Enough cramming and not remembering — these are the best methods to study effectively

Imagine this: It is finals week. You have an early morning exam tomorrow at 8 a.m., and it is 11 p.m. now. You have not started on anything and do not know how to study effectively.

Doesn’t that just induce your anxiety level to the max?

As stressful as it sounds, we have all been there during our school days, panicking and stressed out to the last second of our finals.

With a mountain of information — and by mountain, we mean Everest — to go through and not enough time to get through, it is easy to give up and “YOLO” your way, hoping by some miracle you will get an A+.

But that’s not what you clicked on this article for.

You’re here to find out how to study effectively. You might even be hoping we give you the key to being able to cram a semester’s worth of knowledge into a couple of hours.

Now, first of all, cramming isn’t really the answer, even though a majority of students do it.

Research done by the Chartered Institute of Education Assessors (CIEA) found that 48% of students employ short-term studying to get through their exams. Former CEO of the CIEA, Graham Herbert worries that these numbers prove that today’s education system is forcing students to memorise instead of learning and understanding the course material.

No matter how desperate you are, cramming is not how to study effectively. Source: AFP

“For some people, it could work, just to get them through the exam. But to really improve your understanding of a subject, I would say that cramming is not the way to do it,” says Herbert.

Teachers, parents, experts, peers, and just about everyone who has been through it advise against cramming at the very last minute.

Instead, creating a well-thought-out study plan is the smarter choice for studying effectively. Dividing time to study and focus well before exam season gives you enough leeway to prepare, take days off if needed, or seek help if you have trouble understanding.

However, this does not necessarily work for some.

Some can pull an all-nighter, and some only function with enough sleep; some have photographic memory, while some need to recap page by page. Either way, every nervous examinee has their own method on how to study effectively.

But if your current method is not working, no matter how hard or smart you study, you have come to the right place.

Weird or not, these are some methods on how to study effectively. Source: AFP

Here, we list down some of the more creative ways how to study effectively.

Admittedly, some might seem a little bit unorthodox, but weirdly, they have worked for someone desperate enough to explore other studying methods.

Feel free to adopt any of these below because if it works for them, it might work for you too.

Active recall

As the name suggests, active recall involves actively recalling information you have studied previously. It works in three steps.

1. You look through the information you are learning.
2. You rephrase the content to your understanding.
3. You check and compare your notes with the source to make sure you got it correct.

By active recall, you stimulate your brain to pull out whatever information you have learned instead of passively rewriting your notes.

Spice up your active recall by creating questions based on the topic you are learning, then testing yourself on those questions until you get it right.

A study by the University of Queensland revealed that the theory of extreme music and its various subgenres help to process anger. Source: AFP

Listening to “fast” music

When people say they study to tunes that help them focus, their choice of music is always relaxing beats by Lofi Girl.

But when the clock is ticking, and you have a paper due, relaxing beats may be the last option on your Spotify queue. This is what happened to a stressed-out woman on TikTok chasing her five-page essay due at midnight. Her studying method? Putting the Mario Kart theme song on blast.

Another option is to listen to metal music. Contrary to popular belief, heavy metal music makes you calmer, not angrier.

A study by the University of Queensland revealed that the theory of extreme music and its various subgenres help to process anger, enhancing positive emotions out of it. “The music helped them explore the full gamut of emotion they felt, but also left them feeling more active and inspired,” reads the study.

The rubber duck method is typically used by programmers to spot errors in their coding line, which can be one of the ways how to study effectively too. Source: AFP

Rubber duck debugging

Typically used by programmers to spot errors in their coding line, the rubber duck method can also be used in any studying process, no matter the subject.

The principle behind this technique is to verbalise and simplify your work out loud to an inanimate object, preferably a yellow rubber duck.

However, you do not just explain to it. You are telling the duck what you are trying to do and what you understand from what you have learned. This way, solutions become more apparent when you hear yourself explaining to a toy duck; overcomplications can become simplifications.

It is proven that a person will put in more effort to understand something better with the knowledge of having to explain it to someone else later, like your grandma. Source: AFP

Teach your grandma

If an unresponsive rubber duck is not helping you with your studies, try teaching it to your grandmother.

It is proven that a person will put in more effort to understand something better with the knowledge of having to explain it to someone else later. This psychological phenomenon is called the Protégé Effect.

To prove that you really understand what you have studied, try explaining it to someone who has no clue about the subject. That is where your grandmother comes in, or a niece, a nephew, or any five-year-old for that matter.

You will see that your understanding will deepen as you find the words to describe the details when they ask questions as simple as “huh?”

Whether the exam will take place in a classroom, examination hall, or studio, you will feel more at ease doing your papers in a familiar location. Source: AFP

Location, location, location

A change of scenery can help keep your studying process interesting rather than just staring at the same wall again.

If you are preparing for an exam that will be held in a specific place, go and study there. Whether it will take place in a classroom, examination hall, or studio, you will feel more at ease doing your papers in a familiar location.

In fact, there is a very good chance you will start to link objects in the room with certain facts, thoughts, or ideas from your studies. Just make sure that your brain recognises them.

Sing it out

There is a reason why the opening theme of the sitcom The Big Bang Theory is so popular. It turns the origins of our planet into a super catchy song, albeit in 161 beats per minute. If a topic as complicated as the birth of our planet can be a song, your studies can be too.

Try and make your study song as playful as possible. That way, you can easily recite it, linking to your studies.

Granted, you will not be able to cram every piece of information into one song — or else your song will be hours long. So, select important details and incorporate them into your study song. You can even change the lyrics of your favourite song according to your studies.

The Pomodoro (Italian for tomato) technique is a game-changer when it comes to studying. Source: AFP

Pomodoro technique

One big secret of how to study effectively is by using the Pomodoro (Italian for tomato) technique.

This popular time management method asks you to alternate focused work sessions with frequent short breaks to promote sustained concentration and avoid burnout.

To use the technique, you must first pick a task and set a 25-minute timer. Next, focus all your energy on that particular work until time is up without any distractions. For every 25 minutes, give yourself a 5-minute break, then repeat the same process until your task is done.

This way, it improves focus, minimises distractions, prevents burnout, promotes accountability, and boosts motivation – all the advantages you need to get the most out of your revisions. 

Another way how to study effectively is by building a memory palace, which is an imaginary location in your mind where you store visual cues. Source: AFP

Build a Memory Palace

A memory palace is an imaginary location in your mind where you store visual cues.

The story goes that the poet Simonides of Ceos received a message that two men wanted to meet him outside the banquet hall where he was performing. When Simonides went outside, the roof caved in, killing all the guests. Unfortunately, nobody could identify the victims of this tragedy — except Simonides. By noting the memory of the places the guests were seated at, he accurately named each unrecognisable body, resulting in the first recorded art of memory.

To create your memory palace, choose a place you know well, like your home. Plan out every room and associate each with different study points. Make these rooms come alive by exaggerating with images and humour that will help.

Now, all you have to do is walk through your imaginary house and pull out information from memory when you “visit” each room.