Every new academic year is fresh and motivating for students. Along with the new books, new teachers, new academic pressures, and some new peers comes a new will to study hard and become the class topper anyhow. However, to actually become the class topper, you need to study smart and not hard. This smart study comes only when you build the best study habits for students that show your consistency.
What Are the Best Study Habits for Students?
The best study habits or study tips for students that help in giving them a future-ready education need to be consistent, purposeful, and sustainable across the academic year. The following are some of the best study habits for students to follow to prepare themselves for exams and to gain high marks right from the beginning of the session.
1. Create and Follow a Study Schedule
A study schedule is not just a timetable but a daily commitment to structured learning. If not followed with consistency, its presence is of barely any use. It helps you juggle between your daily tasks, such as studying at school, attending tuition, and extracurricular activities, easily. Additionally, following a schedule is an important habit to develop at a young age to prepare yourself for adult life. The following are some points you must consider to create the best schedule.
- Allocate your time subject-wise based on upcoming tests, exam dates, and personal strengths and weaknesses.
- Be realistic in your study hours, and give appropriate time to breaks also.
- Set a specific study window that you can follow daily.
2. Set Clear Goals
Anytime you decide to sit down and study Maths or some other subject, it is not considered setting a goal. Rather, setting a goal means getting a complete understanding of a number of concepts or a chapter in a specified time. This practice of setting goals or milestones makes studying much more engaging and dedicated for you. The following are some types of goals that can be included in a study routine for students.
- Short-term goals: Daily or weekly targets.
- Medium-term goals: Monthly targets.
- Long-term goals: Milestones to touch on in your main exams.
3. Minimize Distractions During Study Time
Distraction is the single biggest enemy of active learning. On average, students are distracted for roughly 35% of their total study time due to several reasons, mainly digital devices like smartphones and social media platforms. Here are some of the best study habits for school students to reduce distractions while studying.
- Put the phone far away from you, in another room or a drawer.
- Inform family members about study hours so interruptions at home are reduced.
- Choose a consistent study space which should be clean, well-lit and accessible to you at a fixed time daily.
4. Practice Active Learning
Only reading your textbook once or twice in the name of studying is called passive reading, a very ineffective method of studying. This method does not help in retention. Rather, true retention of concepts comes from actively engaging in studies over a long period of time. The following are some ways to practice active learning that help you build one of the best study habits to improve grades.
- Write answers from memory in front of questions before checking your book.
- Solve previous years’ question papers (PYQs).
- Make flowcharts for complex subjects like History and Biology.
- Use flashcards for definitions, formulas, and dates.
5. Avoid Multitasking While Studying
Multitasking while studying means listening to music, watching TV, or scrolling social media. Practices like these ruin your dedication to study. The following are some study tips for the new academic year that you should follow to avoid multitasking.
- Stop background entertainment in the form of music.
- Close all unrelated browser tabs if studying on a computer or a smartphone.
- Keep the study desk clear of any items that may create a distraction.
6. Exercise Before Studying for Better Focus
A major factor of studying effectively that students and their parents do not realize is that the connection between physical activity and academic performance is more closely linked than most Indian students and parents realize. Exercising before studying increases blood flow to the brain, stimulates the release of neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine, and increases memory consolidation and attention span. The best forms of physical activities before studying include:
- Morning walks or jogging.
- Playing a sport or cricket in the evening before the evening study session.
- Basic yoga for students with limited outdoor access.
- Skipping rope or free-hand exercises.
What is the Best Study Routine for Students?
The best daily study routine for students that one can create for themselves is one that balances consistency with flexibility. Not only should following a routine help in concentration improvement, but also goal setting for students. A strong daily routine for an Indian school student might look like this.
| Time Slot | Activity |
| 6:00 – 6:30 AM | Wake up & get ready |
| 6:30 – 7:30 AM | Breakfast & travel |
| 7:30 AM – 2:00 PM | Attend school |
| 2:00 – 3:30 PM | Lunch & rest |
| 3:30 – 5:30 PM | Homework & study |
| 5:30 – 7:00 PM | Play time |
| 7:00 – 8:00 PM | Engage in hobbies |
| 8:00 – 10:00 PM | Dinner & relax |
| 10:00 PM | Sleep |
Why Do Students Fail to Build Study Habits?
As easy as it may seem to read about habits and plan on developing them, it is equally tough to implement those plans. The majority of school students fail to build the habits they are inspired by. Below are some reasons that lead to this failure.
- Unrealistic planning: Children and their parents design extremely long study schedules with barely any rest, leading to quick burnout.
- Lack of purpose: When students do not understand the reason or benefits of building a habit, motivation fades quickly.
- Immediate reward gaps: Following academic success tips and building habits takes weeks to show results, while students look for immediate rewards.
- Excessive tuition dependency: In the name of studying after school, many students rely heavily on coaching classes and tuition teachers rather than self-study.
How Can Students Improve Their Study Habits?
The majority of the students look for motivation in how they can improve their study habits. However, there are several factors that can help in building these habits out of which one of the best ones is learning from your exam experience and improving yourself right from the start of the session. Below are some other ways for students to improve their study habits.
- Start small: Instead of working on every habit at once, pick one habit and stick to it before focusing on a new one.
- Track progress visibly: Maintaining a simple habit tracker on paper or an app can make consistency feel rewarding and visible to you.
- Review and reflect weekly: Ask regular questions revolving around your habit-building, like your shortcomings or efforts in building a habit, along with the results.
Conclusion
The start of a new academic year is the best possible time to build study habits that will carry a student through every stage of the year, ranging from class tests to board exams. The habits they build with their efforts, along with the motivation from their classmates, teachers, or parents, are not optional in today’s time but are necessary to improve the rest of their future as a student and also prepare them for life as an adult.
Enroll your child at Bhartiyam International School, the top school in Rudrapur, where children are taught to live their lives with good habits that reflect in their personality as well as their report cards.
FAQs
Q. What is the 2/3,5/7 study rule?
The 2-3-5-7 study rule says that students should study a concept or a chapter and review it with a gap of 2 days, followed by gaps of 3 days, 5 days, and 7 days after the initial learning, helping in strengthening the memory of that learning.
Q. Is it better to study at night or morning?
Research shows that it is better for students to study in the morning than at night. It is a better time for learning new concepts and analytical thinking.
Q. How can I focus 100% while studying?
To focus 100% while studying, remove all distractions near you and choose a well-lit and silent space.
