A lot of students who get high grades don't actually study harder than other students do; they just make the most of the time they are already in class.
Say you're in class an hour a day for each subject, 5 days a week. If you have a math test every three weeks, you've already invested 15 hours of time just by being in class. If you really used that time that you're sitting there, seriously, how much additional studying should you really have to do for the test?
Here's how smart students use class time.
- Treat class time like study time. I mean really pay attention. Zero in while you're there. Don't think about other things high school kids think about (at least, don't think about them while you're in trigonometry).
- Don't try to write down everything the teacher says. Instead, just pay attention and think about what's being said, and write down only what's important. Here's what's important…
- Anything the teacher writes on the board is important.
- Anything the teacher repeats, makes a big deal of, or emphasizes in any way–it's important. It sounds like, “This was a crucial turning point for the United States in World War II!”
- Pay attention to verbal ticks and pet phrases. I had an AP Government teacher in high school who used to love to say, "C'mon, folks. You need to know this stuff!" While other people were drooling on their desks, the smart kids wrote down everything that followed that pet phrase. Do you know why? Because it was always—and I mean always–on the test. I don't even think the teacher knew his giveaway, but like good poker players, we weren't about to let him know we were onto him.
- Anything your teacher discusses at great length is important. If you're studying the Great Depression all week but spend two days on the reasons for the stock market crash, that's a tip.
- If your teacher goes to the trouble to make a handout, it's important.
- If your teacher spends a lot of time talking about something that isn't mentioned anywhere in the textbook, it's important.
Before you study harder, work smarter while you're in class.