How hard should I study?

Neha, a student from Mumbai, recently asked me, “Sir, what grades do I need to get in exams and how hard should I study to have a successful career?”

Here’s my answer…

Once you have identified your nature and the career goal you are aiming for, you can start to answer this question. You can prioritize subject areas where the grades you receive will impact your chosen career and accept the lower grades in other areas. For example, if you are going into hospitality, you don’t need to top physics; if you are going to be a doctor, then you probably don’t need to stress out about geography classes and so on. Grades are important, but knowing your strengths and structuring your time accordingly is what really matters in the long run.

 

Memorizing Long Answers

Here are some tips for memorizing answers that are longer than short answers, e.g., made up of a full sentence or a number of sentences.

1. Start by reading the first sentence out loud.
2. Ensure you get the rhythm of the sentence.
3. Say the last word of the sentence.
4. Say the second to last word of the sentence and then the last word.
5. Say the third to last word of the sentence, the second to last word, and then the last word.
6. Say the forth to last word, the third to last, the second to last, then the last word.
7. Keep doing this until you get the whole sentence.

Here is another method:

1. Write the entire sentence.
2. Eliminate one word from the sentence (other than the first). You can do this by drawing over the word with a marker. Then say the sentence adding in the missing word.
3. Eliminate one more word. Then repeat the sentence addind in the two missing words.
4. Continue the process until all the words are eliminated.

Here is yet another method called “First Letter”:

1. On the first line, write the first letter of each word from the first sentence.
2. On the next line, write the first letter of each word from the second sentence.
3. Do the same for all sentences.
4. Do this for all the sentences.
5. Looking at the clue letters, say each sentence, filling in the missing words.
6. Try deleting the last letter of each sentence and saying the sentence. Then delete the second to last letter, and repeat, etc., until all the letters are deleted.
7. When you review your answers later on, do so by using only the first letters of each sentence as a prompt.

More on Flashcards

Here are some more ideas on how to use flashcards effectively.

Start with 3 flashcards. Lay them out in front of you. Point to the first one, say the word and its definition. Then point the second one, and do the same. Then the third. Now mix them up and add one new card in. Repeat the process of saying the term and definitions for each card including the new one. Repeat the process–add in another card and go through each card. Continue until you reach about 15 cards.

More details of this type of technique can be found here on WikiHow:

http://www.wikihow.com/Memorize-Flashcards-Effectively.

Study Short and Steady

Many learners feel a sense of accomplishment when they complete a marathon study session of many hours. Unfortunately, this approach to learning is not the most effective or efficient. You are much better off studying for smaller amounts of time more frequently.

The brain not only needs depth of study. It also requires repetition, with a chance to rest between bouts of learning. Instead of studying a particular lesson for 5 hours straight on a single day, you’d be much better off studying the content for one hour on three successive days. You’ll save yourself 2 hours, and will wind up remembering more!

It’s just like exercise for your body. You’re much better off exercising every day for 20 minutes rather than once a week for 3 hours.