Tips to study

Determine your own learning style with an online learning style assessment. Once you know your learning style, you’ll be able to better utilize it both in class and when studying.

Visual learners should write information more than once. To help ideas stick, it might be helpful for auditory learners to read information out loud. Tactile or kinesthetic learners are advised to walk or move while studying, according to research by Columbia University.

Organize your time

“It’s helpful to look at your schedule and set aside blocks of time where you know you can study,” said Zaynab Elkolaly, another WCC student who works as a tutor at the Writing Center.

Studying in smaller blocks throughout the days leading up to a test can also reduce test anxiety, according to WCC Learning Support Services.

Spacing out study sessions instead of cramming the night before is key for retaining the information longer, according to research from the American Psychological Association.

Make sure you practice the material

Many professors say that you’ll learn information better if you actively practice it instead of just looking at your notes, according to Elkolaly. She also mentioned that just the act of writing things down helps you remember information much better.

The APA also suggests testing yourself on content. According to psychologist Henry Roediger, simply re-reading material can give you a false sense of knowledge if you don’t challenge yourself to recall the information from memory.

Focus on the content rather than the points.

“No matter how much you focus on points, they do not allow you to learn the content,” said David Wooten, a faculty member in the biology department, in a video he created for the learning support system web page. “If you spend your time and energy focusing on the points, you will never understand the content.”

The same energy that goes into fretting about how many points you lost on your last test versus how many you desire to earn is energy that could be focusing on the material.

Make the most of your resources.

There are many resources available through the WCC website that can help you learn the material, or figure out your learning style and how to accomodate for that while studying.

The links listed on their website are recommended by Debra Guerrero, director of learning support services on campus.

Additionally, tutoring is also available from learning support services; more information can be found on their website. Other campus resources include the Writing Center in LA 355, the Math Resource Center in GM 201, and the Academic Skills Center in GM 305 and 307.

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