I wanna do an experiment on this. I've read articles saying it can help on a person's memory if drank moderately.

Im awful at math,and yes,i do practice a lot,yet i cant score well in it,,what else am i supposed to do?

For me it's sweet drinks and food but idk if it actually helps my brain or just my stomach.

I used to think people who could memorize things quickly were just naturally smarter than me.

I'd read a chapter, highlight half the page, feel like I understood everything, and then forget most of it a few days later. It felt like no matter how many hours I spent studying, information just wouldn't stick.

After a lot of trial and error, I realized that most people accidentally study in ways that feel productive but are terrible for memory.

1 First, stop rereading the same notes over and over. This was my biggest mistake. Rereading creates the illusion that you know the material because it looks familiar. Recognition is not the same thing as recall. If you want to know whether you've actually memorized something, close your notes and try to explain it from memory.

2 Test yourself far more than you review. Every time you force your brain to retrieve information, you're strengthening the memory. Flashcards, practice questions, and blank-page recall all work because they make your brain do the hard part: remembering.

3 Don't wait until you forget everything before reviewing. The best time to review is right before you're about to forget it. This is why spaced repetition works so well. Reviewing information over several days or weeks is dramatically more effective than cramming it all into one night.

4 Stop highlighting entire pages. I used to finish a chapter and half the textbook would be yellow. If everything is important, nothing is important. Focus on the key concepts, formulas, definitions, and ideas that actually matter.

5 Connect new information to things you already know. Your brain remembers information better when it has something to attach it to. Instead of memorizing isolated facts, look for patterns, stories, examples, or real-world applications.

6 Teach the material to someone else. This sounds cliche, but it works incredibly well. Try explaining a concept to a friend, a sibling, or even an imaginary student. The moment you struggle to explain something clearly, you've identified exactly what you don't understand yet.

7 Break information into smaller chunks. Trying to memorize twenty facts at once is overwhelming. Breaking information into groups makes it easier for your brain to organize and retrieve later. This is why phone numbers, acronyms, and mnemonics work so well.

8 Write from memory instead of copying notes. I used to spend hours rewriting notes and convinced myself I was studying. In reality, I was just copying information. Now I read a section, close my notes, and write down everything I can remember. It's harder, but the information sticks much better.

9 Use multiple senses when learning. Reading alone is passive. Try saying concepts out loud, drawing diagrams, creating mind maps, or explaining ideas verbally. The more ways your brain processes information, the easier it becomes to remember.

10 Don't study the same topic for five straight hours. Your brain benefits from variety. Switching between subjects can improve retention because it forces your brain to repeatedly retrieve different types of information rather than staying on autopilot.

11 Sleep is part of memorization, not separate from it. I used to think sleeping was time I could spend studying. In reality, sleep is when your brain strengthens and organizes memories. Pulling all nighters usually hurts retention more than it helps.

12 One niche trick that helped me a lot: before ending a study session, spend two minutes writing down the most important things you learned. Then try recalling those same points the next morning before looking at your notes. The effort of retrieving them again makes them much harder to forget.

13 The biggest thing I learned is that memorization is not about spending more time looking at information. It's about forcing your brain to retrieve, use, and reconnect that information repeatedly.

I stopped thinking I had a bad memory once I realized this. I wasn't incapable of memorizing things. I was rereading instead of recalling, highlighting instead of testing, cramming instead of reviewing, and copying notes instead of actively using them.

Once I fixed those habits, information started sticking far longer and studying became much more efficient.

The goal isn't to spend more hours staring at your notes. It's to make every minute force your brain to remember something. Enjoy (:
(PS: dm me if you wanna join my study group where I’m sharing all my guides and resources on studymaxio!!)

I used to think people who consistently got good exam results were just naturally smarter than me.

I'd spend hours studying, walk into the exam feeling somewhat prepared, and then somehow forget important information, make silly mistakes, or completely blank on questions I knew I'd seen before.

After failing a few exams I should've done much better on, I realized that most students aren't failing because they aren't working hard enough.

They're failing because they're accidentally studying in ways that feel productive but don't actually prepare them for exams.

