How

Many students struggle with studying in matric.

This is partly because most schools do not teach learners how to study effectively. We think that the more hours we study the better off we are but that is simply not true.

Your brain is a fascinating and powerful machine….

• The slowest speed that the information travels between the neurons in your brain is 416 km/h which is approximately the same as the top speed of the fastest production car in the world. That being the Bugatti Veyron.
• Your brain produces about 70 000 thoughts on average per day

So how do we unleash that power?

The answer lies in how we study. Most students will take a section of work and study it like a parrot.

Unfortunately our brains do not like this much…..

What works better is to add heaps of enthusiasm and self talk. Explaining work to yourself out loud may seem loco but this helps you retain a ton of information. Being more dramatic and animated adds even more value to this.

The cool part is that this can be done for almost any matric subject.

Next time you study (preferably alone) explain the work to yourself as if you the expert in the subject (this is where the enthusiiasm comes in). This creates a confidence and removes all the fear attached to studying.

Where

Anywhere……As long as there aren’t too many distractions.

Studying in different locations can help you remember things better because our brains will attach the work we study with the location. This link is easier to remember because it would be unique and consequently you should then be able to remember what you studied at that specific location.

If you were to study in one location all the time then that extra unique location link would not exist.

Our brains add these links to help us remember things. That’s why people can remember things in their past by smelling, seeing or hearing something that unlocks that information.

So try and mix it up, even if its just studying in different rooms at home.

When

Is cramming in studies at the last minute good or bad?

The answer is both unfortunately.

The bad is stress. The good is recency.

Cramming is generally a bad idea, so avoid it at all costs. You simply do not need anymore stress this year.

Study and then take a break from that work for about a week before going over it again. This trains your brain to go look for information that is stored from a while back.

Doing this will improve your memory in the long haul and help you access information from way back.

So start early but take those breaks to improve your memory.

I hope these tips help. Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Image Kindly Provided by Zsuzsanna Kilian