studyandsteep

[studyandsteep]

study log, 05/05/2025

exams season is upon us, so i haven't been very good at posting... sorry guys T-T

anyways, today's log:

took my english quiz since i was out sick the day we had it

got 90 on my math test, not too bad but the final is coming up in 2 weeks!!

studied 2 hours of math, scheduling 80min for my practice test then we're DONE

died on matrices

overall, not very productive but it's also a monday so..... we'll see for the rest of the week, lol.

[studyandsteep]

subject-specific study tips: history

check out my post masterlist here!

"blurting" (linked here). this is an incredibly helpful memorization technique that minimizes time as much as possible.

create flashcards for terms you're unfamiliar with. flashcards don't work as well as blurting for overall concepts but are perfect for memorizing dates and historical figures! You can use apps and websites like Anki, Quizlet and Knowt to help.

begin studying early, doing small chunks at a time. don't cram the night before- you'll never remember anything. instead, focus on learning the material in small bursts of maximum focus- 45 minutes every day will cover more ground than 5 hours the night before, esp. using the pomodoro method.

focus on the big picture. most of the time, you aren't expected to remember tiny, insignificant details- these are just meant to help you remember the big picture. ex: rather than remembering how big the Mughal empire army was, use that as a way to remember how powerful the Mughals were in the 1600s.

join a study group! these are super fun and allow you to identify gaps in your knowledge. go through your material in chronological order and discuss the material, making sure to check your notes for the correct answer! don't have more than 4 people in your study group- more than will make it a party rather than a study session XD

review the homework. what you do in your homework will most likely be on the test, esp. if your teacher assigns reading questions.

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these next tips are from my previous post, subject-specific study tips for social studies.

explain the material to someone else.

practice with past tests if you can. create the same conditions of testing you'll have on test day- try taking the mock test during the same time of day as the real test! do this 3-5 days before the actual test.

understand the themes and patterns. since social studies covers the economics, politics, geography, and culture of a country, find patterns between these themes across different periods. example:

ancient egypt was very fertile due to the Nile river. this allows us to deduce that the Nile impacted trade positively by allowing for long-distance trade with other countries. thus, we know that ancient egypt was a wealthy and powerful ancient civilization.

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test-taking

make sure to check out my other series on test-taking strategies and good luck!

-studyandsteep

[studyandsteep]

not sure if you have this already, but any tips for studying suicidal studies ( specifically Egypt) is my first closed not social studies test and I’m scared :)

hey there! thanks for dropping an ask, i really appreciate them :)

check out my post masterlist here!

subject-specific study tips: social studies

subject-specific study tips, part 2 - full series here!

"blurt". egypt especially is a memorization heavy society (think of all the pharaohs and islamic and modern figures you need to know). i'd also assume you need to know about geography, economy, and religion too. my best technique for memorization is "blurting", since you can do it quickly and easily.

that being said, you can also create flashcards if those help you too. however, this technique is pretty time consuming. there are many websites out there (Anki, which focuses on spaced repetition learning, and Knowt, a free version of Quizlet, are my two favorites).

practice with past tests if you can. create the same conditions of testing you'll have on test day- try taking the mock test during the same time of day as the real test! do this 3-5 days before the actual test.

study in small chunks. using the pomodoro method, you can cover more ground than by studying for 3 hours with no breaks.

explain the material to someone else.

focus on the big picture, not the small details. the small details will help you remember, but focus on the broad strokes of where, when, and why it happened.

understand the themes and patterns. since social studies covers the economics, politics, geography, and culture of a country, find patterns between these themes across different periods. example:

ancient egypt was very fertile due to the Nile river. this allows us to deduce that the Nile impacted trade positively by allowing for long-distance trade with other countries. thus, we know that ancient egypt was a wealthy and powerful ancient civilization.

so, if your teacher asks you to name how geography influenced Egypt as a whole, you can deduce many facts by looking at previous examples of civilizations.

test-taking

if you're also nervous about test-taking, make sure to check out my other series on test-taking strategies. most of these were designed with closed-note tests in mind, so i think they'll be helpful.

good luck!

