Everyone who has been through it, knows that getting straight
"A"s is not a mystery, and you don't have to be Einstein to do it.
As anything else in life though, it does require effort,
determination, and positive thinking. Steps
- Read your lesson prior to the class. You don't
have to study it and memorize it, just read it to have a notion of
the topic in class, and to prepare the questions for the teacher to
clarify.
- Take good class notes. Don't write everything
the teacher says, just enough bullets or headlines to remind you of
the class discussions and significant points.
- After the lecture or class, always spend approximately
20 minutes reading your class notes, and reading the
material from the book. This is crucial as books are usually
written by subject experts and are more extensive and better
prepared than the teacher's materials presented during class.
- Do the exercises at the end of the book. This
is the best way to prove to yourself that you understand the
material.
- Find a quiet place, like your room, lock the
door, and imagine you are the teacher explaining the subject to a
student. This is also a good way to measure your understanding of
the material. If you can participate in tutoring programs in
school, this serves the same purpose.
- Be proactive in participating in study groups.
To deepen your understanding of a particular subject, it is
sometimes beneficial to hear other people's perspectives and
explanations. This sometimes helps clarify topics that we may
misunderstand or not fully understand.
- Never stay up late the night before a test. If
you are not prepared by the prior evening, chances are you will not
get an A, and pulling an all-nighter will only tire you and hamper
your focus during the test.
- Get organized. Consistently place all
assignments or handed back work/handouts separate and in
chronological order. Not only does this make life in general
easier, but it really, really helps come exam times, especially if
there will be a cumulative end of year exam.
- Take courses you are interested in. You will
do better if you are actually enjoying yourself while in class. one
consistently will find that your favorite classes are the ones you
get the best grade in.
- Be aware of your body clock. The human body
learns best at specific times (usually in the morning for most
people). Be sure you save this time for studying and internalizing
important class materials, and reserve the other time for less
pensive activities as homework or socializing. Avoid studying when
you are tired. In general, you should try to get at least 8 hours
of sleep a night.
- Pay attention in class. You will understand
the subject better and know what the teacher is talking about prior
to a test.
- Spend a reasonable amount of time on your
assignments. Assignments done at the last minute or of
poor quality will not help you much. Also, they won't reflect your
skills as a student and probably will lower your grade.
- Do your homework. A lot of your mark is based
on whether you do your homework and whether you have a good
attitude. Chances are, if you do your homework, you'll do better on
tests, too. Doing homework does not mean only doing assignments
that are going to be collected or graded. For example if the
teacher asks for you to read a section of the textbook, there is a
reason for it, and doing all of your homework includes doing every
assigned task and taking notes on reading whether it is required or
not. This is the most important step to achieving an A in the
class. Since you will always be prepared for class, pop-quizzes,
and it will significantly decrease the amount of t
