How I studied in my first 2 years of High school - Life Hacks to ace your tests

Here's how I studied in grades 9 and 10!

This is some basic stuff that'll help you stay organized and study efficiently!

1. Random things:

During the beginning of the academic year, try figuring out what study methods work for you. You can try various techniques, some I tried out were:

• Pomodoro Technique 
• Flashcards
• Highlighting and reading
• Only reading textbook
• side notes in margins of books
• copy pasting notes from various sites onto one document 
• making my own notes from various sources

I ended up doing points 2,3,5, and 7. It depends from person to person what techniques are most effective at helping you study and remember everything. There are a lot more techniques and variations of each technique. You should find out what's best for you in the beginning so that you have to time to adjust and study the right and most effective way for most of the year.

2. Flashcards

I found that flashcards worked way better for me for definitions than simply listing down all the definitions on a single/few page(s). It was easier for me to test myself and you can shuffle the cards so you can make sure you know the definitions and not the "order".

Tip: You should start memorizing the flashcards in the same order without shuffling till you get most or all of the definitions right especially if you are a visual person. Once you think you know all the definitions keep shuffling the deck every time so you can make sure you really know your definitions. Make sure to segregate your cards according to your subjects or it'll be confusing at the end. You can write the subject in a corner to make sure you have your stuff organized.

Flashcards help you memorize faster because they're less dense like a sheet full of notes so helps you not mix up your definitions. It's also a great break from all those words together in one page.

3. Be Organized!

The best way to make sure you get studying done, and in time, is to make a schedule. Make it realistic so that you don't end up not following it all together. If you have a lot of classes to study for, make sure you study for at least 2 classes each day - even if it is only 30 minutes each. As your exam approaches, make sure you leave enough number of days to get all your intense studying done. You can classify "types of studying" like Learning definitions, textbook reading, making notes, and revising notes. Assign a realistic number of days and assign the studying categories backward going from near your exam date towards the current day. You'll then know when you have to start studying seriously.

Tip: Don't assign times to your schedule like "9.00 am - Physics" unless you are 100% sure that you will be able to do it at that time. Most people will end up not doing tasks on the timings assigned and that results in not following the schedule. Keep your schedule more relaxed so you don't feel discouraged or feel forced to do something at a time you don't want to.

Don't be too hard on yourself if you have plenty of days remaining. If you go out one day or are sick or simply lazy, you can always do extra on the next day and cover what you should've done the day before. If you know you don't have time on Saturdays, assign a small task or only one class/subject to study.

4. Other Resources than your textbook

Try to find as many online resources and concise study guides (either online or in your library) as possible. Sometimes, especially in my experience, textbooks don't always cover everything if you have a syllabus not based on your textbook. Study guides are also a great way to revise and you may end up learning something new or understanding a concept that wasn't explained good enough in your textbook. If your fundamental concepts are weak, you should always google the simplest questions that come in your mind if you feel silly asking your teacher. But! If you are not satisfied with an internet answer (from a trusted source, of course) then you should go to your teacher. It may be a silly answer that you didn't think of but you'll remember it and who knows if solving that question/ being thorough with that particular concept helps you score a few extra marks in your tests/exams!

Some additional tips:

No matter how good your study notes are, ALWAYS refer to your textbook(s) and other study guides/revision material, because there is a chance that you might have missed something in your notes

When making notes, first take a rough notebook/notepad and make quick notes with a pencil so that you can make changes and decide how you would like to arrange the points and/or diagrams. This ensures that your final notes would be more organized, satisfactory and you wouldn't have to worry about squeezing important points in because they were at some other part of the book or whatever other reason.

This last one may sound silly but draw or print a fake report card with straight A's or whatever goal you want to achieve. Keep it in front of your study space so you can be reminded and motivated every time you look up and maybe you'll end up doing five more minutes of reading and get the chapter done instead of procrastinating.