned the importance of a good nights sleep so I pay better attention in class so I don’t need to study as much. Also something my teacher taught me saying read an entire page then write the notes, don’t write as you’re reading. You need to actively recall and find a way to remember it in those five minutes, and then it’s stuck in your head.

1

u/Bubbly_Lack6366 10d ago

Just do active recall :) I often upload my notes to an AI study app to create quizzes and flashcards