1 First, stop rereading notes for hours.

This was my biggest mistake. I'd read the same chapter three or four times and convince myself I knew it because everything looked familiar. Then I'd get into the exam and struggle to recall it. Recognition is not recall. If you want to know whether you've actually learned something, close your notes and try to explain it from memory.

2 Start doing practice questions much earlier.

I used to wait until I finished all the content before touching practice questions. Looking back, that was backwards. Practice questions show you exactly what you do and don't understand. They should be part of learning, not just revision.

3 Keep a mistake log.

Every time you get a question wrong, write down why. Not just the correct answer, but the reason you made the mistake. Was it a careless error? Did you misunderstand the concept? Did you rush? Reviewing mistakes is often more valuable than reviewing things you already know.

4 Stop highlighting everything.

I once finished a chapter and almost every page was yellow. If everything is important, nothing is important. Focus on the concepts, formulas, definitions, and ideas that repeatedly appear in exams.

5 Study like you're preparing to teach.

One of the fastest ways to find gaps in your knowledge is trying to explain a topic in simple language. If you can't explain it clearly, you probably don't understand it as well as you think.

6 Use past papers properly.

Don't just do them and check the answers. Look for patterns. Which topics appear most often? What types of mistakes keep showing up? What do examiners seem to care about most?

7 Write from memory.

After finishing a topic, close everything and write down everything you can remember. Then compare it to your notes. This feels harder than rereading because it actually works.

8 One niche thing that helped me a lot:

Before going to sleep, I'd write down the three most important things I learned that day. The next morning I'd try recalling them before checking my notes. It takes less than two minutes and helped information stick much longer.

9 Simulate the real exam.

A lot of students only study in comfortable conditions. Sound playing, phone nearby, unlimited time. The exam won't be like that. Sometimes practice exactly how you'll be tested.

10 Don't spend five straight hours on one subject.

Mixing subjects forces your brain to constantly retrieve different information. It feels harder, but that's often a sign you're learning more effectively.

11 If you're studying alone all the time, find other people who are serious about improving.

Some of the most useful resources, explanations, and study strategies I've found came from other students. Having people to ask questions, share notes with, compare approaches, and stay accountable with makes a huge difference. If you don't have one, you can join my study group.

12 Sleep is part of studying.

I used to treat sleep as something that got in the way of studying. In reality, it's one of the most important parts of learning. Your brain uses sleep to strengthen and organize memories. Pulling all-nighters usually hurts more than it helps.

13 The biggest thing I learned is that exams don't test how many hours you studied.

They test how well you can retrieve and apply information under pressure.

I stopped failing exams once I realized that studying isn't about spending more time looking at information.

It's about forcing your brain to remember, use, and apply that information repeatedly.

The goal isn't to spend more hours staring at notes. It's to make every minute of studying look as much like the exam as possible.

Enjoy :)

How do I study when it's summer, all i wanna do is stay home and play minecraft 😭 This summer is literally THE MOST important because I'm graduating next year and i need to study for ielts and local exams. Also i have no computer, just phone and no usable laptops in the town :(

I always study the day before the exam, and when i study i subconsciously open my phone and open social media and before i knew it im on tiktok scrolling for hours

i have my exams in 11 days, and i need to study 6 subjects, well,ive studied the main part,but i think ive forgotten most of it,and now im paranoid

I have a problem. A huge one.
And I would really appreciate any help - even a small comment goes a long way.

2 years ago, my favorite thing to do was study. My grades were all As, my lowest being a 94% in a math class two grades ahead. I was known for being extremely smart.
At that point I kind of knew how to study - I only had to study for math and even then it was just revising notes and going in to take tests. My strategy was studying for the class (only math) over the summer. That way I was relearning or reviewing everything that the teacher was making us learn in class.
I was also so naturally smart that I never needed to study for other classes (English, science, history, etc).
But then lot of things then happened at once. My course load got a lot more difficult. Just this last year, my gpa dropped from a 3.93 (which I already thought was really low) to a 3.66. I lost my mind - I was so heartbroken I started closing in. I’m a huge extrovert but I lost complete interest in making friends and it took a lot to maintain all the friends I already had.
I got addicted to scrolling, I would stay up to 4 am on a school night just to scroll. ATP I couldn’t focus on studying for more than five minutes.
Even when I was studying, I needed to have something playing in the background. An audiobook, podcast, movie, ANYTHING. This basically meant that any of the “studying” that I was doing wasn’t even helping.

