--- title: "What are some study tips for high school students who are struggling and want to improve?" url: https://www.kickassfacts.com/what-are-some-study-tips-for-high-school-students-who-are-struggling-and-want-to-improve/ date: 2019-09-06 modified: 2019-09-06 lang: en author: "jazz" description: "We asked our regular contributors through e-mail What are some study tips for high school students who are struggling and want to improve? We got many interesting responses. Here are..." categories: - "AskReaders" - "Specials" image: https://www.kickassfacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/study-feature.jpg word_count: 3267 --- # What are some study tips for high school students who are struggling and want to improve? We asked our regular contributors through e-mail **What are some study tips for high school students who are struggling and want to improve?** We got many interesting responses. Here are some of them. We have just copied and pasted their responses, not editing them in any way. ![](https://www.kickassfacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/study1.jpg) 1. This helps me: - When I'm trying to learn something, I pretend that I am teaching someone and for some reason, this helps. - Write notes down, there's something about reading notes written down by yourself and it stays longer in your memory. - Treat it like a job. Hit the books Monday through Friday 9-5. Work in the [library](https://www.kickassfacts.com/25-interesting-facts-about-libraries/), not your room or apartment. Don't miss a class. Work ahead during that 40 hours. This method worked wonders for me and I never had to stay up late trying to cram stuff. - Being_grateful 2. If you use flashcards; start with two or three and slowly add in more to the deck once you’ve mastered a few. I used to think flashcards didn’t work because I’d sit there with a deck of 50 wondering why I couldn’t remember any when I got back to the beginning. Maybe this is obvious for some people but was a life-changing moment for me when a high school teacher recommended...like oh...duh! - 89Pickles 3. Reading tips: - Don't highlight for the sake of highlighting without giving a reason. At the end of every text, you highlight, write a short sentence explaining why you're highlighting that part. Two or three key words work also. - At the end of every chapter in the textbook, write a summary of it that is at least a page long. If the chapter is broken into a lot of sections, write half a page for each section. Reading the summaries will help when test time comes, and you can reuse the summaries in your essays if applicable. Writing tips: - Write your introduction last. It sounds crazy, but this allows you to restructure the essay if you see it's not flowing correctly. - Use an outline or a brainstorm map. Even if it's only a couple of words, seeing your paper "in the flesh" even in the embryonic stage helps. - Use the voice recorder app on your phone if you get an idea for your paper or project and can't write it down at that moment. You're gonna forget it if you leave it for later. - If you're not doing it already, write your papers in Google Docs. It saves per keystroke, so you don't have to worry about losing work if your computer crashes. - Proofread your work by READING it out loud if you can't have someone proofread it for you. You'll catch a lot of errors this way instead of just using your eyes. If you don't pay for printing, then print out a copy and go over it manually. Time management: - 45/15 - 45 mins of work for every 15 mins of rest. Start with this and reduce it the closer you get finishing your paper/task--30/30, 15/45, etc. I use 15 min intervals, use whatever you want. Homework organization: - Start by doing your easier HWs first and scale upwards towards the hardest. The easier HWs will get you in the groove quicker than tackling the harder one(s) will. Going for the harder problems first already has you at a disadvantage and will discourage you from doing work. - tydestra 4. Study in short bursts. I remember a psych prof. in [college](https://www.kickassfacts.com/25-interesting-facts-about-colleges/) saying it’s been proven that after 20-30 minutes of studying your brain starts to retain less and less information. So study for 20-30 minutes, take a quick 10-minute break, then go back to studying. - Witty_username101 5. Place your phone in another room while studying. - PotatoTheGreatest ![](https://www.kickassfacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/study2.jpg) 6. Don't procrastinate or take a "break" before doing your work. The second you get assigned homework start it immediately after school. This one might be obvious but it's something that helps me out. This is not exactly a study tip, but if you don't understand ANYTHING no matter how stupid, never shy away from asking a teacher. - tasteslikewatermelon 7. #1 mistake I made