22 Jul 2019

When I finished high school and got my final mark, I thought I knew everything. I knew about the Space Race in the Cold War, I thought about irrational numbers and shapes, I felt confident in my ability to recite passages from Hamlet- you get the gist. All this information was stored in my brain because I studied it for months on end. It was drilled into me.

But, it wasn’t until my first exam at uni when I realised that I didn’t (at least, properly) learn how to study.

I sat in my first uni exam and choked. It was harder than I had expected, harder than all the exams I sat in high school. And when I received my mark back, I wasn’t surprised that I didn't do great. I had got a harsh reality check; high school never taught me how to study properly. Studying in high school was just rote learning, but I never really understood what I was learning. 

So, here are 5 tips to study properly so you don’t end up like me in your first uni exam.

1. Get all your notes in one spot

Whether it’s on paper or a word document, consolidate your work from the semester and put it down in one spot. Personally, I have a folder on my laptop and I place my lecture, tutorial and readings notes there.

You don’t want to spend the night before the big exam tracking down one sheet of paper on which you wrote down a critical point. Sort your notes by folder so they’re easily accessible when you complete the next step.

2. Make a mind-map or table of all the basic concepts

Visually sprawling concepts in a mind-map or creating a methodological table helps your brain put the pieces together. It also makes you think about how you want to approach your study rather than creating a summary and re-writing it word from word.

Not to mention, you can spend some time making it hella pretty. Nothing screams a good mark like a colourful mind-map, you feel?

3. Organise a group study session

Get together with your mates for a study session. You may have questions that they have the answers to and vice versa.

Make sure you stay focused and don’t get distracted (also don’t distract your mates either). Sure, have breaks and head on out to Maccas for a cheap meal but make sure when you return you’re fully charged so you can tackle the next step.

4. Teach someone what you’ve been taught

Yep, it’s exactly how it sounds. You’ve been taught all this content for the past 10 weeks and now it’s your turn to teach someone 10 weeks’ worth of content. Well, not that dramatically, but hear me out.

If you’ve got a group of study mates to act as your soundboard (rather than an unsuspecting relative), then that works best. You can even assign everyone a topic (or a week) and each take turns presenting to the group what you’ve learned. Present it as if you’re the lecturer. If you’re faced with a hurdle in a particular topic, then you've found an area you should probably study a bit more on. 

5. Don’t chain yourself to a desk

Without taking breaks, you’ll exhaust yourself and your brain. You won’t soak up any information and your brain won’t be able to think critically either- a vital attribute to studying effectively in uni.

Make sure you get outside, soak in some sun and hang out with mates. Exams shouldn’t consume your life when we all graduate with the same piece of paper.

Studying for exams in uni is a different ball game to high school. I’m annoyed that high school didn’t teach me how to study properly, but uni gave me the reality check I needed. So, if you don’t want to be in for a rude shock come your first uni exam, consider these tips from a fourth-year uni student. 

And if you need some help extra help studying, suss our Year 12 Survival Guide for study tips that actually work.