-studyandsteep

[studyandsteep]

quick PSA

while i wholeheartedly admire studyblrs who have the most perfect notes and study spaces, just remember that it's 100% okay to not have super pretty notes!! what matters is that you can read & understand them well, and that they help you study

i also want to add that it's totally okay to not always have productive days! some days are just like that, and you should always take a break if needed :D

math quiz studying, day 2/7

did half of math hw today

45 min of studying for math

hour of overall homework

overall not productive at all, hopefully will get better on the weekend :(

tried creating aesthetic study photos today, DID NOT WORK

also got some boba

[studyandsteep]

math quiz studying, day 2/7

did half of math hw today

45 min of studying for math

hour of overall homework

overall not productive at all, hopefully will get better on the weekend :(

tried creating aesthetic study photos today, DID NOT WORK

also got some boba

[studyandsteep]

subject-specific studying: math

this is the first part of my newest series, subject-specific study tips. please enjoy & check out my other posts :)

there is no "easy" way to succeed in math. the first thing you need to recognize is that math is the hardest subject you have, meaning you need to spend the most time on it. there aren't any easy hacks to help you here.

practice, practice, practice. the goal in math is to learn, not memorize. the only way to succeed in math is by practicing questions over and over again until you have completely understood the material.

do not leave a single stone unturned or you will regret it lol. even if you don't understand a small, tiny, seemingly irrelevant detail i guarantee you it will be on the test.

always ask your teachers questions. preferably ask them in class, because there will be someone who has the same questions as you, but after class works too. just make sure to write them in a notebook so you can remember the questions.

redo the homework, focusing on the hardest questions. most of the time your test will be harder than the homework. go over all your homework and select the most difficult questions to solve.

time yourself. make sure you can solve the problems under a time constraint, one similar to the test. not only do you need to get each problem correct, you also need to do so under time constraints.

review previous and new work before going to class. even if you don't understand it, always try to stay on top of what you're doing. seeing the material previously helps reinforce it better.

sleep well. before every math class, make sure you're alert and awake, because math classes move fast.

create a practice test by taking questions from online, past exams, and homework. try creating testing conditions similar to the test using the same time constraints and even testing in the same time of day. make it as accurate to the actual test as possible.

[studyandsteep]

useful study channels :)

today's post will be pretty short but hopefully useful. i've compiled a list of my favorite youtube channels for study tips, tricks, and motivation- hope it helps!

Study tips & tricks

gohar's guide - informative youtube shorts on studying

fayefilms - mainly vlogs and study tips

mahad the mentor - focuses on college applications and ap classes, mainly geared towards high schoolers

helaine zhao - again, mainly vlogs for inspiration + study tips

js park - maximizing studying, how to manage time

Explaining concepts/tutoring

organic chemistry tutor - explains math, chemistry, and physics in concise and easy to follow videos (absolute lifesaver)

khan academy - a classic, focus mainly on math but also has other subjects

Study with me and music

lofi girl

ellene

abao in tokyo

merve

College channels

elliot choy - student at vanderbilt, makes trip vlogs

the college essay guy - lemme tell you, he's the GOAT at college essays. also has a blog at https://www.collegeessayguy.com/

kay chung - makes absolutely chaotic dental student youtube shorts, super funny and entertaining!

hope this helps, and please check out my other posts!!

[studyandsteep]

need to beat procrastination? start with the smallest task

unconventional study tips, part 5 - full series here!

the hardest part is getting started. once you do that, the rest will flow easily after you've dipped your toes in the water.

here's how: complete the assignment that will take the least amount of time. homework, maybe, or a 10 minute project work session.

as an added bonus, check your task list and make sure it's ordered by priority; take factors such as how much time the subject will take, due date, and weighting into consideration as you rank each assignment by priority.

procrastination is something students struggle with no matter how talented or smart they are- learning to manage it and not let it get the best of you is the most crucial step to managing time successfully.

[studyandsteep]

mastering time management during exams

test-taking strategies, part 5 - full series here!

first, scan over the test once quickly, esp. if it's on paper. note how many questions there are, and estimate how much the entire test will take you.

star difficult/time-consuming questions, and run through all the easy ones first. you need to rack up enough points to guarantee a passing grade, then focus on the more difficult ones next.

calculate the number of questions you need to answer correctly to achieve your desired grade if you know how much each question is worth. most of the time you will not be completely sure of some answers, and you need to know how many you can "sacrifice" w/out jeopardizing your grade.

check over your answers 20 to 30 minutes before the end of the test. stop working on a difficult question that has you stumped- you will only waste time. you need to make sure you've guaranteed yourself a passing grade through easy questions. avoid any dumb mistakes. THEN work on the difficult questions, unless they're a big part of your test score.

leave bonuses to the very end. bonus questions are usually difficult, so only attempt those once you have already finished the test and checked it over at least once.

