Top 10 Study Tips | Study Techniques | Study Help for Students

If you study a little bit every day you'll be continually reviewing things in your mind. This helps you understand things. It also helps you avoid the stress of last-minute cramming.

Early in the year an hour or two a night might be enough to stay on top of things. Later in the year you might need to study more each day.

If you're finding it hard to find time to study, cut back on some (but not all!) of your other activities. Prioritising study might mean spending less time online, or it might mean cutting back on shifts at work, or giving weekend sport a miss for a while.

It helps to have some plans in motion so you can make the most of your study time.

• Set alarms – Set alarms to remind you about your study plans. A regular reminder keeps you honest and your plans on track.
• Use a wall planner  – Stick a calendar or wall planner up so you can see it whenever you're studying. Mark it up with important dates, like exams and assignment due dates.
• Make to-do lists – At the start of the week, make a list of the things that you need to have done by the end of the week. Make a to-do list at the start of each study session too.

Most of us have a preferred way of learning. Get to know the learning style you're most comfortable with and study in the ways you learn best.

Note that these styles are just a way to think about diffent studying techniques – they're not hard and fast rules that say you should only study in one way. Try each of these out and see which ways you prefer.

• Auditory learners  prefer to learn by listening. Try reading your notes aloud and discussing them with other people. You might like to record key points and play them back.
• Visual learners  prefer to learn by seeing. Try using colours in your notes.

At least once a week you should go back over the things you've studied in class. Thinking things over can help you to understand the concepts and help you remember when you need them the most.

• Quiz – Get a friend or family member to quiz you on key concepts. Offer to help your friends with their work too. Quizzes are great ways to get confident about what you know and find out what you still need to learn.
• Make your own study materials – Think up some practice exam questions or create your own flash cards to help you study. This way you learn it all twice: once when you make the study materials.

It's important to take breaks while you're studying, especially if you're feeling tired or frustrated. Working too long on a task can actually decrease your performance.

When you take a break, make sure you get away from your desk or study space. A bit of physical – even just a walk around the block – can sometimes help you to look at a problem in a different way and could even help you to solve it.

If you're stuck on something, or something just doesn't seem to make sense, you can always ask for help. Talk to your teachers or lecturers about the things you don't understand. Talk to your friends and fellow students too.

When you're studying it helps to keep in mind your reasons for doing all this hard work, like a course or career you're working towards. It can help to have something in your study space to remind you of your goals.

You could also decorate your study space with inspirational quotes or photos of people you admire and family members you want to make proud of you.

There are heaps of apps out there for helping students with all aspects of study. Have a chat with your friends and teachers or lecturers to see which apps they recommend.

You should also check out the iTunes Collections page on iPads for Learning , which provides links to Australian Curriculum courses on iTunes U as well as educational apps aimed at high school, middle school and primary school students. 

You’ll study better if you take care of yourself. Make sure you eat well and get enough sleep and physical exercise. Don't reward yourself with too many sugary or fatty snacks or push yourself to study late into the night. It’s also a good idea to make sure you drink lots of water when you’re studying.

These tips are only some of the things you can do to get the most out of your studying. You might already have other things that work better for you. Find out what your friends do when they're studying. Maybe your teachers have some good recommendations too.

Whatever it is, whatever strategy you come up with, when you find something that works for you, put it into practise and go for it!