As we transition into the second six weeks of school, students are faced with the seemingly never ending cycle of homework, quizzes and tests. As the workload increases, their energy does the inverse and takes a nosedive to the ground. While some mistakes may be just “careless errors,” sometimes it is the study habits or daily routines of a student’s life that impacts grades or performance levels.

The trick is to study smarter, not harder.

Taken from my experience over the past three years, I have compiled a condensed list that highlights the key factors of how to do just that.

Straight from the horse’s mouth: Have you ever heard that saying? It means to obtain information directly from the source. While taking notes, many students copy exactly what is written on the slides or board, and tune out what the teacher is commenting. The trick is, listen to the teacher and understand the concept before even setting your pencil down on paper. Writing information down that you don’t fully understand is counterproductive.

There are no stupid questions: Many times, students have varying interpretations to a single situation. In a classroom filled with 30 other people who all differ in culture, beliefs, and ethnicities, the discrepancies may be even more apparent. When you don’t understand the instructions, ask for help. It is better to understand something in two tries than being stuck in the dark.

Sleeping beauty: Contrary to opinion, sleep actually helps increase scores, given that you pair it up with the correct way of studying. It is scientifically proven that those who get at least six hours of sleep have better memory retention than those who do not, as during the last 6-8 hours of rest the brain transfers long-term memory signals to hold information. For example, it helps to memorize vocabulary words for your AP English class the night before so that you can store the information for longer use.
Hopefully, these tips will help you get through the second six weeks with ease. With these school smarts, don’t forget to put on your thinking caps and to use your brain.