20 Studying Tips for Students Entering High School

Students entering high school can be overwhelmed by some of the changes that take place with balancing homework and studying time. “How do I study?” I have heard this question numerous times as an educator. There is not one right way to answer that question. Studying habits vary from student to student and it often takes a little time to figure out what strategies will work best for you. Below are 20 different study tips to help students as they enter into high school. Hopefully some of these will work for you!

1.  Stay organized. Start the school year off on a good foot and have a separate binder or folder for each class. Using tabs can help organize the papers you keep in your binder or folder.

2.  Keep an assignment notebook or planner. Get in the habit of writing down the assignment each day and looking over it at night to double check that everything is done for the following day.

3.  Go to class! If you’re absent too often, then you’re missing valuable class time that you’re going to have to make up on your own time. Try not to miss class unless you absolutely need to.

4.  Many teachers hand out a calendar for a particular unit. Keep it handy and check it often so you know when important quizzes, tests, and projects are due.

5.  Don’t procrastinate! If you have a project due in 2 weeks, try to do little pieces at a time so that you’re not cramming at 10:00 pm the night before.

6.  When reading through a textbook, try to create an outline as you go through it. Write down important pieces of information such as key dates, vocabulary words, and concepts.

7.  For math classes, make sure to try all practice problems. It is crucial that you do your math homework everyday because what you learn the following day usually depends on what you learned during that class period.

8.  While reading a book, underline important parts or key words. You can also take small notes in the margins.

9.  Create flashcards. This study skill can be used in almost any class you take.

10.  Do the review guides that your teachers give out. Review guides are handed out for a reason. It’s to help provide you with what you will need to focus on for that particular quiz or unit test.

11.  Get good sleep before a big quiz or test. There’s nothing worse than only getting 3-4 hours of sleep before taking an important assessment. Go to bed early!

12.  Take breaks when doing homework or studying. Try studying for 15 minutes at a time and then take a break for a couple of minutes. You can then build your study time up to 30 minutes, 45 minutes, or even an hour.

13.  Make a list of topics and concepts that you think might be on the test. Think of the big ideas. Imagine yourself as the teacher and ask yourself what kinds of questions you would ask on the test.

14.  Scan through your textbook and reread the chapter title along with the heading of each section. That will help reinforce the key ideas and concepts for a particular chapter.

15.  Find a good place to study. Go to the library, find a quiet place at home, or your bedroom. Try to stay away from any distractions while you’re studying.

16.  Use acronyms to help remember important concepts or ideas. For example in math, PEMDAS helps students remember order of operations: parenthesis, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction.

17.  Read your notes out loud to yourself or even try rewriting some of the notes that you took in class.

18.  Some students may benefit from a study group. Make sure the people that you’re choosing to study with are reliable and not going to distract you.

19.  Ask for help when needed. During class ask questions or stay after school to get extra help.

20.  Stay focused. Make sure when you start studying that you have everything you need so that you don’t need to get up numerous times. Concentrate hard on what you’re trying to accomplish.