About
Every learner is familiar with the term ‘study skills.’ But not everyone really knows or understands what they are or why they matter. After all, if your grades are pretty good why you should worry about improving your study skills?
Its important because its very rare we are good at everything, and a little guidance here and there can always help.
What we have provided here are a range of approaches to learning that improve your ability to study, and to retain and recall information.
Some people are naturally good at time management but may struggle in other areas such as essay writing. Another learner may be great at taking notes but isn’t great at putting a concept into their own words. To be able to really do your best in your studies and easily demonstrate your learning, you need to spend time developing your study skills.
We also take a moment to reflect on you and your well being. Exams are stressful at the best of times, especially when they are work related. You need to make sure you are ready to take an exam, and are in the right place mentally to do so.
Disclaimer: The information collected in these pages are taken from various open source materials and combined into a format for use as a learning aid. Please refer to the References at the bottom of this page.
What are Study Skills
We can describe study skills as “learning how to become a more effective learner”. They enable you to study and learn more efficiently, however, they do have to be practiced and developed. During your lifetime of learning and study you will have to; learn, interpret, condense and recall huge amounts of information. Clearly the specific skill, tool or technique you will use will be determined by; your preferred learning method, topic of study, environment and the time frame you have available.
These next pages will cover:
- the 5 types of study
- how we learn
- ways to read condensing, summarising and cue methods
- how to take notes & study from books
- prioritisation visual & auditory techniques
- how to ensure you don’t miss anything out
- how to prioritise
- general study strategy
Some of these methods may be familiar to you, whilst others will not.
Baseline / Benchmark questions
In order to get a picture of your ‘starting point’ please answer the following questions.
- How do you currently study?
- Do you feel confident / competent in utilising a range of study skills and techniques?
- Do you know / have an idea about which method is most effective for your learning? for example visual (seeing), auditory (speaking & hearing) and kinaesthetic (doing)
- How would you condense your notes?
- How do you study from your books? Can you / do you recognise how to prioritise your notes?
- Are you able to adapt your style to the type of text you are reading?
- Do you know what apps and web based study aids are currently available?
1. Types of Study
There are 5 main types or reasons to study. In practice you will probably combine elements of all of these:
- To gather information (formulating a complete set of notes method):
- identify the information you need to learn
- organise, condense and record this information in a format that promotes your learning
- verify the completeness & accuracy of your notes
- To learn information (moving information from short to long term memory method):
- repeated recitations of material
- flashcards – ‘hard copy / paper based’ or app / web based recall everything you can based on a keyword
- place incorrect recalls in one pile and correctly recalled ones in another
- To check learning
- identify what has and has not been learned. This type of study requires a way to self-test method – for the material you think you have learned:
- look at the main point only and recite / write everything you know
- check for accuracy
- if you recall accurately and completely 1st time you could consider this material learned
- if you recall incorrectly or incompletely you know the material has not been learned fully
- identify what has and has not been learned. This type of study requires a way to self-test method – for the material you think you have learned:
- To refresh
- prevents you from forgetting and requires regular review and reciting method
- prevent ‘fading’ of knowledge through regular material review
- you could do this independently or as part of a study group
- if you are an auditory learner, re-listen to your material 2–3 time per week
- To improve learning skills
- this is the most underdeveloped learning skill students possess method
- critically reflect on each test / exam to evaluate your study technique
- identify which study methods (e.g. diagrams, flashcards, recital, mnemonics, visual techniques) result in the correct recall of information and vice versa
- modify study skills that result in low scores / grades
Main ways to improve learning skills
There are 4 main ways in which you can improve your learning skills.
- You should apply critical reflective learning to measure and assess how effective a given method of studying is for you. Your grades and how you feel all combine to provide you with an individualised study aid tool kit.
- Break down the effectiveness of your learning skills by identifying:
- answers that were answered completely – ask yourself ‘what learning skills were used here?’
- answers that were incorrect or where you lost points – ask yourself ‘what learning skills were used here?’
- Modify / replace learning skills that resulted in lost points
- Use all the available resources you have access to, for example:
- study groups
- app/web based systems
- colleagues/lecturers
- audio options
- the tools and techniques given here
Last update: 14 January 2025
References
The materials for this website have been collated from a number of sources:
- Apps, Jerold W. Study Skills for Adults Returning to School. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1982.
- Carney, Tom, and Barbara Carney. Liberation Learning: Self-Directed Learning for Students. Windsor, Ontario: Para-Publishing Enterprises, 1988.
- Deese, James, and Ellin K. Deese. How to Study. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1969.
- Ellis, David B. Becoming a Master Student. Rapid City, South Dakota: College Survival, Inc., 1993.
- Fleet, Joan, Fiona Goodchild, and Richard Zajchowski. Successful Learning. London, Ontario: University of Western Ontario, 1987. Hanau, Laia. The Study Game. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1979.
- Jones, Bill, and Roy Johnson. Making the Grade. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 1990.
- MacFarlane, Polly, and Sandra Hodson. Studying Effectively and Efficiently: An Integrated System. Toronto: University of Toronto, 1983.
- Nilsson, Virginia. Improve Your Study Skills. Athabasca, Alberta: Athabasca University, 1989.
- Pauk, Walter. How to Study in College. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1984.
- Robertson, Heather. Bridge to College Success. Boston, Massachusetts: Heinle & Heinle Publishers, 1991.
- Simpson, Sarah. Essential Study Skills, London, England: Bookboon, 2015.
- University of British Columbia. Strategies for Studying. Victoria, British Columbia: Orca Publishers, 1996.
- Walter, Tim, and Al Siebert. Student Success. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1987.
- Witherspoon, Del, and Eugenie Nickell. Back to School at My Age? Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America, 1991.
