“New year, new me” is a message we hear quite often when January rolls around. As a student, the academic year typically runs from September to May, so January can feel more like a mid-way point. If since September you’ve been on a steady path with your routines and revision, then this “new year,new me” talk might feel overwhelming and convince you that what you’ve been doing isn’t good enough. The truth is that no matter where your starting point is, there is always time to make changes and improvements throughout your study journey in order to achieve the best possible outcome. And this doesn’t mean you have to study harder, you just need to know how to study efficiently for exams.
So, let’s take advantage of this new wave of productivity that is surrounding us right now and use it to our advantage by having a study reset for 2024. Think of these ideas less as changes to what you’re doing and more about additions to make your life easier and revise more with less effort. Here’s how to study efficiently for exams:
Expand your study resources – utilise multiple learning resources
By the time December arrives, most students have found their footing with making notes and studying for exams/assignments, but whether these are the most efficient and results-driven methods is another question. January is a great time to expand beyond your comforts and utilise multiple learning resources as this is the only way you will be able to find more effective ways to study. There are hundreds of different study resources available and with the rapid development of technology in recent years these tools are mainly available online.
A form of assistive technology which you can use to take notes and study at university is the Jamworks app. Available on both mobile and desktop devices, you can use Jamworks to record your lectures and the Automatic Highlights feature will generate notes for you using content from the session.
Jamworks works with AI to provide a number of learning resources that you can use to study content in different ways. These AI features include: AI Flashcards/revision quizzes, AI summaries, key points, automated transcript, live captioning and JamAI chatbot.
The great thing about studying with new learning resources such as Jamworks is that the app will help you learn how to study efficiently for exams by eliminating the need to write out notes and additional study resources such as flashcards by hand, thus saving you time to use for revision instead! For more recommendations on study apps to try you can read our blog about the best apps for taking notes in university.
Be open to trying new study methods
Following on from expanding your study resources, why not also be open to trying new study methods in 2024? They say if something’s not broken, why fix it right? But at the same time you could be missing out on a potential method that helps you to study in a third of the time it currently takes you, you just haven’t tried it yet!
A popular and efficient study method practised among students at university is retrieval practice. This is a method where you are pulling information from your head as a way to remember it as opposed to cramming it in. You are testing yourself, and this way you only have to go over the information you couldn’t remember/didn’t get right this time around.
To practise this study method it is helpful to use resources such as flashcards, summaries and mindmaps which you can automatically generate with the Jamworks app. The AI Flashcard/revision quizzes feature will be particularly effective to use here as you can click “watch highlight” to refresh yourself of the specific clip of content that was taught in your lecture about that subject originally.
The Jamworks app also offers summaries of the highlight clips of your lecture recording, and for creating mind maps you can ask JamAI to break down the lecture content into the best structure for you to lay the information out efficiently. As you can see, using these study resources and methods provides you with the ability to access learning more directly and smoothly to study smarter, not harder!
How to study efficiently for exams by working with AI
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the simulation of human intelligence by machines and computer programmes. There have been a number of AI chatbot sites released recently which use natural language processing to create humanlike conversational dialogue. Students have been utilising these AI resources to support their learning, but it can be complicated unless you’re using an AI feature which specifically is built to support education and learning.
The Jamworks app has been able to utilise AI to provide revision features within the app to elevate the learning experiences of students, and most notably, the AI chatbot feature JamAI. The JamAI chatbot provides you with information which is limited to the topics relating to content from the recorded session you have chosen. This means that you are studying efficiently by not deviating from the relevant content which other AI chatbots have been known to do.
JamAI can present information to you in different ways to make the content more understandable and digestible than how your lecturer has taught it during the class. When you look at AI as a 24/7 learning assistant available to you, this makes it a study resource that is a non-negotiable to try out this year.
Reflect on your individual needs
Studying is not a one-size-fits-all experience. Every student has their own individual needs and will find various methods more effective for them than others. The key to studying efficiently in 2024 is to identify your individual needs, as well as what type of learning style suits you best because this will help you to eliminate study methods that will not meet these needs, thus saving time as a result.
An example of this is that you may identify that you study more efficiently when you are alone. This means that in 2024, it’s okay to say no to group library sessions if it’s not a study method that’s going to benefit you. Instead, set up a cosy individual study space for some solo revision time and if you discover that you’re an auditory learner then you can pop on your headphones and use the Jamworks app to consume your lecture content in peace for a more efficient learning experience.
If you want to study efficiently in 2024 without adding pressure to your already heavy workload, having a study reset and reflecting on how you’re doing things as opposed to what you’re doing might just be the answer to achieving your revision goals and better grades as a result.
Utilise the support available to you such as the Jamworks app and its impressive range of AI features, especially JamAI which holds the answers to any content-related questions you may have. Sometimes changing things up at the halfway point can be the key to unlocking your productive side, so why not find out and see?
You can learn how to study efficiently for exams in 2024 with the Jamworks app at university – click here to get started today!
