Study Skills & Strategies Compiled by Ken Zajac Student Success Services University of Wyoming.

Study Skills & Strategies

Compiled by Ken Zajac Student Success Services University of Wyoming


Organization – It takes effort to do well. Depth of processing increases learning.

Have an overall study plan. Be highly organized..it actually gives you more time to do the things that you want to do. Use a daily, weekly, monthly, and semester planners to keep track of all your obligations (class schedule, work schedule, personal schedule, etc.) take it with you to school every day AND USE IT! Read EVERY syllabus carefully and enter dates of exams, assignments, projects, deadlines, into ALL planners (color coding is helpful). Schedule in time for studying each subject, schedule in time for recreation. Plan the semester on monthly calendars and post in your study area where you can see the whole thing at a glance (color coding is helpful). Review calendar at the end of each week and make adjustments as needed.


Study Skills Memory Principles Making an Effort to Remember

Interest – In order to remember something thoroughly, you

must be interested in it. You must have a reason to learn it.

Think of some ways you might create interest in a class in which you are confused or bored.

Find a good study partner. Get to know the instructor. Do some extra practice or research (we tend to be uninterested in

things we are not good at).Teach the assignment to someone else.Seek a way to make the information personal.Find a way to make it kinesthetic– make a model – do something with it.



Intent to Remember - Intent has much to do with whether you remember something or not. A key factor to remembering is having a positive attitude that you will remember.

When you employ the principle of intent to remember, you use concentration techniques that help you pay attention. You have the

attitude that you will learn this now, not wait until later.

Use a concentration check sheet. When you feel yourself wandering from the subject, put a check mark on the sheet. Do this every time you find your concentration slipping. You will program your mind to pay attention.

Use a rubber band on your wrist and snap it when your attention slips. When reading an assignment, talk back to the author. Ask questions when listening to a lecture. Look for test questions.



Basic Background – Your understanding on new material depends to a great degree on how much you already know about the subject. The more you increase your basic knowledge, the easier it is to build new knowledge of this background.

Before you read an assignment, preview it. Find out as much as you can before you read. Survey the title and headings. Study the pictures and graphics. Read the summary. Familiarize yourself with the study questions, key terms and concepts. Think about what you already know about the subject. Try to recall what you already know. Then read.

Before you go to class, do all the assigned readings and homework. The more you know about the subject the easier it will be to take notes during lecture, and you will actually take less notes.

Do extra research and create ways to experience the subject, especially those courses in you major.


Study Skills Memory PrinciplesControlling the Amount and Form

Selectivity – The mind can absorb only a certain amount of new material at a time. You can’t learn everything about everything. The solution is to be selective. Choose what’s important. Learn the important things and then build on that knowledge base (conceptual thinking).

Look for clues when reading a textbook assignment. Use the survey method before you begin reading for knowledge. Study the summary and review questions before and after you read the chapter or articles.

During a lecture, listen for verbal clues such as voice intonation, emphasis or repetition. Pay attention to non-verbal clues such as the lecturer’s body language and information written on the board or given as handouts.

Make yourself the test maker. Ask yourself, “Of all this information, what would I choose to put on a test?”


Study Skills Memory PrinciplesControlling the Amount and Form

Meaningful Organization– You can learn and remember better if you can group ideas into some sort of meaningful categories or groups.

The human mind usually best remembers 5 to 7 items at a time. Break down larger numbers of items into smaller groups –25 items into

groups of 5. Organize obvious groups together. Alphabetize lists. Use mnemonic devices (take the first letter of each item and spell a word

or make a sentence. Utilize grids to organize information that has similarities or differences.


Study Skills Memory PrinciplesStrengthening Neural Connections

Mental Visualization– Form a mental picture of what you want to remember. By visualizing, you use an entirely different part of your brain than you did by reading or listening.

Why mental visualization works When you create a mental picture you are anchoring information in two

parts of your brain, which increases chances of recall.

Tips for utilizing mental visualization Convert it to a chart or graph. Can you draw a picture of it? Can you make it into a mental video?



Recitation– Saying things aloud in your own words is probably the most powerful tool you have to transfer information from short to long-term memory.

Why recitation works When you know you are going to recite something in your own words,

you pay more attention. It forces you to employ the principle of intent to remember.

