How to Benefit From a Study Group

If you've been feeling like your teachers are expecting more of you in a lot less time, consider forming a study group with a few of your fellow students. By working together, you can cover more ground, get help with topics that confuse you and study efficiently for exams.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

1. Form a group with students that you respect and who are as serious about getting good grades as you are. Stay away from kids who just want to become a member to use your class notes or sit and socialize while you figure out how to do the day's homework.

2. Let each person's specialties shine as you study. If one member of the group is strong in memorizing and understanding formulas, for example, let him explain them during work sessions. If another is great at understanding symbolism in works of literature, let her hold a mini tutoring session on those.

3. Share class notes with each another on the days you're absent from school. Ask them what your teacher covered in class and if she started any study units, stories or projects. If you live near one another, ask a member of the group to bring your homework sheets over after school.

4. Work together and help each other solve difficult problems. If you try different ways to tackle a physics equation, for example, the person who gets it right can share their strategy with the other members. You can also brainstorm ways to complete class reports and projects.

5. Quiz each other before exams and share your strategies for studying. You may learn facts quicker by adopting another member's system for using acronyms to memorize terms and formulas, for example.