Power Study

Dec 23, 2008 by Celastrus Shop

The Power Study is a recently developed concept based on emerging techniques of information acquisition and memory enhancement. For too many students, studying for tests is a task of overwhelming mystery, a long, dark, winding road bordered on both sides by sheer cliffs. How do you know you’re studying the right things? How can you make sure the important information lands in your memory? How can you filter through the unimportant details? And what about concentration? Today’s student is constantly assaulted by distractions from every angle. How can they focus their attention on the topic at hand with all the background noise of our modern world?

These questions explain the popularity of the power study. What student in their right mind would turn down the chance to optimize their studying habits? Self-help books now deliver practical advice on the power study to the average student. Study Power, for instance, by William R. Lucki, Ph.D., and Wood Smethurst, has become an oft-cited source for students looking to get an edge. The book is full of simple advice, like what part of class is most likely to contain information that will be tested (the last 10 minutes), and how long to read when trying to absorb exam information (20 minutes at a time), along with advice on note taking, managing your anxiety, oral presentations, and more.

When we talk about power study, what we really mean by power is efficiency. Responsible students everywhere want to know how to make efficient use of their study time and absorb the important points most likely to show up on a test. As an added bonus, the more efficiently you study, the more time you’ll have free to relax, hang out with friends, and attend to the basic needs of living independently.

First of all, you should optimize your study space: it should be clean, clear of papers and clutter, and relatively quiet (some people play soft music as a study aid, but this is entirely up to you). Organize the materials you’ll need for your study session before you start—pens, notebooks, and readings should all be in easy-to-reach places so you don’t have to waste time looking for them before you can hit the books. Prioritize what you’ll study: make a list of topics to cover, or refer to a syllabus or study guide provided by your teacher. If you’re unsure what will be on the exam, study guides can be a lifesaver: teachers often provide practice questions on study guides and to give you an idea of what to expect on the exam itself.

Once you’ve sat down in your newly organized workspace, what else can you do to most efficiently use your study time? One study technique long recommended by educators is the SQ3R method. SQ3R stands for Survey, Question, Read, Recite, and Review (or 3 R’s). In this approach, you first survey the material you’re going to read: look at the introductory and summary chapters, visual materials, headers, and footers to get an idea of what the chapter is about. Create questions as you read over the material, such as “What are the main points of this chapter?” This will help you maintain interest in the reading and alert you when you come across relevant information. You can also use study guides and syllabuses to generate active reading questions. As you read, highlight the points that align with or answer your active reading questions, and annotate them in margins using your own words. Close the book after every few pages and recite what you’ve just read out loud. Finally, review the chapter every couple of days after you finish it, including your margin notes. Although the SQ3R study method is more time consuming at first, studies have shown it increases retention of information by up to 70% after 2 months!

You can power study by scheduling your study sessions for a specific time of day and sticking to it. Try to wait 30-90 minutes after eating before you sit down to study, to give your food time to digest and stave off the post-meal grogginess that sometimes occurs when you start work soon after eating. Take study breaks every 20-40 minutes where you deliberately step away from your desk. Use the time to do or think about something else rather than go over what you’ve just learned. Even if you feel like you’re “on a roll” and want to keep studying, shorter periods of study with mental breaks in between have been shown to improve retention–or “memory power”, if you like–by giving the brain a chance to integrate the new information in short bursts. Also, make sure to stop studying about 30 minutes to an hour before you go to sleep to create mental distance from whatever you’re studying. If you study right up until the moment you go to bed, chances are you’ll keep yourself awake reviewing what you learned and miss out on that all-important good night’s sleep, which you especially don’t want to do the night before the exam!

You can also apply power study techniques to class: rather than sitting passively through lectures, make an effort to take active notes by thinking about what the teacher says before transcribing it. Write information down in your own words rather than copying down what they say verbatim. This will help you record the information according to the way you think and learn. Furthermore, don’t be afraid to ask your teacher to clarify anything you don’t understand; that’s part of what they’re there for, and most teachers will be happy to help you understand the material.

The other alternative for power study is through herbal supplements that function as natural study aids by enhancing brain function at times when students need it most. Too many students resort to powerful medications like Adderall or stimulants like caffeine pills to help them focus, without being aware of the risks attached. Instead, use some of your research skills to investigate which products have performed well in clinical trials, and have proved safe for both students and aging customers alike.