(ThyBlackMan.com) Odds are you’ve heard that it is better to ‘study smart’ than ‘study hard’ – and that much is certainly true. The idea is that by studying smart you should absorb more information in a shorter duration, which is definitely something worth aiming for.
However most people don’t fully understand how to study smart, and often end up just studying less but not really absorbing more information. Needless to say that isn’t good – which is why if you want to study smart you should make sure you use the following methods:
- Mix it up and learn from different materials
Going over the same notes over and over again is a typical example of studying hard but not smart. To stimulate your brain and make it more likely that you’re able to understand and remember the 
information you’re learning, it is better if you mix it up and learn from different materials.
From your original notes and learning materials you can create others, such as flashcards, mind maps, and practice questions. That way you should have several options and can choose a different one to study from during each session.
- Space out studying and review regularly
Cramming, cheating and turning to paid essay writing services are the behaviour that students can avoid if studying smart – and although most students tend to cram prior to every exam, it is really one of the most ineffective ways to study. Ideally you should space out your studying, and learn a little bit every day while reviewing and going over what you learned previously as well.
By periodically reviewing information that you’ve studied, you’re more likely to retain it in the long term. Initially you may have to review the same information frequently, but as time goes by you can review it less often and should still be able to remember it accurately.
- Find creative ways to simplify and compress information
Sometimes it can be tough to remember lots of information, and simplifying it in creative ways can make it far easier to absorb. One of the most common ways to do this is with mnemonic devices that help encode information in manner that is easier to recall.
There are many types of pneumonic devices, and you can use acronyms (e.g. ‘HOMES’ for the great lakes Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior), visual techniques, substitution, or even rhymes. The task of finding creative ways to simplify information using mnemonic devices will also help you to remember them much more effectively.
Make no mistake there are a lot of other ways that you can study smarter and more effectively – but the ones listed above should put you on the right track. If you continuously apply these techniques you’ll find that you need to spend less time studying and yet are able to remember and understand the subject matter much better. In the long term you’re more likely to be able to retain and call upon the information that you’ve studied using these techniques, and can expand your understanding further by being able to do so.
Staff Writer; Karl Love
