{"id":8062,"date":"2015-02-06T11:30:51","date_gmt":"2015-02-06T11:30:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/?p=7550"},"modified":"2019-08-30T16:42:58","modified_gmt":"2019-08-30T16:42:58","slug":"break-good-study-habits-learning-science-can-teach-us-effective-gre-studying","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/blog\/break-good-study-habits-learning-science-can-teach-us-effective-gre-studying\/","title":{"rendered":"Break Your \u201cGood\u201d Study Habits! What Learning Science Can Teach Us About Effective GRE Studying"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"2-6-Habits\"<\/em><\/p>\n

You can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GRE courses absolutely free. Ready to take the plunge?\u00a0<\/i><\/b>Check out our upcoming courses here<\/i><\/b><\/a>.<\/i><\/b><\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Distractions are bad. Routine, concentration, and hard work are good.<\/em> These all seem like common-sense rules for studying, right? Surprisingly (for many people, at least), learning science tells us that these \u201cgood” study habits may actually be hurting<\/em> your learning process!<\/p>\n

When you were in college, your study process probably looked something like this: for a given class, you\u2019d attend a lecture each week, do the readings (or at least most of them), and maybe turn in an assignment or problem set. Then, at the end of the semester, you\u2019d spend a week furiously cramming all of that information to prepare for the test.<\/p>\n

Since this is the way you\u2019ve always studied, it\u2019s probably how you\u2019re approaching the GRE, too. But I have bad news: this is not an effective approach for the GRE!<\/p>\n

Taking notes and then cramming the night before the test is beneficial for tests that ask you to recite knowledge like \u201cwhat were the major consequences of the Hawley-Smoot tariff\u201d or \u201cexplain Heisenberg\u2019s uncertainty principle.\u201d You can hold a lot of facts\u2014for a brief time\u2014in your short-term memory when cramming. You memorize facts, you spit them out for the test\u2026 and then, if you\u2019re like me, you find that you\u2019ve forgotten half of what you memorized by the next semester.<\/p>\n

Why the GRE is Different<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The GRE doesn\u2019t reward these study habits because it\u2019s not simply a test of facts or knowledge. The GRE requires you to know a lot of rules, of course, but the main thing that it\u2019s testing is your ability to apply those concepts to new problems, to adapt familiar patterns, and to use strategic decision-making. You\u2019ll never see the same problem twice. Even with vocabulary, you need a robust understanding of words, not just memorized definitions.<\/p>\n

Shallow memorization is not nearly enough. You need deep<\/em> conceptual understanding.<\/p>\n

In How We Learn<\/em><\/a>*<\/em>, science writer Benedict Carey outlines decades of research about how this kind of learning happens. Many of the findings go against what you probably thought were \u201cgood\u201d study habits.<\/p>\n

Distractions are a Good Thing<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Your teachers or your parents probably told you: \u201cAlways study in the same, quiet space. Create a ritual of studying, and keep it consistent.\u201d And of course, that\u2019s good advice to a point; if it\u2019s too loud or distracting to think, you won\u2019t learn very much.<\/p>\n

But Carey tells us that subtle variations in our routine \u2013 going to a different room, or library, or coffee shop; alternating between light background music, silence, or the hum of people talking \u2013 can actually improve our learning. When we\u2019re studying, we\u2019re also subconsciously registering clues from the world around us, and weaving them into what we\u2019ve learned. Different subconscious markers create richer connections.<\/p>\n

These connections are further strengthened if you review the material in a different context than you initially learned it. As Carey says, \u201ceach alteration of the routine further enriches the skills being rehearsed, making them sharper and more accessible for a longer period of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Study Less\u2026 More Often<\/strong><\/h4>\n

There\u2019s a good reason why you don\u2019t remember most of the material you spent long hours cramming before the final: long study sessions are bad for retention.<\/p>\n

If you want to hang onto the information that you\u2019re working so hard to learn, you should try what learning scientists call \u201cthe spacing effect.\u201d Don\u2019t try to learn a topic in one long sitting. Instead, study a little bit, then return to it a few days later. According to Carey, \u201cpeople learn at least as much, and retain it much longer, when they distribute\u2014or \u2018space\u2019\u2014their study time than when they concentrate it.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you plan to spend 90 minutes learning exponent rules, for example, it\u2019s more effective to spend 45 minutes on it on Tuesday, then return to the topic for another 45 minutes on Thursday or Friday (or even better, three 30-min sessions) rather than just concentrating your learning into one long session. Especially when learning vocabulary, it\u2019s much more effective to study a word on three different occasions than three times in one sitting.<\/p>\n

Get Mixed Up<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Stay organized and see it through until completion<\/em>. Guess what? Those ideas are wrong, too.<\/p>\n

