Ready to dive into studying? Get ahead by building your own study guide!
Different program courses may demand a different approach to planning a study guide. Math may require you to know and apply formulas, same in science; however, history and English may have you memorizing dates and facts, and recalling readings. Make sure you map out your study guide according to the program you are in.
So, how can YOU develop that good old-fashioned study guide?
First and foremost, attend classes
Yes, this article is meant to tell you how to build a study guide, but you can’t create one if you haven’t been learning anything… because you haven’t been to class in ages. You have to start somewhere. Therefore, attend classes and be present. Participate in group discussions and listen while you’re in class (stop scrolling through Facebook).
Take notes and more notes and more notes and …
You’re going to need those notes, whether you’ve written them during a lecture or based them on your readings. Those notes are going to be your lifeline when it’s time to develop a study guide. Likewise, they will save you from drowning in exams.
Don’t copy your textbook
It’s easy to copy something without understanding it. If you’re writing notes, make sure you aren’t rewriting your entire textbook or lecture slides. Pull what you need and leave out what you don’t. It’s important to do your notes right so you’re not under more pressure later, sorting through the mess of them.
Compare notes
Look at your lecture notes and textbook notes. Are there are any overlapping topics? Highlight them, so they stand out. If a topic keeps appearing, then it’s probably important. Make sure you know it.
Ask your professor
Ask your teacher if they’re going to offer you a set of key terms or essay topics. They might or might not! If they do, this will assist you in building a study guide. If they don’t provide one, you’re on your way to making one anyway!
Now, it’s time to actually create your study guide.
Step One:
Compile the notes you made during lectures and readings, then pull the important details from both to create a whole new set of notes. This will be heavily detailed around major topics, which is a good thing. This will probably turn into a pretty lengthy document, and that’s okay. The purpose of this step is to organize everything in a clear way that makes it easy to go over.
Step Two:
Review your new set of notes and get ready for round two! You’re going to cut your notes down to an outline with headlines and bullet points. This step eliminates the heavy detailing in your notes to focus on the gist of every topic. It will probably be about half of the lengthy document. Don’t forget to include any additional ideas learned in class!
Step Three:
The day before your exam you’re going to cut that outline even shorter! Only include major bullet points and use them to recite details you remember. You’ve now rewritten the same information three times in your own words, which helps you retain what you are learning. By the end of Step Three, you should be able to practically tutor your peers on the material!
Additionally, if you’re looking for more information on building study guides, there are plenty of online resources that can set you up! Check them out:
https://quizlet.com/en-gb/content/popular-uk-sets
Finally, if you’re looking for more studying strategies, continue reading The Ultimate Study Hack: Brain Dumping.
