Everyone has his or her own study habits that they rely on to get through school. However, just because we have become accustomed to those study habits, that doesn’t mean they are necessarily working for us. If your grades, social life, sleep schedule, or health is suffering, your poor study habits may be the reason.

1.            Cramming for a test – This is not the way to do it. Studying the night before a huge exam is stressful, and cramming weeks’ worth of information into your head will keep you from actually remembering most of it in the future. There is a difference between remembering and learning, and cramming will certainly not allow you to learn. Instead, you should have a weekly review of class notes and homework from what you learned. Then, when the big test or exam comes up, spread your studying out over a few days so it is easier to remember AND learn the information.

2.            Multitasking – Our generation thinks it has mastered the art of multitasking – Facebook, Twitter, texting, watching TV, and eating dinner all at once. Sometimes students think they can add homework into that equation and expect it to still work out. However, that is NOT the case. Because you are dividing your attention among so many different things, you are not putting as much effort into your homework as you should be, or would be if all these distractions did not exist. Get your work done FIRST, and then enjoy social media. If you are unable to do so, there are websites and apps that can block certain distractions temporarily to make it easier for you to focus.

3.            Choosing the wrong environment – Learning what environment works best for you is very important for studying. Some people are able to work in loud, busy scenes, while others need a quiet place to focus. Knowing what works best for you and sticking to it is key. According to the Penn State York Nittany Success Center, “when you study in the same place every time, you become conditioned to study there. Your mind will automatically kick into gear, even when you don’t feel like studying.” Find what works the best for you, and study, study, study!

4.            Sacrificing sleep – Even though we are constantly told about the importance of getting at least eight hours of sleep each night, sleep is often one of the first things teens sacrifice to keep up with school work. Pulling an all-nighter is NOT the way to go. You may think it’s a good idea in order to get more study time in, but you will feel sluggish and your brain will not function properly the next day during your test, and you will probably get a worse grade than you would have if you did not study. A study at St. Lawrence University found that students who often pull all-nighters had slightly lower GPAs than those who did not. It is a proven fact that you will perform better if you are well-rested.

5.            Not utilizing available resources – There are countless resources available to help with studying, from teachers and classmates to practice tests and online resources. The only person you’re hurting by not using these resources is yourself. Always remember, the best resource is your teacher! There is no one that knows the class and what will be on the test better than he or she does.

6.            Not asking questions in class – Being the quiet student in the back of the classroom is not going to get your questions answered. Participating in class is a great way to learn more and get more out of your education. Verbalizing is a useful way to sort out your thoughts. Because this is such an important part of learning, some teachers even take it into consideration for your final grades. Do not be too shy or nervous to ask your questions and make your voice heard.

7.            Playing hooky – Tricking the parents and staying home from school when you are not sick is only hurting you. You often miss more than just “the notes” when you miss a given class.   Staying out of school too often will not allow you to catch up and be where you need to be in the class. To avoid this, only stay home when you are actually sick!

8.            Handing assignments in late or “when you get to them” – Just like playing hooky can set you behind, so can this. Handing in late assignments creates more stress for you, and it will result in the deduction of points. Stay on top of your assignments and make sure you use the amount of time the teacher designated for that assignment; don’t start things the day before they are due.

9.       Paying attention in class to everything but your teacher – Getting distracted in class is easy. Your friend wants to talk to you, you just received a text, and you can’t help but think about the sub your mom bought you for lunch. However, you never know how important what you’re missing is while you’re talking to your friend, answering that text, or dreaming about that sub. It could be the topic of an essay question on your next test! Do your best to stay on task in class and put all the distractions aside until later.