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Studying and revising looks different for everybody. Not everything will work for you – and that’s okay! However, if you are struggling with techniques and go-to ways to work, I have put together this quick guide of resources in order you to understand your brain and processes a little better.
One of the first ways to unlocking easier study habits and new ways of trying things is to identify the way your mind works when it comes to consuming and remembering information. I found this quiz online which only takes 2 minutes and gives quite detailed responses to what sort of learning styles seem to work for you (visual, listening, engaging etc).
There are lots of variations of this quiz online though, so you can always have a play around with different options and see if the answers seem to align!
So what now? You have an idea of what kind of learning style suits you best, so check out the tips, theories and styles I have included in each section! Don’t be afraid to try something from beyond your “style” however, sometimes mixing it up engages the brain in new ways and makes learning that bit more memorable!
Visual learners
Simply – those of you who retain information better from seeing it. This could be looking at photos, videos, graphs, charts, arrows, symbols. These are all visual pointers that might engage the right parts of your memory.
How to study best as a visual learner:
- Use as much colour as possible!
Coloured pens to take notes, coloured highlighters, highlighting text online with colour. Even coloured backgrounds are proven to help and engage some learners significantly more than white. E.g. You could use coloured highlighters to signal to yourself evidence of different themes or theories.
- Convert big, unmanageable chunks of text into graphs, diagrams, mind-maps, or posters. This can help you to realise than big, scary pieces of text might actually be much simpler than they first seem. There are resources to help you do this. MindView is a mapping software to give some structure to text (which has a free trial). Coggle works similarly, making sort of flow charts out of documents, with free pricing options.
- Chat GPT CAN be useful. You could try inputting a document and asking it to generate an image to explain it better, but I cannot stress enough not to rely on this. Always, always fact check Chat GPT with another option, it can and does get things wrong, especially when it comes to academic texts. (There is also a limit to how many times you can create an image without a premium account.)
- Physical flash cards, sticky notes, and posters can be a big help (and also a satisfying way of seeing how much you’ve done!). When I was doing my A Levels, I had posters and mind-maps stuck all over my walls! Do be careful though, sometimes you need a space to relax revision free, so your bedroom wall may not be the best place to stick your work.
- Videos
Resources like YouTube are a goldmine for revision. Whatever you are trying to learn – there will be a video. Just make sure the channel is a reputable one!
Auditory learners (listeners)
This is those of us who prefer to listen to process. That could just be listening to a lecture, listening to a podcast, in person discussions, or even reading things back aloud to yourself.
How to study best as an auditory learner:
- Recite!
Get into a habit of reciting the most crucial things to remember. Say them out loud, over and over again. You could even do this when not actively studying, perhaps on a walk. You could record yourself saying certain words, phrases or ideas to play back too.
- Podcasts
These are a great learning tool with lots of available resources and topics. Just make sure it is made by a reliable source! Again, this makes learning on-the-go more possible and manageable (just make sure you are also giving yourself breaks and remembering sometimes you have to switch off!).
- Music
This is a contentious one, I often have the discussion with my friends if listening to music and studying works for us. For lots of us, it does! I’ve seen some great tips over the years. For some more relaxing studying there are hundreds of playlists on Spotify. Lo-Fi beats are very popular for their vibes but also calming nature. I know some people find classical music very motivating, and I’ve had friends who opt for jazz! I have known people who listen to intense music in order to get an essay done quickly. This could be drum and bass, an orchestra, or one of the funniest I’ve seen is people listening to the Mario Kart music! It might not all be for you, but it’s worth giving a go.
- Talking to people
A lot of people find studying with their friends distracting, but it can be one of the most productive and useful tools if done mindfully. Talking out loud, sharing ideas, and most importantly: hearing the information, can help us cement the facts into our memory properly.
Textual learners (reading/writing)
These learners may enjoy reading considerably more than others and commit things to memory through writing out information in their own words.
How to study best as a textual learner:
- Cornell note method
This method helps read and write learners better understand information and facilitates reviewing notes.
It involves dividing the page into four sections:
One small at the top for title and date
Two main central columns, one for notes, the other for comments, thoughts and questions about the notes
Then another section at the bottom encouraging you to summarise overall thoughts of the page
It is the element of summary and reflection that really helps this method in solidifying memory in our minds!
- The opposite of visual learners, you can use resources to translate graphs, diagrams, and images into text. This may make it easier to understand and more tangible.
- Flash Cards
Flash cards offer the chance to read back over something in your own words. And repeat! Reading the same thing over and over can cement it as something to prioritise and remember, especially if you wrote it in an individual way that you best understand. Nobody writes the same, so it is important to put into your own words/how you would best explain something, because after all, these are your exams/assignments! The only person who is writing them is yourself, so study in a way that you understand, even if it doesn’t make sense to everybody else yet – that can come later.
- That being said, comparing notes with others can be useful to see how they have explained something! It may open your perspective and change how you thought about something for the better.
- Read widely.
Sometimes, reading texts beyond the reading list and the most obvious ones can be the most valuable tool in better understanding something. The Exeter Library both in person and online resources have endless texts on virtually endless topics, so get reading!
Kinaesthetic learners
These are the kind of learners who really pick things up through getting stuck into it. Those among the more “hands-on” of us, figuring things out, being practical, and enjoying seeing what makes things tick.
How to study best as a kinaesthetic learner:
- Using your hands in whatever way possible!
For these learners, muscle memory is much stronger than short-term brain memory. That might mean repetitive movements, like using flashcards in a certain order and rotating them around your hands. It could look like pacing around and repeating things out loud or walking while listening to an audiobook or bringing your notes out with you.
- Vary your study spaces
For those of us who learn more kinaesthetically, the same four walls can be suffocating. You could go to different coffee shops (which another benefit includes the walk there – maybe try listening to a relevant podcast on your way?), explore new spaces on campus, or even try the kitchen table instead of the desk in your room. If it’s warm out, why not try sitting outside?
- Teach it to somebody else
This technique is one my mum would practice with me for exams in school. In order to test your knowledge and commit it to memory, one of the best ways for kinaesthetic learner is to role-reverse and play the teacher. “Teaching” material to an active listener brings a new element of taking things apart, thinking about it from a different perspective, and dissecting the information into bitesize chunks to think more about what it means.
Ultimately, what works for you is what works for you, and you don’t have to restrict yourself to these categories. Everybody is different, so experiment, find your flow, and good luck!