Good studying habits are essential for successful students. But tips for how to study are hard to come by, and the wrong studying skills can trip up any learner.
I made virtually every learning mistake possible during my time as a student. It took me a while to realize that not all studying techniques are equal. Some study methods are far superior to others.
This article outlines the top learning mistakes I wished I had avoided as a student. As I found out firsthand, proper study habits are key to memory improvement.
1. Rereading
Rereading tends to be one of the most common mistakes. The more you read something, the better you know it, right? Wrong. Just because you read through the material dozens of times does not mean that you know it. Rereading simply makes you familiar with the material and susceptible to the fluency illusion. Rereading tricks you into thinking you know the material better than you do. If admiral Akbar were here, he would shout, “It’s a trap! Rereading can’t prepare you for firepower of that magnitude!”
2. Highlighting
This falls within the same category as rereading because highlighting is just selective rereading. When you simply highlight material and study by reviewing the same material over and over, you leave yourself wide open to the fluency illusion. In the moment, while you are studying, the facts seem very familiar and easy to retain. But when the test rolls around, the information can easily slip out of mind.
3. Rewriting
Rewriting is at least a little better than highlighting and rereading, especially if you put the material into your own words. But rewriting is still far from a reliable study technique. Rewriting the same material over and over à la Bart Simpson jams your brain into a short-term memory loop. The short-term memory stores are saturated, but very little information is transferred to long-term storage.
4. Cramming
This one should be obvious. Cramming holds the least amount of material for the shortest amount of time. Is it a good idea to study a bunch the night before a big exam? Of course, but that’s certainly not the only studying that should be done. Regular, spaced-out study time is important.
5. Studying Without a Plan
For most of my career as a student, I had no idea that there was an ideal study schedule. I used to simply study on a whim, whenever I felt like it. Then I wondered why answers continually escaped me on exams. Everything turned around when I figured out how to maximize my study schedule. Our brains remember information far better when we space out our time. This phenomenon has been studied extensively and is referred to as the spacing effect. For more info on building an ideal study schedule, click here.
6. Studying Without Interleaving
Students often focus on one subject at a time while studying. They study one subject matter until they think they know it, and then they move on to the next. Focusing on one subject at a time is counterproductive, however. It ensnares our brains in a short-term memory loop.
The most effective way to study is to mix it up or interleave different subjects. Instead of studying fluid dynamics one day, optical physics the next, followed by general relativity the day after that, a proficient learner mixes it up and absorbs ten minutes of fluids, ten minutes of optics, ten minutes of relativity and repeats. The spacing effect naturally occurs in between, solidifying the knowledge.
The University of South Florida studied this effect in detail in a 2015 study titled Interleaved Practice.
7. Studying Without Associations
Associations are the crux of how we learn. William James, in his book Talks to Teachers on Psychology, describes how we must “form diverse and multiple associations with every fact we care to retain.” In other words, we must associate new information with old, well-established points of data. When material holds no personal relevance, it is often forgotten.
8. Studying Without Pictures
Our brains think in pictures, not words. Many studies, including The Effects of Imagery, a 2016 study from Georgia State, have confirmed this statement. Words on paper have significantly less meaning than do pictures. Without picture reminders, information can quickly slip out of mind and negatively affect our grades. Pictures offer solid associations to help us remember the material. For more information on creating picture reminders, click here.
9. Studying Without Links or Action Chains
Picture reminders are extremely helpful for memory retrieval, but pictures need to be associated with one another. We can accomplish this task by linking together pictures with actions or action chains. If each picture is linked together or intertwined, then one picture reminder leads to the next. Linking creates more associations to boost memory retrieval.
10. Studying Without a Memory File
Finally, the pictured information needs to be stored inside a familiar location—so we will know exactly where to find the information when we need it. The familiar location could be the memory of a well-known house or building. It can also be a scene we remember from a well-known movie, TV show, or video game. For more information on storing material in this fashion, click here.
Studying smarter is much more effective than studying harder. The wrong study techniques can hinder the success of any student. If you avoid the top learning mistakes, you will be well on your way to becoming a successful student.
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