Research in cognitive psychology has provided a great deal of information that can be applied directly to studying habits. The suggestions listed here focus on the following topics, which are all related to storing information effectively in semantic memory (the portion of long-term memory that contains factual knowledge)
- How to best spread out study sessions (as opposed to studying the night before the exam);
- How to organize information to make it easier to remember and apply in different situations/for different types of tests;
- How to think about the information when studying it (e.g., repeating it verbatim vs. rewording it to focus on its meaning);
- How to create connections among related ideas (to make them both more meaningful and easier to remember); and
- How to evaluate how effectively you are studying.
- How testing your memory after every study session can improve your ability to remember the information you studied (this is a very important part of studying).
Click this link for the complete set of guidelines.
(Updated 6-21-11)