Intro to Better Study Methods

By Catherine Qiu

It can be beyond challenging to balance schoolwork, extracurriculars, friends, health, and more. Studying, alone, can sometimes take hours and days with seemingly minimal results. If this seems to be the case, it might be time to pursue and practice new study methods.

The first one I’ll introduce is called the SQ3R method. If you’ve taken AP Psych, you’re probably familiar with it; It’s an orderly process to read textbooks. SQ3R stands for survey, question, read, recite, and review. When approaching a daunting passage, survey the text first. Look at the diagrams, bold headings, and pictures -- the overall, big picture. Next, seek out the conceptual questions or objectives at the very end or beginning of the chapter. If there aren’t any, we should try to develop some of our own from looking at the bold headings, etc. What questions do we have about these? (e.g. What’s the difference between X and Y? How do they interact? How does this system work together? What’s the general method to solve that type of problem?). Read the text with these ideas in mind.

The 3R’s stand for read, recite and review. Try to recall the main points of the text. Maybe draw a mind map, or try reviewing with someone else. Sometimes, there are even “more R’s” to try out. For example, in one source, there’s also reflection and response. Reflection is essentially seeing how the material applies to your life or your surroundings. It could be relating torque to opening doors or throwing a ball, and Mendel’s laws to seeing plants around you during pollen season. Response refers to answering the questions you had at the beginning of your reading. This method could make reading passages a more active process. For me, even incorporating just one of the many techniques, such as writing down questions and responding to them after reading has helped me practice active reading.

Another completely different technique is called spaced repetition. Spaced repetition is the practice of reviewing information in many short time chunks, instead of cramming the material in the last few hours. While the information we get from cramming only lasts a short while after the test, info from spaced repetition can last much longer. It may even be useful for us in the future and to build our knowledge upon itself. The reason that spaced repetition may retain knowledge for so much longer is because of something called the forgetting curve. The forgetting curve, measuring information retained over time, slopes more steeply downward as time goes on. We forget a lot more, even exponentially, as time passes. However, with each review, the curve becomes flatter; We remember stuff for significantly longer each time we review. Some useful tools to practice spaced repetition are Anki, Quizlet, flashcards, or teaching others. Although it may be frustrating to rack your brain trying to retrieve info, retrieving information from our brains can help us retain and make the information useful for longer. Personally, putting my incorrect exam answers in Anki decks allows me to reflect on my mistakes and review challenging concepts. It may take some time, but testing out aspects, either, or both of these methods can make your studying and reading more purposeful and efficient.

Websites for More Information:

• https://www.weber.edu/wsuimages/vetsupwardbound/StudySkills/SQ3Rmethod.pdf

• https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/sat/new-sat-tips-planning/sat-reading-test-strategies/a/sat-active-reading-strategies-part-1-sq3r

• https://collegeinfogeek.com/spaced-repetition-memory-technique/#:~:text=Here's%20the%20solution%3A%20space%20out,to%20recall%20what%20you%20study.

• https://www.lifehack.org/851026/spaced-repetition

• https://fs.blog/2018/12/spacing-effect/