in high school was assuming that my teachers were always good at dispensing content in an understandable way. There's so much variance. Depending on your teacher: - Plague your teacher with questions before/after class. They're (hopefully) there to help you. - Take notes during class. Take a picture of the board if you need to. If your teacher goes off slideshows, get copies of each lecture. - Supplement your teacher's lectures with lectures on the [internet](https://www.kickassfacts.com/25-interesting-facts-about-internet-part-2/). There's almost always someone online who's figured out a better way to divulge the info than your teacher. - If your teacher is confusing or going too fast, let them know, maybe multiple times. They might not realize. - Look into private tutoring. Maybe your school offers it, or your teacher would be willing to help, or something online. A good tutor analyzes what you know so they can teach at your level. - Get enough sleep and eat right. Keep your brain running at high efficiency for efficient studying. - hekmo 8. Stop being so worried about it right now you can fix it far easier than you think. - Charcole1 9. A change of scenery does wonders. No matter how amazing your desk at home is, studying in the library is way more productive due to social pressure and your brain knowing that you're here to study. - the_mika 10. Don’t study in your bed. Go somewhere else to study (desk, library, school) and don’t be afraid to ask your teacher or academic counselor what they think you should do. Most teachers are always willing to help students who show they care. - soupman997 ![](https://www.kickassfacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/study5.jpg) 11. I learned from my experience that studying for hours doesn't mean anything if I'm not taking in stuff and really understanding things enough to the point I could explain it or describe it within some other example cases/ problems. So ideally finding the best way you learn, and then sticking to it. Do you like to rephrase things to understand it, or draw it out or other visual aids, maybe saying what you think is important out loud is the way to go? Many options but sticking by one or a few that suits you best and gradually working out how to improve that process is probably a really efficient way to study than or reading everything and then trying to memorize things over and over again for a long period of time. - ReclusiveRetard 12. So for second language classes, duolingo is a lifesaver. It makes casual study much easier. Also, Khan Academy is an excellent tool that I strongly encourage you to use. - wehosh 13.  Follow these points: - **Find out how you learn best**. I learn by writing, so re-writing/distilling my notes was the best way for me to study for a test. You might need flashcards, or a study-buddy to talk through tough concepts, or record lectures to listen to later. No use studying in a way your brain doesn't process; learn how you learn and do it. - **Take breaks while studying**. No monster five-hour cramming sessions, I needed a break every 45 minutes or so. Walk around, do push-ups, or squats, or yoga, for five minutes then back to the books. Breaks help decrease the monotony and give you something to look forward to. - **Have a trusted friend, elder or teacher read your essays** before submission. Seriously, another set of eyes can do wonders for coherence, flow, and thinking through concepts. - **Make a plan**. No more last-minute shenanigans. Write down due dates and work backward, leaving yourself enough time to chip away at projects, papers, and studying. - **Talk to your teachers** in those tough classes. They may be seeing you struggle, and want to help, so reach out. Use whatever tutoring services are available at your school, even peers, and get the help you need. - **Sleep**. Again, [**sleep**](https://www.kickassfacts.com/40-mindblowing-sleep-facts/). In high school, your [brain](https://www.kickassfacts.com/30-kickass-awesome-facts-about-brain-part2/) is still developing. You need sleep to process all you are learning. Eight hours or more is recommended at your age. I know it sucks, but clean up your sleep hygiene. Stick with roughly the same bedtime and no screen time for at least an hour before bed. - **Exercise.