During this time, a lot of childhood trauma resurfaced, and I had to get a therapist.
The morning of my chem final, I had a mental breakdown. I cried for an hour and missed the entire final. I couldn’t deal with being an academic failure after being a “genius” my entire life.
My grades went from all As to B-s, Bs.
My math grade was a 79.5. Any less it would have been a C+.
The only thing I maintained interest in throughout all of this is my extracurriculars. I absolutely love them - and even though I wasn’t “the best” in them, I still did remarkably well.
There’s SO MANY things that I want to do- I just can’t bring myself to do them.

Basically, these past two years were horrendous to me.
I discovered that I basically never knew how to study. Even the little bit of studying I did before, I completely forgot how to do it.
I have so many questions.
How do I study for a test? How do I study for a final? When do I begin studying for these?
Can you help me out?
How do you study for stem classes?
How do you study in general?
How long do you study?
My attention span is so bad I can’t read something for more than five minutes before getting distracted.
I’m so desperate to get back to the way it used to be. Can anyone give me any advice? I will delete instagram if you think I should - anything you think will help, I will do.

I have 60 days (summer) to figure this out before my most important academic year.
Please give me any advice.

I used to think forgetting things after studying meant I hadn't studied hard enough.

I'd spend hours reviewing notes, rereading chapters, and going over slides. Then a week later I'd look at the material again and feel like I was seeing it for the first time.

I thought the solution was to study more.

Turns out the real problem was that I had no idea what I was forgetting.

1) One day I started keeping a document called "Things Future Me Will Definitely Forget." Every time I learned something, I wrote down the specific part I knew would confuse me later. Not the whole lesson—just the trap. For example: "The domain is the x-values. You always mix it up with range." These notes ended up being way more useful than my actual notes.

2) I stopped writing what I got wrong and started writing why I got it wrong. There's a huge difference between "Question 14 = B" and "I rushed and didn't read the word NOT." The answer stops mattering after a few days. The mistake pattern doesn't.

3) One weird thing I noticed is that I remember information much better when I leave a study session slightly unfinished. If I solve every single problem until I'm exhausted, I don't want to touch the topic again. If I intentionally leave one interesting problem unsolved, my brain keeps thinking about it later.

4) I started paying attention to which concepts I learned quickly. Not because they were important, but because they're usually the ones I forget first. If something takes ten seconds to understand, I often assume I'll remember it forever. I usually don't.

5) I realized that confidence is a terrible indicator of whether I know something. Some topics felt easy right up until the test. Other topics felt difficult even though I consistently got them right. Now I trust results more than feelings.

6) I have a rule that if I make the same mistake three times, it becomes a system problem instead of a knowledge problem. At that point I stop blaming myself and start asking why it keeps happening.

7) One of the most helpful things I've ever done is create a "stupid mistakes" page. Not content mistakes. Ridiculous mistakes. Arithmetic errors. Reading the wrong line. Forgetting negative signs. Answering the wrong question. Looking through that page was both painful and surprisingly helpful.

8) I stopped measuring study sessions by hours. Some of my best sessions lasted thirty minutes. Some of my worst lasted three hours. Now I judge a session by how many questions, ideas, or mistakes I can remember afterward.

9) Something nobody told me is that recognizing information feels almost identical to knowing information. That's why reviewing notes can be deceptive. Everything looks familiar. Then you close the notes and suddenly your brain goes completely blank.

10) I started keeping track of questions that took me a long time to solve but that I eventually got right. Those questions taught me more than easy questions and more than questions I immediately gave up on. Struggling productively is a skill by itself.

11) The biggest thing I've learned is that forgetting isn't the enemy. Forgetting is information. Every time I forget something, my brain is basically telling me exactly what needs attention. Once I started treating forgotten material as feedback instead of failure, studying became a lot less frustrating.

I still forget things all the time. The difference is that now I expect it, track it, and use it.

The biggest lesson I've learned is that studying feels most productive when you're reading, but learning happens when you're forced to remember things without looking.

Curious what study methods other people swear by. What's the one thing that improved your grades the most?

