A Study Habit That Really Works by Quaid

A Study Habit That Really Works by Quaid - January 2014 Scholarship Essay

There are multiple study methods that exist and each is effective, but not all of them work well for all students. When a student finds the studying method that best suits him, that realization is very comforting. The method that I have found most effective for me is the triple R: Read, Recite, and Repeat.

Some teachers give tests over subjects that may be out of a student’s comfort zone. This is natural and occurs even to the best of students. I discovered that if I read over notes that have been given to me or that I have taken and read the portions of the textbook that cover information on the test, I am often very successful on a test. I recite those parts of the textbook or my notes and write down important information on a clean sheet of paper. I have heard that listening to something and writing it down will improve retention of that information.

Next, I put important information I have written down into the form of questions. This assists to reinforce through repetition and ensures that I will remember it later. Making these questions serves another purpose: I can take the question sheet to share with my friends in a study group. Using the question sheet, one of us will read a question and the others will answer. This recitation and repetition of facts helps adhere the information to memory in a way that is slightly different from reading from a textbook. Discussing the questions and answers helps me to fully understand the subject that I am dealing with so that I do not merely recite specific facts on a test, but write about them in my own words.

As one might have guessed from the overall theme of my essay, it does take some work to study well for a test. Repetition is a key part in that. The more one does something, the more natural it becomes. So, when a student arrives at that moment of putting pencil to paper on a test, he will feel comfortable with the information and do exceptionally well on the test. I know, thanks to this method, I have achieved a GPA of 4.0 on my school’s 4.0 scale. It has worked for me and it could work for you, too.