Studying, just like anything that you do is an art in itself. Studying is more than just reading your books and making a reviewer. It is learning a less complex concept that one can possibly use in understanding an even more complex idea. It is a vital component of the whole learning process. Just like every activity that you do, it is an art in itself. Studying is an art that contains important steps that you can follow to be able to retain information effectively and understand the concepts well.
Understanding and Mastery of the Basic Concepts
Most people would agree that the hardest subjects to study are those that are related to mathematics. You would also frequently hear from them that being able to understand mathematics is more of talent rather than something that can be achieved through hours of studying. Elon Musk, the man who helped found companies such as Tesla, PayPal, and SpaceX had described how concepts could be understood. He called it the “First Principles” technique. In order to understand a complex idea, you must be able to first understand the basic ideas that form a specific idea. For example, in order to play basketball, one should know how to dribble, pass, and shoot. Take one of those skills away and he will not function well as a player. To be able to fully comprehend a complex idea, you must have the necessary skills needed for the basic components of that idea. In mathematics like in solving calculus, it is necessary for you as a student to have mastered trigonometry and algebra. A student will only have a hard time understanding a concept if he or she lacks a basic knowledge or skill. Which is why, it is important for you as a student to see which areas you lack as this will help you to be able to effectively understand concepts that are hard to grasp.
Prepare in Advance
Procrastination often happens to those who don’t prepare well. In the context of excellence, it is important to plan well ahead of time in order to be ensured of success. You might have heard of the quote “Failing to plan is planning to fail”. Take it from Sun Tzu, who is widely regarded as the greatest war general of all time and who has written one of the most influential books of all time that he entitled “The Art of War”. He believes that preparation is everything and he also said that he preparing means knowing both yourself and your enemy well and with that, you do not need to fear the result of a hundred battles for victory is assured. Always study in advance for this will help you to be able to understand the areas you are good at and which you still need practice with which will help give you enough time to still learn that which you lack. No war has ever been won by waiting and victory is only assured through great preparation.
Test Your Knowledge
The last thing to always do after you have studied is to test your knowledge. It is useful to try and make a quiz for yourself so that you can see how well you would be doing in the actual test and assess which parts you seem to forget the most. Using studying apps could also be helpful as making sample exams will be easier. The more you practice sample exams, the higher the chances you would get great scores in the real exams and be able to remember information better.
Written by: Heinrich Tulan