HOW STRAIGHT-A STUDENTS ARE ACING THEIR EXAMS THIS SEMESTER
written by OLIVIA WETTENGEL
July 29, 2024
In our schoolgirl era. That’s right, we’ve hit the ground running as we brainstormed new ways to up our study game this year. Read on for one of our fav study strategies. It’s sure to update your status as a school girlie just in time for the new semester to begin.
The hot new Leitner System is what all A+ students are using to ace their tests! Created by the German science journalist Sebastian Leitner, this innovative strategy combines repetition with timing to ensure you memorize every last vocab word. While it has proven beneficial for all fields of learning, it is especially useful for medical students, as well as foreign language learners. “The Leitner System helps us access the information stored deep within our memories over a longer period of time,” Jess Gromada, Editor of MindEdge Learning remarks.
Instead of putting yourself to sleep with the same old boring study methods, try this new way to study smarter, not harder. Repetition is key, as you’ve probably heard since you were three (how ironic).
Here’s the process:
PREP
1.
Make flashcards with each term/idea you need to learn.
2.
Find three boxes (the flashcards will alternate between boxes) – leftover cereal boxes, Tupperware, or even mason jars will do. Or, simply make a space for three different piles to stack your cards in.
SESSION ONE
3.
To begin, place all your flashcards in the first box. Draw one flashcard from the box at a time. Learn the term on the card. If you already know the term without having to look at the definition on the other side of the card, then no need to learn it!
4.
If you get the term right the first time, that flashcard just got promoted! Move it to box two. If you get it wrong, return the card to box one. Sorry bud, no raise for you (yet).
5.
After you have gone through all your cards, your first session is done! If you’re up to more studying (or if you waited til the day before the exam to study), move on to session two. Or, wait to begin session two the next day.
SESSION TWO
6.
Begin in box one, transferring the flashcards you know to box two.
7.
Move on to box two. Of the cards in box two, move the ones you get right on the first try to box three. If there are cards you still haven’t memorized, sorry, they’re demoted back to box one.
8.
After studying every card in boxes one and two, session two is complete!
SESSION THREE
9.
Return to box one, advancing any cards you get right to box two.
10.
Skip box two and move straight to box three. These are your review cards. You’ve already proven you know them at least twice. Make sure you still have them down by drawing them one by one.
11.
If you continue guess the cards correctly, keep them in box three. Good job cards, you’ve kept your title as victors! However, if a brain fart lets you forget a term or two, move them back to box two.
REPEAT
12.
Continue the process of reviewing and advancing cards over time.
13.
Study box one every day, box two every other day, and box three once a week.
14.
Repeat this process until all your cards have made it to the promised land of box three. That’s proof you’ve memorized everything; you know your stuff!
Now you’re more ready than ever for your exam! All that spaced repetition and timed intervals will definitely pay off. If you put this study method to the test, you (and your professors) will thank us. Let’s get studying!
Olivia Wettengel
Olivia is a current Journalism major at Brigham Young University. She has contributed to her school's various publications since high school, and currently works as a Marketing Intern at Book & Ladder, Inc. With a first-hand view of college life, Olivia brings experience and passion to the content she creates for The Open Book.