You get immediate feedback, you know if you are able to explain something in your own words out loud, you understand it.

When you hear something you use an entirely different part of your brain.



Association– Memory is increased when facts to be learned are associated with something familiar to you.

Why association works By recalling something you already know and make a link to the “brain

file” that contains the information, you should be able to remember new information more efficiently.


Study Skills Memory PrinciplesGiving Time for Connections to Set

Consolidation– Your brain must have time for new information to soak in. When you make a list or review your notes right after class, you are using the principle or consolidation.

Tips on how to cause consolidation Taking notes in class. Asking questions in class. Reviewing notes regularly. Visualizing. Reciting. Making flash cards. Designing practice tests. Stopping after reading paragraphs and writing a question which identifies

what the paragraph is about.


Study Skills Memory PrinciplesGiving Time for Connections to Set

Distributed Practice – A series of shorter study sessions distributed over several days is preferable to fewer but longer study sessions.

Why distributed practice works We forget the most in the first 10 minutes after we hear it and then after 24 hours (VonRosdorff

Effect) We tend to remember things at the beginning of a list or study session and things at the end

(recency & primacy effect). Using shorter study periods of 50-60 minutes each and changing subjects allows you to utilize

your natural brain functions better. Distributed practice allows for things to consolidate and for you to build a basic background

and move information from short to long-term memory.Using distributed practice principles- Take 10 minute breaks after each study session and review what you

just learned before you begin again.- Have a written schedule of time to study each subject.- Utilize the times that your brain functions at its best.- Use flash cards and grids.- Read and take notes from your text book before the lectures by following the syllabus.- Study right before and after classes.


Study Skills Memory Principles Use your Body

1. Learn it actively. - Sit on the edge of your chair.

Walk around while you study. Gesture and recite out loud.

2. Relax - Relaxation is not the same as drowsiness. Learn relaxation techniques if you need to.

3. Create pictures. - Draw diagrams or cartoons to show relationships.

4. Recite and repeat. - You utilize two different senses.

5. Write it down. - You are more logical, coherent and complete when you write things down. You take far more written exams than oral exams.


Study Skills Memory Principles Use your Brain

1. Reduce interference. - Study in a quiet place. Background sound is a distraction, no matter how you rationalize that studying with the television on does not distract you. The reason for that belief is conditioning, not fact.

2. Overlearn. - Do the sample problems…then do more to reinforce knowledge. Find another text and do similar problems. The reward is more accuracy, speed, and confidence at exam time.

3. Escape the short-term memory trap. - Reviewing new material soon after learning it, and reviewing it regularly transfers it from short to long-term memory.

4. Use daylight hours. - Study your most difficult subjects during the day.

5. Distributed learning. - Learning is more effective when spread out over shorter but frequent periods. Use it before you lose it.Exception - If you are engrossed in a book, consumed by an idea, or on-a-roll writing a paper or doing a project.


Study Skills Memory Principles Use your Brain

6. Be aware of attitudes. - Acknowledge them, notice them. This simple strategy can make a big difference. If you believe that you will be bored…you will. If you believe that you will learn…you will. Don’t use the words “I can’t”, say what you really mean…”I choose not to.” A lot of things in life are not fun…life owes you nothing, deal with it!

7. Choose what to store in memory. - Extract core concepts and apply memory techniques to those ideas.

8. Combine memory techniques. - Utilizing visual, auditory, and kinesthetic techniques in combination is synergetic, thereby increasing your opportunity to move information from short to long term memory.


Study Skills Memory Principles Recall It

1. Remember something else. - If you cannot remember something you know you know, recall something related or associated to it (go through the alphabet; think of general categories; what does it look like; etc.).

2. Notice when you remember. - Everyone has a different memory style. When you recall information take notice of what techniques you are utilizing. It is subtle so you have to pay close attention. Also notice when it is difficult to recall information and adjust your techniques accordingly.

3. Use it or lose it. - Although the human brain can retain vast amounts of information, it can tend to fade if not accessed. The key to recall is repeated access. Reviewing notes on a regular basis, using all your senses when learning and studying (reading, writing, speaking, listening, application) helps make the information more vivid, therefore increasing the likelihood of recalling it when needed.


Study Skills Memory Principles Organize It

1. Learn from the general to the specific. – Get the “big picture” first by surveying the entire textbook before the first day of class.

