There are many general tips and advice that are often given to help you improve your performance in exams or to get better grades. Most advice focuses primarily on the strategy. However, often times we find that it is actually the mindset and psychology of a person that builds a strong foundation to be able to carry out the strategies effectively and encourage consistent long term results.
Here are 6 study skills with an approach to mindset that can help enhance your performance:
Adopt a growth mindset.
Even if you are significantly behind in your studies, do not limit yourself to a fixed mindset and condition yourself into believing that you will stay there. You have the ability to learn more and improve through regular practice. Try to avoid categorising yourself despite what grade or class you have been allocated for the time being. A lot of students may have the tendency to associate themselves through labels of “sets” and according to where they are at with the national average. Remember that all masters were once amateurs and that we all have the ability to improve and become better.
Develop intrinsic motivation.
Try to avoid chasing grades and focus on the external factors and avoid trying to compare yourself with others, and instead shift your mindset and focus on growing internally. Try to focus on mastering the process rather than chasing after the outcome. Be genuinely interested and fascinated about the subject you are studying. Even if you are not passionate about it at the time, try to be present and get curious about the opportunities of what you can learn and ask open minded questions and try to avoid saying things like “I hate Maths”. Instead, ask yourself “What’s good about Maths? How can I become better at Maths?” Trying to connect with and enjoy the studying process instead of just going through the motions and memorising facts. The key to studying is actually understanding the concepts and finding a greater meaning and purpose to your education rather than just for the purpose of achieving a particular grade.
Find enjoyment.
For subjects that you may not feel passionate about, open your mind and find satisfaction in learning almost anything. For example, I am not particular intrinsically interested in History, but I could ask myself “I wonder how the past has impacted the modern world?” If you are studying English and perhaps struggling in finding enjoying in it, perhaps you could ask yourself “If I don’t become better in English, how might this impact on my future?” Becoming good at English is one of the most valuable skills that you can have. How good you are in English will affect your communication skills and potentially how employable you are. By linking pleasure to your actions to avoid potential future “pain”, you may be able to shift your perspective and develop satisfaction in what you are doing.
Focus on mastery
Develop a deep insight into the topics you are studying. Focus on accuracy and going deep into concepts of what you are studying. Take notes and condense large pieces of information into smaller pieces of information. Try to get into the core of what you are learning. Test yourself throughout and if your answers are not correct then you should hold yourself accountable and check your answers. Developing a “mastery mentality” instead of going half-hearted and dabbling into the topic. If you have a “dabbler” mentality then you will likely only get mediocre results and never develop true understanding of what you are learning, and will unlikely offer you long term sustainable results.
Perform regular recall.
If you are learning passively you may not be able to successfully recall information at a later stage. Information retention is a very important part of the learning process and so testing yourself will help solidify what you have learned. If you are struggling to recall important facts and concepts then you should refer back and review the material again. Only when you are successfully able to recall information is when you have mastered concepts.
Build momentum.
Building momentum takes time and does not happen over night. However, by consistently performing positive habits over time, you will create a “compound effect”. Being consistent and staying the course means remembering WHY you are studying what you are learning in the long run. Gaining clarity of why you are studying something will help motivate you and give you the discipline to pursue your studies and encourage evergreen and long term results. Having a long term vision rather than simply planning for the short term will encourage consistent lasting results.