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Ultimate Guide To Studying Smart

The adage of studying without respite does not work anymore. To succeed with flying colours, students must study smart, and this article describes three highly effective techniques that will help them do just that.


Most people consider studying to be a one-dimensional process that involves memorising information and regurgitating it successfully. In reality, grinding offers no significant benefits, and such mindless studying helps improve nothing in the long run.

To achieve assured success, one needs to study smart, not just hard.  To that end, here are three excellent techniques that can help students study smartly.

  1. Set specific goals

Planning the objectives early on is essential. If one fails to plan, then they are planning to fail. Keep your syllabus, assignment topics and submission deadlines in mind while formulating your goals.

  • Calculate the amount of guided and contact studying available. Contact studying involves attending classes and listening to lectures.
  • Then, determine the amount of time that you require to self-study a particular subject per week.
  • Next up, arrange a proper schedule for readings, research, revisions, self-assessments and assignments.

Whether preparing for your semester or completing an essay structure, proper planning helps one achieve all objectives perfectly.

  1. Keep track of both immediate and long-term goals

Students must keep track of their progress and steer it in the right direction. Their long-term ambitions should guide them, but one must remember that little drops of water make up the mighty ocean.  

  • Work backwards from your ultimate aims and take note of everything required to achieve them. Find out the knowledge you need to gather, the domain you need to focus, certifications and degrees necessary to fulfil your ambitions.
  • Organise your ideas in terms of the bigger picture of getting that dream job. Then, think about the midterm and long term goals of acquiring necessary qualifications & experience. And then focus on what’s right in front of you—passing your assignments and examinations.

Developing a detailed, long-term plan is crucial for smart studying and helps in improving one’s organisational skills too.

  1. Manage time properly

“Time and tide wait for no man” -- every student should embed this age-old saying in their mind. Mismanagement of the time at hand is one of the primary reasons behind poor academic performance the world over.

  • Organise your daily schedule strategically and allocate sufficient time for both your studies and other activities. If you ignore other commitments amidst studying, then you are not studying smarter.
  • Create a weekly planner based on your routine and add subjects to appropriate slots. Determine the amount of self-studying and non-contact studying time necessary for a subject and assign accordingly.
  • Take note of all important dates in a month or a semester and remember to take them into account while planning. It would be best if you develop a semester planner and then coordinate your weekly planner with it.

For example, if you avail 2 to 5 hours of contact studying for a particular subject per day, then make sure to allocate 10-12 hours of self-studying per subject per week and 5-10 hours of revisions & assessments on different topics.

Time management lies at the heart of smart studying. Smart utilisation of time guarantees maximum throughput and the best output.

And, with that, we conclude this little study guide. Go through it well and try to incorporate into your current routine and use plagiarism checker tool.

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