One of the most difficult things for many people in high school is developing the study skills that are necessary to become a good student. If you find that you are having a difficulty in this area, here are some tips that can assist you in developing those high school study skills so that you can begin applying them in your own study habits. In doing so, you will find that you are improving on a regular basis and not only getting better grades, but you're retaining the information that you are learning as well.
One of the first things that needs to be done is to improve your memory. If you have a difficult time remembering things or if there tend to be holes in the information that you're learning, you need to put everything together properly. You can consider the things that you are learning to be similar to a jigsaw puzzle. When you do a jigsaw puzzle, you usually put the edges together first and then you continue to work on the easier part of the puzzle before you get to the more difficult parts. If you learn in such a way, you will be able to put things together in a pattern that will help you to remember them easier. Continue to work on this scale throughout your lifetime, and it will benefit you in many ways.
Learning how to take notes effectively is also something that is going to be of great benefit to you. If you tend to be somebody that writes slowly or perhaps sloppily, however, you need to learn the skill of shortening your notes so that you can take them quickly and legibly. For some individuals, this is a matter of skipping the vowels in the words or perhaps just writing enough of the longer words so that they can realize what the note is saying. Some of the more commonly used words can have shortened styles as well. There are shorthand guides that are available which can assist you, but it is better if you come up with your own system for the most part.
Reading so as to remember what you read is also a skill that needs to be mastered. The easiest way for you to be able to do this is to read through the chapter or information that needs to be read as quickly as possible. This will help to get your mind ready, as you will have an overview of the information. You can then scan through each individual page to catch the highlights, and finally, read the chapter carefully. When you do this along with notetaking, it can be of great benefit.
Learning how to study in such a way can certainly help you throughout your high school career. It will not only assist you in larger areas, such as any SAT help that may be necessary, it can also assist you in some of the smaller areas as well. When you continue to learn in such a way, you will find that it benefits you for the rest of your life.
The author of this article is a college career counselor for over 15 years offering general study skills tips and SAT preparation information. During his childhood he enjoyed playing the piano as well as traveling the world with his parents.