2. Make it meaningful. - Relate what you are learning to what you want out of your education.

3. Create associations. - Link what you learn to what you know.



WHERE & HOW YOU STUDY DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE Utilize a setting that is well lit, free from distractions (people, television, noise – ear plugs are very useful), and use it only for studying. Determine what time of day is most effective for you to study. Frequency and length of study periods is very significant. Distributed learning is more efficient and effective. 2 to 2 ½ hours of outside time is required for each hour of class time, although it may vary by subject. Study for about 50 minutes, then switch subjects. Take short breaks (3-5 minutes per hour max). Get up and move around occasionally, read things out loud, ask yourself questions. Do not let others determine your study habits (it’s your grade and your future, not theirs).



SIGNAL WORDS & PHRASES (Pay close attention to these) Example words: These are used to make a point or explain

- to illustrate - for example - for instance Time words: Establishes relationships

- before, after - formerly - subsequently - prior - meanwhile Addition words: Extends or adds to a concept

- furthermore - in addition - moreover - also Cause & Effect words: How one thing affects another

- therefore - as a result - if…then - accordingly - thus, so Contrast words: Indicates differences between things

- on the other hand - in contrast - conversely - although - pro/con Enumeration words: Indicates sequencing or logical order

- the steps… - first, second, third, etc - next - finally



SIGNAL WORDS & PHRASES (Pay close attention to these) Emphasis words: Indicates importance

- more important than… - above all - remember Repeat words: Explains something in a different way

- in other words - that is - briefly - in essence - simply stated Swivel words: Qualifying statements or words

- however - nevertheless - yet -but - still - rarely - never - always Concession words: Indicates point of view or argument

- to be sure - indeed - though - granted - of course - despite Summary words: Concise statement of previous information

- in conclusion - to sum up - to reiterate - briefly stated Test clues in lectures: You’ll probably see this again

- This is important - Remember this - You’ll see this again



Tips for specific subjects Math or statistics -Attitude is key. -Math takes more time than many other subjects. -Think of it as a foreign language. -You must practice doing problems, the more the better. -Study groups help, but be sure you can do it on your own.

Chemistry - Work the problems, work the problems, work the problems! - Be sure you have the prerequisite level of math skills needed.

Survey or introductory classes (Psychology, Sociology, Biology, etc). - Vocabulary is key, learn it quickly or you will fall behind quickly. - Spending the time studying the vocabulary will pay off, especially at test time.



T-ORGANIZERS ARE GOOD FOR COMPARING OR CONTRASTING TWO ITEMS, FOR PRO/CON ARGUMENTS,

OR MAKING A DECISION BETWEEN TWO CHOICES.



THE O.P.T.I.C. SYSTEM FOR ANALYZING A VISUAL

1. Begin by conducting a brief overview of the visual2. Zero in on the parts, read all the labels, note any element or

details that seem important.3. Read title so you are clear on the subject it is covering.4. Use the title as the theory and the parts of the visual as clues to detect and specify the interrelationships in the graphic.5. Make a conclusion about the visual as a whole. What does it mean? Sum up the visual in one or two sentence.



Resources for studying and learning University of Wyoming web page A – Z directory: - Writing Center - Better Grades www.uwyo.edu/BetterGrades - Math department (practice tests) - Specific department and/or instructor web links (they often have useful information and sometimes old tests.

Other useful sites: - Martindale’s Reference Desk http://www-sci.lib.uci.edu/HSG/Ref.html - Encyclopedia of Psychology http://www.psychology.org/ - Great books on-line http://www.bartleby.com/index.html - Libraries on-line http://www.libdex.com/ - Study skills checklist http://www.ucc.vt.edu/stdysk/checklis.html - Biology information http://www.biosis.org/ - Medical and science dictionaries http://www.sciencekomm.at/advice/dict.html - Chemistry information http://www.chemistrycoach.com/home.htm http://origin.ch.ic.ac.uk/local/organic/mod/mo_0.html - Conversions and constants http://www.calculator.org/properties.html - Dictionary of units http://www.ex.ac.uk/cimt/dictunit/dictunit.htm


Study Skills & Strategies Compiled by Ken Zajac Student Success Services University of Wyoming.

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