Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – Aug. 11, 2025 – Some students recognize that their study habits simply are not cutting it and they’re just squeaking by in their courses.

What might get a student by in high school may be ineffective for college classes. Learning effective study skills early on is a key to academic success.

Don’t cram

Many students procrastinate with their study sessions, leading to last-minute studying before a big test. According to the American Psychological Association, students may perform well on a test for which they have crammed, but that doesn’t mean they’ve actually learned the material. Studying with the goal of long-term retention is best for learning.

Engage in active studying

Reading and re-reading texts or notes is not engaging with the material. Therefore, it likely won’t help with information retention. The Learning Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill says a student will need to make connections with the material, which can include making a study guide, becoming the teacher and teaching the concepts to others, deriving examples from one’s own experiences, or working problems out and explaining why they work.

Ask for help

Students do not have to struggle through difficult material alone. In addition to studying with fellow students, who may have different ways of interpreting and sharing the information, individuals can seek assistance from a tutor or an academic resource center inside of the school. Working with someone else also helps students stay accountable and remain on track.

Determine a study style

Students may need to employ some trial and error to identify the study methods that work best for them. This can include a combination of note-taking, summarization, reviewing what already is known about the topic, and individual or group study sessions. Environment also is an important study variable. Some students thrive in a quiet environment, while others need ambient noise to sharpen their focus.

Work intensely

Studying in intensive, short sessions may enable students to get more done with less wasted effort. Taking breaks can boost attention, says the National Institutes of Health.

Eliminate distractions

The more research that is done on multitasking, the more data indicates it isn’t effective. Studying while browsing the web, texting or looking at social media will increase the amount of time needed to learn the material and decrease the quality of the study session