Developing excellent study habits is essential to academic success. Unfortunately, it is entirely possible to develop bad study habits. These habits make it feel like you are studying, but they are not productive. Try to avoid some of these bad study habits
Highlighting
Highlighting is one of the easiest ways to study. However, it does not require any deeper thought, interaction with the material, developing important connections, or memorization. You can look at pages of highlighted notes and texts and feel like you have put in a lot of time and effort, but it is unlikely that you will remember all of the information you highlighted.
Distraction
It is easy to study and stop when you get a text, study and stop when you get a notification, study and look at SnapChat, study and stop to watch YouTube. All of the study and stop costs you a lot of time. Switching from task to task requires your brain to regroup and start over every time. It is much better to set your phone aside for a solid 90 minutes, then spend a solid 90 minutes on your phone, than to switch back and forth for three hours. Breaks are ideal, but only after you have put in extended, focused time on the subject. Not only will studying without distractions improve your concentration, but it will also help you recall the material when you need it on an exam.
Cramming
The absolute worst habits you can develop are procrastinating and cramming. Putting off study requires that you study in one massive chunk immediately before the exam. Staying up all night can hinder your performance on exam day. Cramming can elevate your stress and anxiety. You are also not likely to remember the material shortly after the exam. This makes it very difficult to excel in classes that build upon themselves. Instead, spend a few minutes every day reviewing your notes, reading texts, and memorizing key concepts. This will give you plenty of time to learn the necessary information long before a big exam.
Master the Concepts
Avoid these three terrible study habits and you can develop a system that works for you. Study requires time and focused attention. When you work over an extended period of time to master the concepts you will perform well on your exams.