The first one is rereading course material. In fact, rereading is one of the most common study techniques that students practice. After six hours of looking at the same material, we have an illusion that we have already memorized everything. The reason why we opt for rereading instead of actually practicing active recall is because rereading is comfortable and requires little brain power. Every paragraph on our textbook evokes a feeling of familiarity, and our brain tells us, “oh, that’s something I’ve learnt before” However, being able to recognize something isn’t the same as being able to recall it.

The second one is overstudying. I thought that longer hours meant better grades, but I was totally wrong about that. I tried studying 6 hours straight without taking any short breaks, and it came out to be a disaster. I was both physically and mentally exhausted, making it difficult for me to retain information that I’ve learnt. Research shows that taking meaningful breaks from studying can refresh your brain and increase your productivity, energy and ability to focus.

The last one is using flashcards the wrong way. During my study period, while I was making my deck of flashcards, I copied things from my textbook and focused on memorizing the content instead of understanding it. Moreover, I wasn’t using flashcards efficiently. I went through the same deck, from start to finish every day, and it was so time-consuming and it was just a waste of time.

And I guess this is all for this week.

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