Studying can sometimes feel overwhelming. With the fall/winter semester coming to an end soon, some of you may have big tests coming up (myself included), and studying for them is vital to getting a good grade. Though many people have had this issue, several techniques can help tackle it. The key to success isn’t in how much time you spend studying or how many times you can reread the textbook—it lies in how you study and manage your time. In this article, we have listed some helpful strategies that take some of the pressure off of studying. 

1). Break It Down: Pomodoro Technique

This technique involves splitting up your time into focused intervals and taking pre-determined, systematic breaks during a study session. It has been proved to benefit mood and efficiency (i.e., similar task completion in a shorter time, in contrast to self-regulated breaks). This is because the study sessions tend to be shorter when you have systematic breaks rather than self-regulated breaks, which leads to procrastinating and longer breaks—therefore leading to a longer time spent studying, which is linked to higher levels of fatigue and distractedness. The Pomodoro technique isn’t complex at all and only requires four steps:

1. Study for 25 minutes 
2. Take a five-minute break (maybe stretch, get some water or a snack, or even text a friend back—just nothing that takes longer than 5 minutes) 
3. After four sessions take a longer 15-30 minute break
4. Use a timer to keep yourself on track

The Pomodoro technique is very simple and helps keep your mind fresh, making focusing easier and helping you retain more information in the long run. 

2). Active Learning: Engage With the Material 

Reading through your notes or textbook passively may seem like a good strategy, but active learning is more effective. Rather than just highlighting, engage with the material. Try summarizing the information in your own words, create flashcards, or explain something in your own words as if teaching someone else (also called the Feynman technique, but more on that later). This not only helps your understanding but rather than just throwing up everything you learned on the test and never thinking about it again, active learning helps with long-term retention.  

3). Feynman Technique: Long-term Memory 

This is a famous technique created by physicist Richard Feynman somewhere between 1950 and 1980; however, it does require a little bit of studying beforehand. Essentially, you pretend you are teaching someone who has no idea about the subject and find the gaps in what you are explaining. Albert Einstein once said, “If you cannot explain it to a six-year-old, you do not understand it yourself.” This is not limited to only six-year-olds, but maybe if you have a younger sibling around, you can ask for help. If you are an only child (or maybe your little sibling won’t sit down long enough), you can talk aloud to yourself. I find that talking to someone else helps because they can ask questions that you haven’t thought of yet. 

Extra Tips

1). Don’t waste time on questions you do not know yet

When you are doing homework, you are bound to find questions you cannot solve and genuinely don’t know the answer to. The best thing you can do here is not spend so much time scratching your head over one question. Move on to the next one and come back to it later. I had a huge issue with this when I was younger—I would spend 15-20 minutes stumped on one question without moving on. This is a psychological phenomenon called the sunk cost fallacy. The sunk cost fallacy is, as Google defines it, “the phenomenon whereby a person is reluctant to abandon a strategy or course of action because they have invested heavily in it, even when it is clear that abandonment would be more beneficial.” In other words, just because you have put a lot of time on one question does not mean you have to spend more time on that question. This principle can also be used on exams as you aren’t required to answer them all in order. 

2). Give yourself constraints 

One of the simplest ways to spend less time studying is to give yourself less time to study. There is an adage called Parkinson’s Law that goes as follows: “Work expands to fill the time available for its completion”. Now, this sounds fancy but it’s simple; however much time you give yourself to do a task is however much time you’re going to take. For example, if you give yourself four days to work on an essay, you will take up the full four days. But if you give yourself only four hours, you may be surprised to see how fast you can complete it. While it’s nice to space out your deadlines, you don’t want to give yourself too much time because you will eventually have the mental comfort of “I have hours or days or weeks left.” You will only work at a slower pace. 

3). Create a dedicated study space

Let’s be real—homeschooling is great, but comes with a ton of distractions. Your comfy bed is calling, snacks are just a few steps away, and the random urge to rearrange your bookshelf always comes when you should be doing your math. I’ve been there. That’s why creating a dedicated study space is a game changer. It doesn’t need to be Pinterest perfect, it just needs to work for you. A quiet corner in your room, a little desk in the den, or even the dining table during the day can do the trick. The key is to find a spot far away from distractions. 

Pro Tip: Don’t study on your bed. Trust me—you will blink and the next thing you know, it’s getting dark outside and you are still scrolling on your phone.

Final Thoughts

Using smarter study techniques can make a huge difference in how effectively you prepare for exams and manage your time. By breaking study sessions into smaller intervals, actively engaging with the material, and using proven methods like the Feynman technique, you can retain information better and reduce stress. Additionally, avoiding distractions and finding the right study environment can help you stay focused and productive. Remember, studying smarter, not harder, is all about working efficiently and building habits that help you remember concepts down the line. With these tips, you’ll be well-equipped to tackle your next big test—and ace it!