It is important to have a regular study schedule and not go by one’s moods or likes and dislikes. A fixed time and place for study is a great help for achieving good results. This demands self-discipline, planning out one’s day and activities for a typical 24 hours day. The mind has its own rhythm of work and takes time to absorb ideas and integrate them. Studying in snatches will not help learning though cramming before exams might help you to get through the exams. When you have a regular pattern of study habits ,the body will fall into a certain rhythm. Those who are distracted throughout the term with lots of diversions will burn the midnight oil and cram for the exams even cutting down on sleep or food. This is not an advisable strategy for study for it will fill you with tension and give you an aversion for learning. By overtaxing the system you will not be able to give a good account of yourself in the exams. Your mind should be fresh as you sit for the exams.
It is also very helpful to have a regular daily or weekly time table for your study. You specify in
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it the order of subjects you study and the time allotted for each. The duration of a study session should not be more than two to two and a half hours. It is not possible for the mind to concentrate after that without some break or change of activity. Take a break, breathe some fresh air, move out of your study room, listen to some music or stretch yourselves in the open air or say some prayer – in short do something else for a while. It also makes sense to tackle the difficult subjects first when you r mind is fresh at the beginning of a study session and leave the easier subjects to the second half of your study session. You can tackle the easier subjects and your pet subjects when the mind is less fresh. You must also allot special time for home work and assignments and not leave them to the last minute and panic.
It’s a poor student who begins his study session with story books or library books or educational videos .Having sat down to pleasant and easy relaxing stuff he will never be ready to take up challenging and difficult subjects after that.
The vast majority of students need a regular schedule of study. Geniuses may be an exception to this rule. . If you do not have regular study habits it can also happen that like the hare in the fable you miscalculate by resting too long while the tortoise of your exams overtakes you quietly and by the time you are alert the race is lost. Sometimes brilliant students mess up their exams by their overconfidence and indulgence in too many relaxations. By the time they sit down to study
it is too late or something unforeseen comes in the way like sickness or some emergency.
It is important to review each day’s lesson at the end of the day when the matter is still fresh in the mind and not put off this to a later time. This review will reinforce your class room learning.
So also before you leave for the school go through the last lesson of the subjects of the day so that you are fully tuned for the day’s take off as you step into the class room. If possible it is also a good idea to have a quick preview of the lesson to be taken next and have some sort of acquaintance with it.
It is natural that doubts will arise when we study regarding some point or other. We may realize that we have not grasped well some aspect of the topic. We should not be surprised at this nor ashamed about it. Only an intelligent and thinking student gets doubts . Some doubts are the beginnings of great discoveries. In academic learning nothing should be taken for granted or accepted on authority. All points should be scientifically tenable.
It is never sign of a feeble mind to have intelligent doubts, to ask questions.. There is no need to be shy about clearing one’s doubts in the class . If some doubt happens to be personal and not shared by other students in the class this can be cleared outside the class. Peer help also can be obtained for clearing many doubts.
What is the truth?
1. Do I have a regular study pattern?
2. What makes me cram before the exams? Which of my activities do I need to monitor? 3. What can I do to clear my doubts?
