Everyone studies differently! Some people prefer to read their textbooks over and over again until the information is stuck in their brains, and some people prefer to take notes on the textbook and then study those notes. Your study style may also depend on your major...if you’re an English major, your studying may involve more analysis and less memorization of facts. If you’re not really sure which study style is best for you, here is some information about each of the styles; try them out, and choose which one is best for you!
Auditory Learning:
Try recording yourself reading your textbook out loud, and then go back and listen to the recording several times. It’s possible that reading the textbook out loud, along with hearing yourself read it over and over, may be helpful. (This is the study technique that I mostly use. I also record some of my class lectures so I can go back and listen to them again later.)
Visual Learning:
Instead of just making normal index cards, try drawing little designs or pictures on each card so you can associate a fact with a picture in your mind. You may not remember the fact during your exam, but if you can recall the picture, it may help you remember the fact.
Color Learning:
This type is similar to visual learning, but instead of drawing a picture next to the fact on an index card, you buy different colored index cards and memorize which fact is on which colored index card. During your exam, as long as you’re able to recall which color note card a specific piece of information was on, you should be able to more easily remember the information on that card.
Tactile Learning:
Try doing a different movement with each fact or concept you have to memorize. For me personally, I use the sign language word and hand movement associated with it, and do that over and over while memorizing the fact. When it comes time to take the exam, my muscle memory helps me remember the fact associated with the movement.
Fragrant Learning:
This is just a fancy way of saying, "Using smell to help you learn." If your sense of smell is strong, try lighting a different scented candle for each concept you have to study. When you’re taking the exam, all you have to remember is the smell associated with the concept and then the information should be easier to remember.
Language Learning:
This technique is more popular among multilingual people, and knowing more than one language is a requirement of using this style. When you're studying, try translating the information you're learning from one language to another. That way, you’re memorizing the information in two different languages, and you’re more likely to remember it in at least one of the languages you know. For example, if you have to memorize facts about a book you’re reading that’s in English, and you speak Spanish, try translating that part of the book into Spanish so you’re really analyzing that information in two languages.
No matter what your major is, no matter what kind of information you're trying to study, one of these study styles will surely work for you. If one of them doesn't stand out right away, give more than one a chance and see which one works best!