Data suggests that instead of studying one topic until you\u2019ve mastered it, then moving on to the next, you should mix up your studying. If you\u2019re quizzing yourself on quadratics, mix in a few questions from inequalities, weighted averages, etc. By throwing your brain some curveballs, you\u2019re training yourself to adapt and make strategic choices. It may seem more confusing at first, but forcing yourself to think more will cause you to learn and remember more.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe mixing of items, skills, or concepts during practice, over the long term, seems to help us not only see the distinctions between them but also to achieve a clearer grasp of each one individually,\u201d says Carey. So, mix it up!<\/p>\n

Testing is<\/em> Learning<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The best way to learn is to study the material thoroughly, then test yourself at the end to prove that you\u2019ve learned it, right? You guessed it\u2026 wrong again.<\/p>\n

The data shows us that you\u2019re more likely to retain information if you test yourself before<\/em> you learn it or while you\u2019re in the middle of your learning process. By \u201cfailing\u201d at particular questions the first time around, your brain will flag those concepts as more important when you do learn them, and you\u2019ll be more likely to retain them for longer.<\/p>\n

Testing yourself periodically throughout your study process (rather than waiting until you\u2019ve learned everything<\/em> to take a practice test) will strengthen your recall. It\u2019s harder work to try to retrieve a memory when you\u2019re being tested than it is to passively read over your notes. Harder work means stronger neural connections and a higher likelihood of remembering on test day.<\/p>\n

Sleep on It<\/strong><\/h4>\n

It\u2019s the week before the Big Test, and you have a choice: stay up until 2 a.m. and get a few extra hours of studying in, or go to bed and get a good night\u2019s sleep. I\u2019m going to give you the same advice your mother would give you\u2014get some rest!<\/p>\n

Your brain actually does a lot of work offline while you\u2019re sleeping. As Carey reminds us, \u201cbrain scientists have published an array of findings suggesting that sleep plays a critical role in flagging and storing important memories, intellectual and physical.\u201d If you rob yourself of sleep, your brain might not actually store those extra facts that you stayed up late to cram!<\/p>\n

Think of yourself as an athlete in training\u2014your brain needs exercise, but it also needs rest. Exhaustion is very bad for performance.<\/p>\n

Breaking \u201cGood\u201d Study Habits for the GRE<\/strong><\/h4>\n

So, what should you take away from all of this? Here are some \u201cbad\u201d study habits that are actually very good for your GRE studying!<\/p>\n

1. Vary your routine.<\/strong> Study in different places, at different times of day, with different backgrounds.<\/p>\n

2. Don\u2019t study hard<\/strong>\u2026 in one sitting, that is. Study in smaller intervals of time, but go back and review the material several days later. Space it out.<\/p>\n

3. Mix it up.<\/strong> Don\u2019t just practice one concept or skill at a time. Weave in some practice problems from other areas to make your brain work harder.<\/p>\n

4. Quiz yourself\u2014often.<\/strong>\u00a0Try quizzing yourself with the problem set before<\/em> you read the chapter in your strategy guide. Take practice tests periodically throughout your process.<\/p>\n

5. Sleep on it<\/strong>. If you\u2019re struggling with a concept, sleep on it. Sleep is an important part of memory building.<\/p>\n

Good luck with these \u201cbad\u201d study habits!\u00a0?<\/p>\n

*Carey, Benedict. How We Learn<\/em>. New York: Random House, 2014.<\/p>\n

\n

See that \u201cSUBSCRIBE\u201d button in the top right corner? Click on it to receive all our GRE blog updates straight to your inbox!<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

\n

\"ceilidh-erickson-Manhattan-Prep-GMAT-Instructor\"<\/a>C\u00e9ilidh Erickson<\/a>\u00a0is a Manhattan Prep instructor based in Boston, MA.<\/strong>\u00a0When she tells people that her name is\u00a0pronounced \u201ckay-lee,\u201d she often gets puzzled looks.\u00a0C\u00e9ilidh is a graduate of Princeton University\u00a0and a master\u2019s candidate at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Tutoring was always the job that brought her the greatest joy and challenge, so she decided to make it her full-time job.\u00a0Check out C\u00e9ilidh\u2019s upcoming GRE courses<\/a>\u00a0(she scored a 760, so you\u2019re in great hands).<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GRE courses absolutely free. Ready to take the plunge?\u00a0Check out our upcoming courses here. Distractions are bad. Routine, concentration, and hard work are good. These all seem like common-sense rules for studying, right? Surprisingly (for many people, at least), learning science tells […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[474284,921840,6,7,449765],"tags":[1362484],"yst_prominent_words":[1363025,1363033,1363037,1363031,1363023,1362627,1362718,1363036,1363027,1363026,1363028,1363035,1363030,1363024,1363034,1363022,1363021,1363029,1363032,1362628],"class_list":["post-8062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-studiers","category-gre-prep-2","category-gre-strategies","category-how-to-study","category-learning-science","tag-study-habits"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8062","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8062"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8062\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10913,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8062\/revisions\/10913"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8062"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gre\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=8062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}