Let me know of any other strategies in the tags :)

[studyandsteep]

how to move forward after failing a test

remind yourself that this isn't the end. you will still have more chances in life, and this is only one test in the grand scheme of things. it will not determine the course of your life. this brings me on to my next point:

pick yourself up. don't be so harsh on yourself. you can cry on your bed and eat a tub of ice cream, but only for a day. life is too short (and breaks between tests are too brief) for you to worry about one test.

okay, now that you're feeling better:

record all the answers you got wrong in a separate notebook, with the solutions and why you got them wrong. also take pictures of your test if you can. even if you don't have a final exam, you should still do this step because concepts build up, esp. for math & science.

redo all the questions you got wrong until you can explain them to someone else confidently. pretty self-explanatory, but this is SUPER important.

ask for extra credit opportunities. some teachers will have some, others won't. some teachers even only give extra credit opportunities to kids who failed the test. it's always important to know this in the beginning of the semester, but better late than never.

if you can retake a test, RETAKE IT. most of the time your teacher will take the highest score of your two tests, so it's always worth it to retest, even just to solidify the material further.

ask your teacher for extra practice. definitely do this if you can! it's really worth it and rewarding to find your hard work pay off.

Let me know if there are others you can think of in the tags and make sure to check out my masterlist :D

[studyandsteep]

don't want to study? try staring at a wall first

(unconventional study tips, part 3) - check out the full series here!

if you don't want to start studying, stare at the wall until you've grown sufficiently bored. then, get started on your homework or studying- you'll be bored enough that anything in comparison sounds fun enough.

this "wall-gazing" method of study gives your brain the chance to decompress and start focusing, making you more alert in your studying.

no, seriously. promise y'all it actually works it's insane

[studyandsteep]

ultimate test prep checklist: the day before

a few years back, i made a checklist to help keep me on track for major testing days. it helped a lot, so just decided to share it!

☐ get at least 7 hours of sleep before your test. for teenagers, get at least 8-9 hours. make sure you don't oversleep, though; you can end up groggy on testing day. i've said this once and i'll say it again: good sleep is crucial for test scores. avoid stupid mistakes as much as possible.

☐ eat a healthy, nutritious breakfast. go for fruits, oats, eggs- whatever can keep you awake & alert throughout the day without making you crash from a sugar high.

☐ don't continue cramming on the night before. it sounds counterintuitive, but anything you do the night before will only make you more agitated the next day + won't even matter, since one day of studying doesn't make much difference. instead, focus on getting a good night's sleep.

☐ stay hydrated. don't underestimate how much hydration can affect your concentration. a general rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in ounces.

☐ organize your materials. no one wants to show up on testing day and realize their calculator died. make sure you pack everything you need and might need (better be safe than sorry), including chargers, extra pencils, and your notes.

☐ always arrive five minutes early. you want to have time to set your materials up and have advance notice in case anything goes wrong. start your test on a good note.

☐ do a light review a few hours before. do not cram. just review your notes, go over the concepts in your brain. now is not the time to ask questions about concepts you're confused about.

☐ stay confident & calm. you got this! one test won't be the end of everything. remain calm throughout the test and DO NOT PANIC. panicking will make everything worse- stay calm and skip questions you don't understand. you can always go back to them afterwards.

and that's a wrap! hopefully you all found this useful.

i've also created a google docs you can print out, which can be accessed here:

test-taking strategies, part 4 - full series here!

[studyandsteep]

ultimate test prep checklist: the day before

a few years back, i made a checklist to help keep me on track for major testing days. it helped a lot, so just decided to share it!

☐ get at least 7 hours of sleep before your test. for teenagers, get at least 8-9 hours. make sure you don't oversleep, though; you can end up groggy on testing day. i've said this once and i'll say it again: good sleep is crucial for test scores. avoid stupid mistakes as much as possible.

☐ eat a healthy, nutritious breakfast. go for fruits, oats, eggs- whatever can keep you awake & alert throughout the day without making you crash from a sugar high.

