What’s The Best Way To Get Ahead of Your Classmates

How much of an advantage would you have over your classmates if you have learned the material three times before they have even learned it once?

This technique allows you to do just that. P, TN, R stands for preview, take notes, and review.

Preview the material before class. Many teachers will give you access to lecture notes beforehand. Read over the slides to get a general overview of the structure and material to be presented. If any questions come up during this time, write it down. If anything in the slide contradicts what you thought, write it down. You can also skim over the corresponding pages in the textbook to get an even better background understanding. Most students usually neglect looking at the slide beforehand and come to class unprepared and clueless. By previewing, you’ll be a head start because you’ll know what to expect during class. Number of times learning the material.

You: 1. Regular student: 0.

Pay attention and take detailed notes during class. You already have a basic understanding of the material because you have previewed. You already have a sense of what is the most important point. Build on that by writing down notes that are related to those main points. The key during the class is to pay attention. If you bring a laptop to class, don’t be watching cat videos on Youtube or checking your Facebook. A lot of students go to class, but they don’t learn. Many end up getting distracted or falling asleep. By paying attention and taking notes, you’ll continue to build on your lead. Number of times learning the material.

You: 2. Regular stuent: 0.5, maybe 1.

Review the material as soon as you can after class, ideally immediately. Look over your notes, and then summarize the key points of the class. It is crucial to review as soon as you can because you are cementing what you learned into from short term into long term memory. Most students fail to review asap and don’t look at their notes again until the week before exams. Number of times learning the material.

You: 3. Regular student: 0.5, maybe 1.

Because of the long entry, this may seem like a lot of additional work, but in reality, it really isn’t. Reading the slides and skimming the maybe may take half an hour tops. You’re already in class so you might as well pay attention and take notes. Reviewing may only take another ten minutes. All together, you may be spending an additional forty minutes at most, but you’ll be saving yourself hours down the road where most students have to relearn the material because they never adequately learned it the first time.