adventures of a typical high school student

Hello everyone!

Now that I am back in school, I’ve had to get back into my study routine. Last year (my freshman year), I learned a lot about effective ways to study; I had always just done basic review of material for big tests in middle school, but in high school I needed to study everything, and there are many quizzes/tests a week. If you guys are trying to figure out what works for you and the best ways to approach studying, keep reading for some tips!

• Use Quizlet – Quizlet is an absolute lifesaver; since it’s on your phone you can study anywhere, anytime. If you’re taking an AP course or a popular course at your school, there might even be Quizlets already made for your tests. I like using the Learn feature and then testing myself over and over, it’s the best for vocab.
• Use physical flash cards – The classic way to memorize vocab terms and such, physical flash cards are always great. Writing things out helps you remember, and you and your friends can use them to quiz each other.
• Look up practice tests/questions online – This is especially helpful for bigger tests or AP tests. I also do this a lot for tests on literature; there’s always tons of multiple choice tests you can take out there to review the material, and they might end up being similar to your actual test.
• Watch YouTube summary videos/videos related to topics – These are good refreshers that present the information in a new and exciting way. I like John Green’s Crash Course videos for different history concepts (I’m not sure if he does other subjects) but you can search anything and some videos will come up.
• Read SparkNotes and/or LitCharts – Don’t substitute reading the actual text for these websites, but they can aid in your understanding of more complex books. They also are an easy way to brush up on the plot and characters before a test.
• Call a friend and quiz each other – Sometimes you just need to talk everything out and go through your notes/other things you’ve written down with someone else. Whether over the phone or in person, quiz your friend and have them quiz you in return- this works best if you have some sort of study guide to go off of.
• Make your own study guide with questions, formulas, etc. – Study guides are a wonderful tool, and writing out your own can help you remember the information in the process before you even start studying off of it. Put all important dates/formulas/characters (it depends on the class) and other concepts, terms and definitions, all that good stuff!
• Rewrite the most important parts of your notes – As I’ve stated before, writing things out really helps you remember them. Rewrite your notes neatly but try to make them even more concise, similar to making a study guide.
• Redo homework problems (mainly math/science) – Working through the trickiest problems from a unit will prepare you for your math or science test. It’s best to do problems from your already-corrected homework because you’ll have the correct answers and work with you.

I hope these tips help you study for all of your tests throughout the year and possibly inspired you to get ahead on your studying right now. Once you settle into a routine and familiarize yourself with the general class material, it will become easier to keep going throughout the rest of the year. You’ll quickly discover what works for you and develop specialized study habits for each of your classes. I am confident you will all study hard and pass your tests with flying colors! Remember, I’m always here to answer questions or take requests for future content ideas.

-Brooke