-
Step 1
Keep yourself focused by eliminating all noise and remove anything interesting from your place of study. Distractions are the number 1 pitfall when trying to study.
-
Step 2
Figure out how much you need to read and how much time you have left to study.If you have a few hours, that should be enough time to read through all of the material and soak it all in.
But if you are swiftly approaching class time and need to study fast, keep reading! Quick! -
Step 3
Read the chapter titles. While some titles may be vague, most are quite helpful. Use these to get an idea of what subjects are covered.
-
Step 4
Read all of the headings. Headings are even more insightful than chapter titles because they focus on specific subjects. If you have time, skim through a few paragraphs to get a general idea of the subject.
-
Step 5
Read all of the words in BOLD. Any words in bold are that way because they are important! If you do not understand the word(s) in bold, read a few sentences before and after to learn more and find out in what context it is used.
-
Step 6
Read all of the ITALICS. Italics are used to emphasize words, which means that the author is discussing something important. Your teacher will most likely think that anything in italics is important also!
-
Step 7
Read anything written in the margins. Whether they were written by the author or a previous book owner, it is worth reading because they felt that it needed to be repeated twice!
-
Step 8
And if you still have time, read a vignette or two. Chances are it will be discussed in class and you will look like a genius! (Or at least not look like a procrastinator.)
-
Step 9
If procrastinating or frequent time crunches are normal for you, you may also want to learn how to speed read. Speed reading is great because you can read much faster while still comprehending every word!
