10 Study Tips

Yo homies!

This week we are going to enlighten you on the topic of study tips! Hopefully you will be able to put at least one of these into practice, even if it is just for a short period of time. We have tons of experience in this matter, for we have tried it all and have honed down only the best and most useful tips for you to use. Excellent, isn't it?

1. Make Flash cards. Write a question or a word that you need to define and the answer on the other side. These are very handy for remembering small facts. 
2. Laminate some note cards and plant them around the house (even the shower). Plant the cards in places where you will have to read them inevitably at some point, like the mirror when you comb your hair or brush your teeth. Another great place for these handy things are on the fridge door - a place we IB:ers love to visit. You can write down equations or points of information you feel necessary to know. 
3. Reward yourself with food or other incentives after reading a certain amount of pages in your textbooks. For example, you can buy a bag of chips, candy or a healthier option (generally avoided by us) and reward yourself with one after every page. Some people also like to paint one nail with nail polish after every chapter - we recommend you boys instead of girls to use this tactic surprisingly, because it will take you longer to add and remove the nail polish which means more study time!
4. Have one notebook for notes in class and another for notes at home from your textbook. Often your notes in school can be confusing and too simple, which may cost you later in the final exams. If you keep one study notebook at home you can study the topics studied at school again at home and write them down in a clearer manner, that you can study from later. 
5. Use your 'dead' time wisely. Dead time as in bus or train rides, skip lessons, queues etc by reading your notes, textbooks or flash cards. This enables you to use up all your extra time productively! Sometimes it is nice to spend your dead time being 'dead', though..
6. Practice past paper exams on the internet. This one is quite self evident and always a smart option before your actual tests. Especially with mathematics, no matter what level. 
7. When studying and making notes, use the syllabus guide as a reference - found on the internet. The syllabus guide gives you exact information on what you need to know and not know - this may not always be made clear by teachers during class. 
8. Use the No Procrastination- app while studying on the computer. This app doesn't let you enter sites like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube etc (whatever you add on the list) for a certain time period of your choosing. If you don't have the willpower to not visit these sites without a little help, this is the app for YOU. 
9. Take a five minute break after every 30 minutes of studying. This allows your brain to process all the information you have gathered during the studying period. It may also eliminate the chances of getting extremely frustrated! 
10. Make a To-Do List. Always an excellent idea! It's a good feeling after doing something and being able to cross it off the list with a feeling of accomplishment.