☐ don't continue cramming on the night before. it sounds counterintuitive, but anything you do the night before will only make you more agitated the next day + won't even matter, since one day of studying doesn't make much difference. instead, focus on getting a good night's sleep.

☐ stay hydrated. don't underestimate how much hydration can affect your concentration. a general rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in ounces.

☐ organize your materials. no one wants to show up on testing day and realize their calculator died. make sure you pack everything you need and might need (better be safe than sorry), including chargers, extra pencils, and your notes.

☐ always arrive five minutes early. you want to have time to set your materials up and have advance notice in case anything goes wrong. start your test on a good note.

☐ do a light review a few hours before. do not cram. just review your notes, go over the concepts in your brain. now is not the time to ask questions about concepts you're confused about.

☐ stay confident & calm. you got this! one test won't be the end of everything. remain calm throughout the test and DO NOT PANIC. panicking will make everything worse- stay calm and skip questions you don't understand. you can always go back to them afterwards.

and that's a wrap! hopefully you all found this useful.

i've also created a google docs you can print out, which can be accessed here:

test-taking strategies, part 4 - full series here!

[studyandsteep]

finding patterns in multiple choice answers & why this matters

(test-taking strategies, part 3 - full series here!)

multiple choice questions are everywhere- think of almost any standardized test and there will be a multiple choice question on it.

there are lots of ways to answer those, such as eliminating answers or finding keywords. however, a big one people don't talk about is finding patterns (or, as i like to call it, identifying "common characteristics").

this is a helpful way of eliminating answers quickly, especially in math. by recognizing common characteristics and finding the answer that satisfies the most characteristics, you can make strategical guesses on questions you're unsure of.

what do i mean by this?

example under the cut!

Answer: A.

We note that B is an outlier, since it's not a quadratic like the others. We cross it out.

Now, we look at the answer that contains a combination of the other answers' characteristics. Let's take a look at A.

It's a quadratic like C, D, and E, and it has the term 10x like answers B and C. It also shares the term 24 with answers D and E.

So, without even developing (x+4)(x+6), we have found our answer.

-

quick note: in a multiple choice question with four possible answers, a nice rule of thumb is that there will be one complete outlier, two solutions with different characteristics, and one solution with both characteristics.

[studyandsteep]

why you should chew the same flavor of gum while studying

(or, how to associate topics properly)

unconventional study tips, part 5 - full series here!

when you're studying for a specific subject, study while consuming the same food/beverage each time. basically, your brain will create an association between the flavor and the material you’re studying.

like i said before, this works with just about any food or drink.

personally, i've found that specific tea types (like english breakfast or earl grey) work best, along with (of course) gum flavors like mint.

this is honestly the strangest study tip i have ever posted, and this is coming from the same person who wrote about staring at walls.

[studyandsteep]

how to stay calm & focused during tests

test-taking strategies, part 2 - full series here!

known as the five things grounding technique, this mindfulness practice grounds you and helps you focus during a test. how it works:

five things you can see. these can be other students, the lights, the seats, etc.

four things you can hear: this can be classmates' chatter, or even the sound of the ventilation.

three things you can touch: your desk, pen or pencil, your clothes.

two things you can smell: i personally like to use the burt's bees peppermint lip balm before a test, since the smell and feeling of it are pretty strong.

one thing you can taste: this can be gum, a drink, a breath mint, etc.

use this technique a few minutes before the test starts. i'd also suggest having a hot beverage next to you like coffee or tea to help ground you.

focus on everything around you- the lights, the classroom or hall, the students, your pen or pencil. remind yourself that this isn't the end, because you can always bounce back and do even better.

you got this!

[studyandsteep]

the most important element of test taking

test-taking strategies, part 1 - full series here!

there are many posts out there that talk about various test-taking hacks (esp. for multiple choice questions), and while they can be helpful, i feel they overlook a key aspect- if not, the key aspect- of doing well in tests: remaining calm.

imagine this: you're in a quiet, brightly lit room, you have fifteen minutes left but you're only halfway through, and your panicking neighbor certainly isn't helping matters.

that's not gonna help you succeed at all. you need to maintain a cool, level head. you have to formulate a plan, a way to maximize your points and score according to the time crunch you're in, and being an anxious mess will not help you achieve any of that.

i thought i'd start this series to help anyone who feels uncomfortable and anxious during tests, since these tips really helped boost my confidence and overcome my past struggles with test-taking anxiety. enjoy!