** Doesn't need to be extravagant, but make it part of your self-care routine. You can vent frustration, and it will help with sleep. - **Factor in time for fun**. Just because you now have a kick-ass study plan doesn't mean you have no life. Long-term success means enjoying what you can when you can. Make time for friends, family, pets, etc. - anthropology_nerd 14. Break the work down into smaller amounts. Make note cards or outlines. Rewriting the work can help you remember. It also can highlight brief facts that are easier to remember versus large paragraphs. Read it out loud. Find someone to study with. - dragonfly325 15. Work before distraction. - cow_says_mooooo ![](https://www.kickassfacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/study6.jpg) 16. Little and often>>> 4-hour chunks Not only do you remember information better if you revise notes/read textbooks, but doing it this way is less daunting and helps to build good habits. Combine this with the fact that writing anything down helps you remember it much better. Always test yourself on what you’ve learned to see if it really stuck. Example exam questions and past papers are probably the best way to study topics you’ve finished, as you’re literally coming up against the style of question in the exam. Don’t be afraid to ask teachers! Source: Currently Oxford university applicant - rocketpoweredfridge 17. A little off-topic. Niches, fam, niches. Start and improve in specific directions based on practical experiences and projects. This is what you will hear later. If you are anything like me, you will regret spending time to generally improve your grades. Had multiple friends like this: Had a friend who was very conversational, liked cars and engines, overall mediocre student; finished their MBA (well on their way to be financially successful and also fulfilled) Had many others with mediocre grades (Bs and Cs); people who sucked at math becoming programmers, designers; people with not good at verbal skills taking up writing jobs and then, of course, people good at just a few things and making them count. All of this because they minimized everything else and focussed in single directions. - OhGodWhy_13 18. I find that listening to [music](https://www.kickassfacts.com/25-kickass-and-interesting-facts-about-music/) helps me to study. If I’m not then I’m semi concentrating on the world around me, which distracts me from my work. And if you’re studying long term then you could divide your breaks by when your albums end (if you choose to listen to entire albums). - OnetimeRocket13 19. Don’t fear failure. One reason lots of kids struggle with school is the pressure. But there are many paths in life - 99% of them don’t rely on how well you did at school. And all of them are good. Once you take the pressure off, you are freer to succeed however that looks to you. - PM_OR_PETS 20. Learn. To. Plan. Like, really. Once you get the hang of it you almost think "why didn't I do this sooner?". Know what you got to learn. Get the hang of how long it takes you to study. And make clear planning from beginning to end. Every subject. Everything you need to learn. Set out a complete day. I'm serious. Planning is hard, but it saves stress, thinking, and lets you focus. You have to find out what you need to study for the entire year, for every subject. Find out when exams are and plan study sessions accordingly. Once you understand how much time is left you'll enjoy life a lot more. You'll never feel guilty for not studying because you exactly know what to do. Don't wait for announcements. Don't do it by semester. Every. Single. Day. I just don't want you to feel guilty for not studying, stressful for what might come, or think you might not make it. Discipline is hard. But once you do it, you can't stop, as the effort pales to the benefits. High school is one of your best times and you should enjoy it accordingly. Having your planner you'll always enjoy the stuff available as you know that that specific time is for having fun. - Subject_1889974 ![](https://www.kickassfacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/study4-1.jpg) 21. Have a 3000-word paper due in a couple of months? Count how many days you have left until it's due and divide it by the word count. 3000 words / 60 days = a measly 50 words a day. Even when you stack a few different papers at once you might end up only writing 100-200 words a day which is nothing. Even better is to take off a couple of days in the end solely for editing so you are not writing up until the due date and can have some time to process what you want the paper to say efficiently. I'm in law school now and still write my papers this way. There's no better feeling than seeing a due date coming up and knowing you already have 2500 words written while everyone panics around you. - haleyfax 22. Here are some ways: - It didn't really exist when I was in high school... but as an adult... I love YouTube. Every problem I want, everything I don't understand, there always seems to be at least one person on [YouTube](https://www.kickassfacts.com/youtube-facts/) who can explain it to me in a way that I will comprehend. Khan Academy is also a great resource. - Do it while you see it... type or write what you see the other person doing... sometimes it won't click until later why you did that, but the muscle memory will be there and contextualizes the understanding better so it will stick around better. - Context matters, try sitting in the same seat every day in class (if possible)... if you chew gum during class, chew gum during the test, etc... your memory is a weird thing, and triggers are strange. - Pretend every class you have allows you to have an index card that you're allowed to reference. Prepare for tests by filtering out what you think you'll need to know, write it on the card. Make the study card, even if it isn't allowed in class (don't bring it with you or do anything stupid that will get you in trouble). The process you go through while making the study card will help you commit things to memory better, or refresh your memory on topics covered a few weeks ago, and your score will go up, even if you don't actually use the card. - If your vision is a problem, straight up ask to sit up front. The number of kids who struggle in studies because they don't want to sit up front, and can't see things because they are blurry to them is frustratingly high. If you are supposed to wear glasses, wear them... I get that you might want contacts or think glasses are uncool, but, how are you gonna pass the class if you can't read the board? If you can't afford glasses and have vision problems, tell your teacher privately... there are about a hundred different programs to get school kids glasses and vision exams for free. - Ask for help. I'm not a teacher, but I tutor once a week for 2 hours, and there are teachers, adults, and other people who tutor/volunteer completely for free just to help people. - Teach it... work with another student who doesn't understand the same thing, try to explain it to them. I know this sounds weird, but as you try to explain it to someone else, it forces your brain to try dozens or hundreds of ways of explaining the thing, which ultimately results in YOU getting the explanation that works best in your brain. Teachers: Free Glasses [https://visiontolearn.org/](https://visiontolearn.org/)lots of Glasses for $7-20 [https://www.goggles4u.com](https://www.goggles4u.com/) - firefly212 23. Do not study during night time, I mean after 9 pm. - raffaele2406 24. The best thing the military ever taught me, was how to learn. You need to figure out how you learn. I personally learn best by moving and experiencing. If I’m reading a textbook or manual, I try and walk around while doing it. If it’s a physical thing I do it over and over and over until it’s a kind of mindless thing. If you're worried about failing, find ways to make yourself fail. You’ll learn that failure isn’t the end of the road. There’s always another option. This goes for everything about studying, to life in general. The study, take the test, if you get a B instead of an A, good, you know your weaker areas now and you know where to improve. If you get that A, great! Now keep studying. If you get an F, good. Now you know something didn’t work, or that you have lots of things you get to learn now. The fact that you WANT to improve tells me you have the ability to do so. - AWolfOutsideTheDoor 25. Study with your friends. Last year, my AP Physics teacher did not know how to do physics such that he couldn’t answer his own quiz questions. He’d probably get a 2 on the exam. Anyways, my friends and I would frequently hop on Discord to study together. I or one of my friends would screen share MS Paint in order to show the others how we did something. Ultimately this helped 2 of the three of us pass the AP Exam despite the unfortunate teacher. - Ericpiplup ![](https://www.kickassfacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/study3.jpg) 26. Don't be so pressured, it's not as important as you think, failing only means there are better paths for you to take. What's important is focusing on finding what you really want to do. And that pressure will kill your mind off at exam. For legitimate study tips tho, depending on your course, try to understand and analyze the key concept and methodology of solving the problem instead of memorizing blindly, understand why this method is used instead and exercise it with your newly found analysis result and understanding. - truth6th 27. I’m really bad at remembering things unless they’re said in a silly way or written in different colors. I’d have my college roommate (you can have a friend or parent or sibling) say something important I needed in a silly voice or sing it to the tune of a song. I’d highlight my notes, or rewrite them in different colors, I’d use pink for all vocabulary words and definitions, important dates I’d use green, etc. - GlitterEnema 28. Don't get into drugs. - godslayer767 29. If you haven't already, visit your school psychiatrist and do what you can to get tested for everything and anything. ADHD, ADD, OCD, ASD, anything. If there is a medication you can take to improve your study skills, it's more than worth it. - johannes-kepler 30. Make bullet points of what you study, your brain will repeat info and repetition is the mother of all skill. - vinkel_slip