If you're working a job you love and can leave behind once you walk out of the office each night, then congratulations - you'll probably never have to study again in your life! But for the rest of us still at school or university, or who need to research to keep on top of our jobs (hello, ScienceAlert), we're always looking for ways to get more out of our study sessions. Luckily the boys at AsapSCIENCE have our backs, and have broken down the nine best science-backed study tips to help us get in the zone quicker, and get better results with minimum effort.
To start with, forget about trying to learn everything you need in one giant study session. Research has shown that our brains are better at coding information into synapses over 20 to 30 minute sessions across several weeks, rather than in one long session. So that means that 20 half-hour study sessions are going to be way more effective than a 10-hour cram.
And speaking of cramming, while it may have worked for you in the past, research has linked staying up all night studying before an exam with the worst results out of all study strategies.
So what does work? Even though it's probably not what you want to hear, the video explains that the best thing to do is to create a study routine where you study at the same time each day, and in the same spot. This actually trains your brain to expect incoming information, and makes it quicker to learn and get in the zone.
But if you do end up trying to learn a lot at the last minute (and we've all been there), science shows you're going to have better luck with flash cards rather than trying to read over all the notes you've ever collected.
We'll let you watch the episode above for the rest of the tips because there's a whole lot of wisdom in there. But we'll leave you with one more tip, which has changed the way we learn: next time you're studying, don't think about your upcoming test. Instead, imagine you've got to teach the material to someone else. Seriously, give it a try. You'll be thanking science for your next A.