Have you ever wondered what your study strategy should be? Smart or hard? What will help you get higher scores or crack a difficult exam with 99 percentile marks? Study smart vs study hard is a popular debate among many students and scholars.
However, the answer is intertwined and dependent on the courses and exams that you are aspiring to crack. Let us understand the strategy which will be useful for you to achieve better results.
How to Study Smart?
Studying smarter is not a task that requires knowledge of rocket science. However, to make the steps easier, here are a few simple steps you can follow:
- Research the Syllabus: Start with a thorough research of the syllabus and identify the important parts.
- Study Smart, Not Hard: Adopt a mentality to study smart, not hard. Understand the chapters that need more focus.
- Review Past Papers: Go through the past year’s papers and understand the pattern of the exam.
- Understand Weightage: Create a table and understand the weight each section carries.
- Gather Resources: Gather resources related to the syllabus and start studying.
- Make a Schedule: Make a schedule and follow it judiciously. Define realistically, how much you can achieve from a particular section.
- Practice Regularly: Practice questions regularly from authentic sources. Do not utilize all the time for studying.
- Self-Evaluation: Evaluate yourself and recognize the sections that need attention. Study only those parts and re-evaluate your progress.
- Use Smart Study Notes: Using smart study notes in a device like a tablet also comes within the scope of study smart not hard tips.
How to Study Hard?
Some teachers and professors do tell us to study hard, not smart because it helps you to understand and remember information in detail, reinforcing the ideas in your head. It goes hand-in-hand with intelligent study by making sure that no subject is left untouched, giving you a complete understanding of the topic.
Here are the tips on how to study hard for your exams:
- Revise and Re-Revise: Studying hard requires you to revise and re-revise every part of your syllabus multiple times.
- Traditional Approach: Some teachers and professors advise studying hard, not smart, which can feel traditional.
- Longer Hours: Studying hard requires you to put in longer hours, often taking notes while sitting in a library for extended periods.
- No Shortcuts: These strategies are useful, but they do not provide the opportunity for you to cut corners.
- Daily Ritual: Studying harder is a ritual that you need to maintain every day.
- Gather More Information: It is more about gathering more information rather than understanding the concepts.
- Hectic in the Long Run: Although it is not an unplanned way to study, it can be hectic in the long run or for extended study hours.
Which Strategy Gets the Job Done?
Study smart or study hard, it is all in your abilities, you have to find out for yourself the appropriate strategy. However, in case of exams and difficult college entrances, generally studying smart takes the win. This is due to the vast syllabus that you need to cover every day.
Studying smart ensures that you are not burned out at the end of the day. This is very important considering one may have a passion for playing sports or playing music apart from reading. Thus, to study smart vs study hard is a decision that you need to check for yourself. Make sure that you take into consideration the backlogs in the syllabus before making such a decision.
Additionally, make sure to get your strategy checked by an expert or a scholar having experience in the domain you are present. Therefore, the decision to study smart or study hard depends on your specific needs. Please note, that whichever method you are using, testing yourself is an utmost necessity.
Lastly, do not over-pressurise yourself for not being able to complete your daily target. Make small progress every time you study, and do not forget to study smart, not hard. Moreover, do not try out multiple study materials, but choose some specific ones to ace your study.
Do not forget to take notes of important points and study them repeatedly rather than opening a book every time. Ensure a SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Reputable, and Time-bound) approach to study. Keep your motivation high during the preparatory phase for any exams. This is the most stressful time before appearing for an exam on a specific day. Have light meals that allow more productivity and release energy quickly.
Wrapping up, in a battle between the strategy of studying smart vs studying hard, the smart approach seems to be more effective. However, you need to have self-realisation regarding your syllabus completion status before a decision.
Make your research and create an appropriate timetable that can suit your needs effectively. Do not panic and never compare your progress with anyone else, as this might bring fear inside you.