Due to a lack of focus and a poor work environment, many high school students find it difficult to stay concentrated and review for tests and quizzes while studying.
Many students have difficulty studying in the most efficient manner.
This could largely be due to factors outside of their control, but also for reasons that they can control.
According to junior Jon Kamaratos, studying can be challenging because he gets distracted easily.
“While I can get into studying, I have a hard time holding my focus and I get sidetracked very easily,” Kamaratos said.
According to freshman Nathan Holloman, he believes he usually feels confident in his studying, but sometimes feels he could have studied more.
“When I’m taking a test there are points where I think I could have studied more and I should have, but I chose not to,” Holloman said.
Some students benefit from studying in groups in order to discuss topics with classmates and further their understanding of concepts.
“It’s easier to learn when I can bounce ideas off of other people,” Holloman said. “[Group studying] makes me feel more comfortable with studying and more confident in myself.”
While studying in groups can be beneficial for some students, others prefer to study alone.
According to Kamaratos, studying with groups of people can be good, but he usually learns the most when studying by himself.
“[Studying in groups] can be nice for certain classes, but for most classes I prefer to study alone,” Kamaratos said.
According to junior Caden Schaeffer, he can get distracted when studying in groups.
“One time I went to the library to study chemistry with some of my buddies, and I got a bit distracted,” Schaeffer said. “We went to Landis, then we recorded two songs, so overall it was not ‘A+’ studying.”
Numerous studies have found that the environment that you study in can affect the quality of your studying.
Most students have their own environment in which they study best.
For junior Jon Kamaratos, that location is his bedroom.
“I study best in my room. I feel like I get the most done in my own environment,” Kamaratos said.
Schaeffer said that for him to study best he “needs a little bit of noise,” such as listening to music on a low volume.
According to Schaeffer, although listening to a little bit of music can be beneficial, too much noise can mean distractions.
“I can’t study in complete silence, but I also can’t study when it’s too loud,” Schaeffer said.
According to math teacher Robert Faccenda, students should make studying a higher priority within their schedules.
“Take a half an hour out of the time spent on your phone and say ‘I’m going to study for math’ and another half an hour later say ‘I’m going to study for English’,” Faccenda said. “Make it a priority.”
Faccenda believes that the biggest mistake students make is waiting until the night before a test to begin studying and instead suggests studying a few days before taking a test.
“Studying should be more of a two or three-day gradual build-up to a test instead of trying to do it all in one shot,” Faccenda said.
Kamaratos says that in order for students to study most effectively they should find an environment that they are comfortable in.
“Just find your own environment,” Kamaratos said. “Find that space where you can sit down, focus and get things done.”