22 Science-Backed Study Tips to Ace a Test

With back-to-school commercials showing at full speed ahead, it's time to say sayonara to those summer days and once more remember how to study. [A moment of silence for happiness, freedom, and spare time, here].
But while barricading yourself in the library might be tried and true (or at least tried), there is a better way—in fact, there's at least 22 of them. So go forth—fearlessly take on the tests for anything from AP Misery to Orgo 3000, with these science-backed tips. 

1. Study when sleepy.

Bedtime stories are for kids. Instead of reading the Berenstain Bears, try studying for a few minutes right before hitting the hay. During sleep, the brain strengthens new memories, so there’s a good chance we’ll remember whatever we review right before dozing off. (Just try not to bring work into the actual bed, since it can make it harder to get a good night’s sleep.)

2. Space it out.

A new learning technique called “spaced repetition” involves breaking up information into small chunks and reviewing them consistently over a long period of time. So don’t try to memorize the entire periodic table in one sitting—instead learn a few rows every day and review each lesson before starting anything new.

3. Tell a tale.

Turning the details you need to remember into a crazy story helps make the information more meaningful. For example, remember the order of mathematic operations PEMDAS this way: Philip (P) wanted to eat (E) his friend Mary (M) but he died (D) from arsenic (AS) poisoning.

4. Move around.

Research suggests studying the same stuff in a different place every day makes us less likely to forget that information. Every time we move around (from the library to the coffee shop or the coffee shop to the toilet seat), we force the brain to form new associations with the same material so it becomes a stronger memory.

5. Switch it up.

Don’t stick to one topic; instead, study a bunch of different material in one sitting. This technique helps prepare us to use the right strategy for finding the solution to a problem. For example, doing a bunch of division problems in a row means every time we approach a problem, we know it’ll require some division. But doing a series of problems that require multiplication, division, or addition means we have to stop and think about which strategy is best.

6. Put yourself to the test.

Quizzing ourselves may be one of the best ways to prepare for the real deal. And don’t worry about breaking a sweat while trying to remember the name of the 37th U.S. president (fyi, it’s Nixon): The harder it is to remember a piece of information in practice mode, the more likely we are to remember it in the future.

7. Write it out.

Put those third-grade penmanship lessons to good use. Research suggests we store information more securely when we write it out by hand than when we type it. Start by recopying the most important notes from the semester onto a new sheet of paper.