How to Get Good Grades
Cs get degrees, but As always pay. Learn what you need to do to get good grades.
Up next in How to Study (16 videos)
Hit the books more effectively -- and get more A's -- with these study tips.
You Will Need
- Attendance
- Punctuality
- Participation
- Notes
- Study schedule
- Organization
- Personal schedule
- Stress reducers
- Memorization techniques (optional)
Steps
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Step 1
Attend and excel
Attend all of your classes -- don't ditch. Always be on time and maintain a schedule that prioritizes hard work over comfort, friends, and fun in the short term in order to succeed in the long term.
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Step 2
Participate in class
Communicate with the teacher or professor to be sure you understand what is expected of you, and participate in class discussions.
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Step 3
Take notes
Take legible notes. Skip lines to separate points and focus on essentials. Review your notes and make outlines to make the material easier to remember for tests.
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Revise constantly and utilize memorization techniques to absorb information.
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Step 4
Establish study times
Maintain strict study times in a quiet, well-lit, comfortable place at home or at the library.
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Step 5
Scan footnotes, words in bold and italic print, summaries, charts, and review questions to commit information to memory. Jot down answers to likely test questions so you can study them later on.
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Step 6
Organize your life
Keep to a tight personal schedule that includes eating, laundry, sleeping, and occasional socializing. Make habits out of discipline and achievement.
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Research suggests that studying important facts and concepts just before going to sleep enhances retention.
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Step 7
Reduce anxiety
Reduce test-taking anxiety by closing your eyes, breathing slowly, and imagining the tension draining out of your head, down your arms, and out through your fingers. Though taking a test is never easy, don't let stress interfere. Now you can look for your name on the Dean's List.
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About 1.5 million children were homeschooled in 2007.
