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| Developing Studying Method |
 • If it is difficult for you to concentrate, don’t force the issue. You need quality study time. When you are in one of those ‘flat spots’, try studying for just 5 minutes, and then taking a break for 5 minutes. It is recommended to build up the study time gradually, while keeping the breaks at 5 minutes. If other ideas or thoughts of other projects distract you, then write the ideas down and re-visit them after your studying time is over.
• Try not to let yourself get stressed on days when you are not studying, on a larger time-cycle. Your study will be much more effectively if you have rest periods in between solid studying days, but only if you don’t get a ‘guilt-trip’ for not hitting the books. Unwind from studying as totally as you can, and you’ll come back feeling refreshed and rearing to go. Also, if you have a scheduled study day, but don’t feel up to it, don’t force the issue. If your mind is on other things it only makes matters worse, you can’t force your brain to absorb information. It is a good idea to study when you’re in the frame of mind to do so.
 • It is recommended to study at the same time every time you study. You know that we are all creatures of habit, and it helps to settle your mind and concentrate on the task at hand if you can schedule your study periods to be around the same time, each time. Trying to fit in an hour here, and an hour there just won’t add up to effective study time.
• When you take notes or highlight, it is good to underline only the most important sentence in each paragraph – by reading the material and deciding which is the most important sentence in itself helps you to learn the material.
• It is recommended to end each study period with a review of what you have learnt during that period. You will reinforce the new information in your mind and that information will be more readily available the next time you have a study session.
• Don’t cram for exams. You’re more likely to forget the information in the long run. Besides, it might induce panic during the exam if you suddenly can’t remember the answer to a question. And this in turn can cause problems for the rest of the exam. If you’ve pulled an ‘all-nighter’ to cram for the exam you may be too tired to concentrate effectively the next day.
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