First Hone Down this Philosophy:
“Don’t Study Harder, Study Smarter” – Byron Rosenthal
The best students don’t try to beat the curve, they’re looking to set it.
Aiming to just “work harder” won’t be enough to do well in large lectures and competitive students. To be an effective student you can’t just tell yourself you’ll study 9 hours straight.
If you want to learn how to become a straight a student, you need to plan like a top college student.
But what are top students at top schools doing?
How to be a Straight A Student? Copy What All the Top Students Are Doing
Before we get started, we want to say that these are the magic bullets for success. All top students have great study skills and note-taking strategies that work for them. So what do they do differently?
Well first it helps to see what the average students are doing first. Any guesses? Well just see for yourself:
Over 50 percent of students are reading over or revising their notes before a test. Yet notice that only 10 percent of students are doing practice exams!
Most students are falling into the trap of passively reading over their notes and hoping it absorbs into their brains like you’re learning Kung Fu like Neo in the Matrix.
1. The Main Secret is Practice Exams
According to Education Performance Experts like Douglas Barton, top students take a TON of PRACTICE tests!
Practice tests are the best way to prepare for a test and a study method in college. I recommend doing practice tests multiple times.
I especially recommend studying the questions you get wrong and then redoing them.
If your professor only gives 1 practice test, do it 2-3 days before. This will give you enough time to review what you missed, understand why you got it wrong, and prepare for similar questions on your exam. So if the professor gives you multiple practice exams, be sure to spare 4-5 days before your exam to review.
Pro Tip: Make a super test of all the questions you got wrong. Then, look at it before your actual exam and I guarantee you won’t get any of those questions wrong.
Where to find old exams?
Oftentimes professors will usually give out last year’s midterms or quizzes to give you an idea of what to expect. Some professors, such as history or sociology, might even give out the prompts or questions in advance to prepare for their written exams.
You can also find exams at places such as:
- Course Hero
- Docsity
- OneClass
- Your School’s Associated Student Body
- Some schools like UCLA have school sanctioned Test Banks. Go see if your school has anything like that!
If you want a free month access to Course Hero, it actually comes with your Amazon Prime Student Membership, which you can try out free for 6 months!
I'll send you an academic planner and more of these awesome articles!
But My Teachers Don’t Give Tests Out! For some professors that’s against school policy!
Obviously practice tests shouldn’t be the only thing you do, and sometimes they aren’t available.
If that’s the case you can always try searching for your class and writing Quizlet next to it. Often times, old students from your university will publishing their own flashcards online, saving you time on studying the topics for your class!
Try searching up resources yourself using this template: “[Your Class] Quizlet Flashcards” or for example “Physics 101 Quizlet Flashcards.”
If that doesn’t work, you can also reach out to your fellow peers on Reddit.
Just type in something like “Tips on What to Study for the Physics 101 class with Professor Doofenshmirtz?”
Other Exam Prep Alternatives?
When it comes down to it, you can also just focus on getting your skills down with effective note-taking methods while using all your resources! Don’t forget, you have the internet and your university to your disposal!
How to Use All Your Resources
- Remember that Google is your Best Friend. 90% of answers can be found on the internet
- Model or Replicate other Top Students
- If you aren’t in the top 10% of your class, make friends with someone who is and ask them – what are they doing to study? How do they take notes in class? How do they prepare for the exam?
- Go to Office hours and free tutoring services
- Office hours!! If you’re really stuck on something or want to know your professor then attend! If your college offers some sort of free tutoring (1-on-1, drop-ins, etc.) then always start the quarter off by going to those extra classes and then you can drop them if need be
- Study in groups and FOCUS on learning the material
- Teaching someone else the material is the best way to learn it, however larger groups can become unproductive if you’re not focused on studying.
2. Learn How To Study In Productive Groups
Group studying can be a great way to brainstorm and quickly get your questions answered. It can also quickly lead to distractions.
Teaching Others To Learn Concepts Faster
When studying in groups, top students tend to direct the group. They are the ones asking questions and explaining the most concepts. Essentially, they’re the tutor of the group. This becomes an advantage because teaching has shown to vastly improve problem solving, learning, and memory retention.
If you’re someone who finds themselves on top of their work, try reaching out to answer questions your friends may have or explaining the tough concepts to others.
Don’t Forget to Reach Out and Ask Questions!
However, if you find yourself being the one who needs help, don’t be afraid to ask questions. No one will know what questions you have unless you ask.
If you find yourself saying “oh yeah I sorta get it” even though you’re completely lost, then maybe it’s time to go do some self studying.
3. Learn How To Self Study Whenever Necessary
It may be easier to learn concepts on your own (so you can go at your own pace), and then reinforce those learnings in groups by dialoguing with others.
I recommend learning as much as you can on your own, figuring out exactly what you don’t know, and then networking with others.
If you’re having trouble figuring out what study strategy works best for you, try exploring these 5 note-taking options.
https://thecollegelighthouse.com/best-note-taking-strategies-in-2021/
Once you nailed down a study strategy that works best for you, you’ll be ready to helpful in group study.
A prime example would be when your friend tries to explain how the sociological imagination is basically the plot to the Matrix and you’re there, daydreaming about raising chickens on your imaginary farm. That’s when it’s time to pack up your books and study by yourself in a cafe or that empty engineering building.
You’re honestly better off testing yourself with problem sets, reviewing the lecture slides and assigned readings, and identifying where exactly you got lost.
Once you identify what confuses you, you can then ask your friends, professors, or whoever for help.
When Learning How to Become a Straight A Student, Hard Work Pays Off
Regardless if you have access to old exams or smart friends, you still need to put in the effort in your studies.
You”ll still need to:
- Find the note-taking strategy you’re productive with
- Take control of your time management
- And learn to ask your professors for help.
Nothing comes easy, but hard work does pay off!
Don’t believe me? Those three things helped me go from a 45% to a solid B in Chemistry.
All the best,
Chris & Byron
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Chris Landeros
My name is Christopher Landeros but you can call me Chris. I started this website after struggling to find relatable and relevant info for first-gen college students. I kept learning the ropes and was wondering why there wasn't a resource to show you how to practically navigate college. So here I am, creating the most in-depth content for College Lighthouse.I'll send you an academic planner and more of these awesome articles!