How to study - Effective study

Memorizing.

      Memorizing is a part of study. By memorizing, I never mean cramming. Cramming should always be avoided because it puts end to creativity. We study different types of subjects containing different type of data. We learn it and we need to have sketch of that learning in our mind for reproducing it in exam in our own words. In a subject, there may be some information which needs to be learnt as well as memorized. Like in Biology there are many biological terms which are derived from other languages, or name of medicines, such name should be memorized. Suppose you are studying chemical process in your book of chemistry. This chemical process comprises of 10 phases, each phase has its scientific name. You study the process and understand it but you have to memorize the scientific name of each phase involved in the process as well as the sequence of phases. If you are writing the whole process in exam and you understand all the process but you don’t know the correct names (usually scientific terms) of each phase or the correct sequence of phases then obviously the checker will give you less marks.
(see “how to improve you memory”)

Making and Asking Good Questions.

        A successful student has the habit of making good questions and asking good questions. When you study a topic, try to produce good questions in it and try to find their answers, either yourself or with the help of teacher. Producing questions in your lesson and finding their answers, eliminate ambiguity or uncertainty in your learning.

            Here is an example.. A student was studying about the chemical structure of atom, he read the sentence “protons reside in the nucleus of atom” he started thinking in his mind “proton have positive charge, bodies having same charge repel each other, then how protons reside in same place, why they don’t repel each other?” He made a question “How protons (having same charge) reside in one place, why they don’t repel each other? He will definitely use his brain to find its answer or ask teacher for it. By making such question you achieve perfection in your learning.            

Learning from discussions.

           Discussion with others on what you learn makes your learning more effective. When you study a topic and you discuss it with your classmate or a friend, you learn more, because you use your learning in terms of words. When ideas are exchanged on a topic, you come to know if there is some weakness in your learning and you try to improve.  Different questions are raised in discussion which built your concepts and you full command over a subject.  (see “Importance of group discussion about study topics”)

Learning from Practical work.

        Books are main sources of learning. Learning is flourished when you use it practically. Especially, science subjects contain data which need to be worked on practically. You study about many scientific devices and learn how to work on them. But when you go to laboratory and use it practically, you learn with perfection. Using your learning in practical, increases your confidence in your learning. Suppose an accountancy student study “how to make bank statement”, he learns it from book but if he goes bank and see how bank statement is made practically, he comes to know many more things related to it which he might have not learnt from book only. So always try to use your learning practically for getting perfection.