Studying Strategies — Concentration

As you study, you want to be effective. Who hasn’t had the experience of spending time with your notes in front of you, but without really connecting with the material? Here are some tactics for avoiding that unpleasant waste of your time:

• Plan to work on the hardest material when you’re at your best.
• Avoid unnecessary fatigue—break work up. For example, don’t schedule 3 continuous hours of reading—alternate reading with other, different types of work (find more ideas in Time Management).
• Be aware: recognizing material when you see it is not the same thing as recalling it. When you are faced with a blank space on that test sheet, you must remember the word, concept, etc.