STUDY TipS SUppOrTED BY SCiENCE

If you’ve made it this far in your academic career, chances are you have applied yourself to studying to some extent. However, could your approach to learning and revising be improved? This article highlights 5 evidence-based techniques and strategies to help you get better grades with less effort.

Handwritten notes or typed?

Although typing notes on a computer can be quicker, neater, and easier to edit, research has shown handwritten notes could be a more effective tool for learning lecture content. A study in 2014 showed students who took notes during a lecture by hand performed better on a test assessing

Article by Lara Graham Illustration by Emily Ralph (@emilyralphdesigns)

understanding compared to those using a laptop, with or without the opportunity to revise lecture content before the test (1). The authors suggest this was due to a lack of processing of material during the lecture by the laptop group, as a higher percentage of notes taken by laptop were copied verbatim (word for word) compared to by hand. Therefore, taking notes by hand on paper might be the best option for maximising understanding during a lecture, thus saving time during the revision period. Parkinson’s Law – set yourself a deadline Most of us know the feeling of deflation when spending the whole day at the library, only to find you have completed just one task. As explained by economist Cyril Parkinson in 1955: “work expands as to fill the time available for its completion” (2). In other words, if you give yourself a day to do something that should only take an hour, it will instead take all day. This is supported by Parkinson’s study of worker statistics for the British Navy, which lead to the derivation of his mathematical formula that essentially describes the greater supply of resources (e.g. manpower or time) even if the amount of work does not increase. To combat this, try setting yourself mini-deadlines within a study session to waste less time and get more done.

Strategic planning for exams - spaced repetition

Although cramming the night before an exam might seem most efficient, it is not the best way to retain information in the medium-long term. From a memory retention experiment in the 1880s, German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus was able to show retention of information exponentially decreases with time since learning, known as the “Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve” (3). Based on this curve, if you review the content at intervals over time, more of the content will be remembered as time goes on compared to a single session of learning. Neurochemically, re-triggering your memory strengthens the connections (synapses) between neurons that form the memories, resulting in stronger memories that you are less likely to forget. Chances are, content from early years at university will be relevant to later years and even your job, so revising content repeatably over time will be more effective in the long term. Revision technique – practice testing

When you sit down to revise for an exam, how do you go about it? Re-write your notes, highlight the textbook, and stare blankly at the screen. Several studies comparing techniques for learning have shown practice testing (a.k.a active recall) is by far the most effective for both fact recall and conceptual understanding (4–6). This is likely because practice testing requires cognition and active engagement with the material and mimics the exam scenario where you will have to pull information together from memory. In contrast, other techniques such as highlighting are more passive and easily allow for distraction and daydreaming. Examples of effective active recall methods include flashcards, self- made quizzes, and closed-book essay plans/ content regurgitation.

Happy student = happy studying

This sub-heading might be a massive over-generalization, however, there is neurochemical evidence to give it some credit. Dopamine is a chemical in the brain that is produced when we experience pleasure, triggering a feeling of reward or “happiness”. In addition to its impact on mood, increased dopamine can increase alertness, concentration, and motivation which are important for effective study, shown experimentally in rats (7). In humans, this explains how medications such as Ritallin or Adderall that elevate dopamine in the brain can help ADHD sufferers concentrate. Therefore, taking time out of studying to enjoy pleasurable activities could help give both your well-being and grades a boost while at university.

Mueller PA, Oppenheimer DM. The pen is mightier than the keyboard: advantages of longhand over laptop note taking. Psychol Sci [Internet]. 2014 [cited 2022 Aug 27];25(6):1159–68. Available from: https:// pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24760141/ Northcotte Parkinson C. Parksinson’s Law. The Economist. 1955 Nov 19.

Murre JMJ, Dros J. Replication and Analysis of Ebbinghaus’ Forgetting Curve. PLoS One [Internet]. 2015 Jul 6 [cited 2022 Aug 28];10(7). Available from: /pmc/articles/ PMC4492928/

Roediger HL, Butler AC. The critical role of retrieval practice in long-term retention. Trends Cogn Sci [Internet]. 2011 Jan [cited 2022 Aug 28];15(1):20–7. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20951630/

Spitzer HF. THE JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY STUDIES IN RETENTION.

Karpicke JD, Blunt JR, Smith MA. Retrieval-Based Learning: Positive Effects of Retrieval Practice in Elementary School Children. Front Psychol [Internet]. 2016 Mar 11 [cited 2022 Aug 27];7(MAR). Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27014156/

Hamid AA, Pettibone JR, Mabrouk OS, Hetrick VL, Schmidt R, Vander Weele CM, et al. Mesolimbic dopamine signals the value of work. Nat Neurosci [Internet]. 2016 Dec 29 [cited 2022 Aug 28];19(1):117–26. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih. gov/26595651/