How do you ACTUALLY study during the year and not just before exams?

[u/bouchraa06]

Started classes last Thursday and this year I really don't want to let things pile up and only intensively study the two weels prior to the exam. The thing is, I actually dont know how to study if not stressed. What am I supposed to do? I go to classes, take notes, etc. But studying them isn't just rereading them the following day or later at night.. right? So what are your tips and tricks and how do you actually effectively study to stay up to date with the material and not be stress-studying right before exams? Thanks!

Edit : thanks for all the advice, can’t reply to everyone individually but writing down a few I will be trying. Also, just clarifying but what I meant is that im still early in the year and want to stay on top of all the materials to not end up like all my previous years (studying only the two weeks before the exam).

[u/Reasonable_Bag_118]

I had this exact problem because I basically needed the panic of an upcoming exam to make myself study. At the start of one semester, I decided to test what would happen if I reviewed material before I actually felt behind. After each class I spent about 20 minutes closing my notes and writing down everything I could remember, then checked what I missed. Once a week I did a short set of practice questions from that week’s material. It felt almost stupidly easy compared with my usual pre-exam sessions, but after a month I realized I wasn’t relearning entire chapters anymore.

[u/bouchraa06 → u/Reasonable_Bag_118]

Thank you, you totally understood my issue and question. I’ll try that for sure. Do you do it the night after class or literally right after the class ends?

[u/Reasonable_Bag_118 → u/bouchraa06]

After the class ends is the best time to do it.

[u/Tough-Funny4394]

Try active recall, after class, close your notes and write down everything you remember. Then do practice questions. Spaced repetition keeps you caught up without cramming.

[u/CelerySubstantial151]

not really sure about your situation but creating flashcards on your weaknesses or specific content and reviewing them a few times a week could be something

[u/Impressive-Court8542]

I had to suffer from 2 years of severe procrastination which affected me so much...at last, for me what worked was, having an accountability partner works who can check in on me, question me when I'm falling behind, be there. Also, sometimes the problem me is that I get overwhelmed by the amount of work itself and don't know where to start from, so I clear those things up, make a list of breaking down large task into exact small tasks to complete and I check my progress each day then..... Still there are many other reasons for why each person procrastinates, you could be having reasons similar to mine or others. If you need further discussions about this, I could help in that too

[u/skinofadrum → u/Impressive-Court8542]

My procrastination is pretty crippling at the moment, and I have definitely fallen into the trap of being overwhelmed and not knowing where to start. Can you give a little bit more detail about clearing things up and breaking things down?

[u/Quiet_Basis_6404]

tbh rereading feels pointless because it is, you're just nodding along without pulling anything out. what fixed it for me was closing the notes after class and scribbling everything i remember on a blank page, then opening them back up to spot the gaps. those are the only things worth reviewing, not the whole chapter.

i also started uploading class material to studybuddy.vc and doing questions right after class instead of rewriting notes, when i get one wrong it tells me what was off about the option i picked and it gets harder once i have a topic down. free version's been enough for me.

spread it out across the week, two short touches on the same topic beat one long cram because the forgetting happens between sessions, not during. and do past papers under time the last couple days, new material that close to the exam just rattles you.

[u/Haunting_Truck2867]

Lopa this is amit from insta id you can't direct message me , message me as a reply here in this comment section

[u/UnderstandingPursuit]

My suggested approach is in a post I made about two weeks ago. I can't link to it in this subreddit, so you can search my posts. The sequence of 'summary' notes will help achieve your goal.

[u/Ccoyotee]

I'm no help because im the biggest at procrastinating - but I'd kill for exam heavy units over research!!!! (But I also don't want to give up my field).

[u/Independent-Unit-931]

Well you need some emotional reason for studying and you need a target number of study hours per day. But without some reason to be obsessed with studying for hours everyday, I'm not sure how much studying you'll do when there's no rush.