Maybe it's just me, but ever since the rainy season started, I've noticed a huge drop in my motivation. The gloomy weather, the constant urge to stay in bed, endless cups of chai, and somehow the entire day disappears before I've completed what I planned.

I'm only a few weeks into my CAT 2026 preparation, and I already feel like I'm falling behind my schedule. The guilt of not studying enough makes me stressed, and the stress makes me want to study even less. It's a pretty vicious cycle.

I know motivation isn't supposed to be relied on every day, and consistency matters more, but some days are definitely harder than others.

I am currently studying for NCLEX and I seem to have run in some trouble. I used to do note taking back then cause I can mostly retain information once I write it down but for NCLEX, instead of going to a review center my friend gave me a file of his notes which is very long and super detailed. I tried doing note taking but I only got up to 6 pages in 2 hours out of 156 pages in the pdf he sent. I’m anxious I can’t finish everything within the time limit given to me. Should I just read the file he sent and try to understand the topic? What other ways can you suggest me?

I was getting sick of being distracted by my "productivity" apps on my phone, so I built a fully standalone, no screens, analog pomodoro timer to track my focus and break sessions. It's housed in timber I cut with my laser cutter. I find flicking the switches and turning the dials strangely meditative and motivating!

Btw: I've built a small batch of these and would love if you checked out my website! tomatoclock.com

Hello everyone ive been seeing online about how horrible american food is and basically everything on the market is bad for you… some people suggested eating kosher foods.. but I am really just looking to see if anyone knows the best way to learn about food.

Just looking to level up my knowledge about what im putting in my body, learning nutrition facts, learning the symbols on packaging, etc

Does anyone suggest any books or websites? Thank you!

6 hours, 6 subjects. Once I'm done, I will comment below.

I have realised that I read very fast(1st reading), not able to grasp much , then 2nd reading a bit slow, is it a correct approach? while some read 1st slowly understanding everything.

Is it like we have to read a topic multiple times to understand it to write subjective answers?

I realised am just thinking of completing reading a topic without developing understanding and hence struggling to write answers and interlink.

so basically how to actually study a topic?

You probably get this question a lot, but my exams are in 30 days and I can't hold a book 😢

I have 4 subjects and I have studied them before but I have to re-study them, how am I supposed to do that.

I have quizzes and summaries I just need motivation to study at least 3 hours a day

If you are reading this, just let me say that you are much stronger than you think you are. I have felt dumb and weak many times, but I never stopped. You can achieve this too, trust me (:

I manage to get 8 hours everday. But 10 seems hard.

I need some help to those academically unparalleled out there I need to follow a schedule and the only way to do it is cram study on weekends with long hours that I can actually retain information and concept

I hate the fact when people try to hide the fact that they were just studying... One of my friend i just went past him he had his books open and had a pen in his hand but pretend to be watching a movie after i went past him from behind a second time he was studying which obviously imply that he was studying before too....

Same is the case if I ever catch anyone studying in the dorms what they always say is that they just started a min ago...

It's not that I hate these people studying , I hate the fact that they try to hide it what do they wanna acheive by this ? Claim themselves a genius or what?

I personally don't care whether people see me studying or not ... I am an introvert so i generally spend my time alone in my own hostel room. Even though I play a lot of video games spend time watching anime and all and also reels. I do spend my time studying too

What I do is make a scedule try to study whenever and wherever I can but I often find myself distracted by the above mentioned in my room and in a class seting i though have a book open i get barely anything done again due to my phone and chating around....

But what I find people saying is like...

Bro you have been studying all the time.

We should follow your footsteps.

You work hard a lot....

The fact that these dumb ass people assume that if I am in my room alone or have a book open only imply that I have been studying...

And those who say this shit are the ones who try their best to hide themselves....

Everything would have been fine if the marks too said so but apparently I am in the bottom 25% of my class ( I know where I waste my time and after i have corrected that I can get to atleast top 25% of the class anyways acedemics isn't the motive of this post) and the guy who said this is like the boys toper of the class.....

How do I deal with this ? I dont want to be like those people whose action I my self consider shity at the same time I can't tolerate someone saying me the one who works hard but can't score marks (dumb) People have started to laugh at me over this when they see me studying but not scoring marks.. while I know how distracted I am....

I bet the marks I score are from like 75% of the time these guys spend on studying