Study Skills
for
Successful Students
Fred Orr
ALLEN & UNWIN
To my parents
© Fred Orr, 1992
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and
retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the
publisher.
First published in 1992
Allen & Unwin
9 Atchison Street,
St Leonards NSW 1590
Australia
Phone: (61 2) 8425 0100
Fax: (61 2) 9906 2218
E-mail: frontdesk @ allen-unwin.com.au
Web: http://www.allen-unwin.com.au
National Library of Australia
Cataloguing-in-Publication entry:
Orr, Fred.
Study skills for successful students.
ISBN 1 86373 118 0.
1. Study, Method of I. Title
371.302812
Typeset in 10/11 pt Times by Adtype Graphics
Printed by Loi Printing Pte Ltd, Singapore
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3
Contents
Preface v
1 Personal management strategies 1
Motivation - Concentration - Procrastination - Memory
enhancement - Practical exercises
2 Time and stress management 14
The daily To Do list - Semester planning - Long-term career
goals - Preventing time robberies - Study stress - Sharing
resources - Diet - Sleep - Exercise - Practical exercises
3 Listening skills in lectures 29
Listening vs hearing - A prepared mind can listen better
- Practical pointers - Practical exercises
4 Note-taking 38
Warming-up before your lectures - Becoming a more efficient
note-taker - Revising soon after the lectures - Learning your
lecture notes week by week - Revising your notes before your
exams - Glossary of note-taking symbols and abbreviations
- Practical exercises
5 Reading more efficiently 52
Speed reading, the harsh realities - Scanning - Reading to learn
and retain - Revision reading for exams - Practical exercises
6 Library research skills 63
Know the anatomy of your library - Know how your library
works - Saving time in the library - Practical exercises
Study skills for successful students iv
7 Writing essays 72
Plan the project - Establish a file - Set weekly goals
- Preliminary reading - Tentative outline - Researching and
note-taking - Writing the first draft - Redrafting - Learning
from your marked essays - One-page practice essays for
improved performance - Practical exercises
8 Revision skills 85
Planning your revision campaign - Getting help when needed
- Learning on the run - Practical exercises
9 Dealing with academic and exam anxiety 94
Academic anxiety, thinking more positively - Participating in
classroom discussions - Learning how to relax and function
better - Reducing exam anxiety - Practical exercises
10 Preparing for specific exams 104
Multiple choice - Short answer - Essay questions - Open book
- Laboratory exams - Auditions - The medical viva - Practical
exercises
11 Responding effectively in exams 120
The day and night before the exam - Morning strategies on
exam day - Arriving at the venue - Reading the instructions
correctly - Resting between questions - Dealing with mental
blocks - Keeping panic at bay - Checking your work - Practical
exercises
v
Preface
What's this book all about? In one word: skills. Study skills to be
more exact. They are the essential tools of trade for upper
secondary and tertiary students. But, don't most students already
have these skills by the time they reach upper secondary and
tertiary study? Yes, the basics are generally there, but the
demands of study at these higher levels will require more
advanced skills.
Let me ask a few questions to see how you might assess some
of your skills. Do you have high confidence in your abilities to
listen effectively in class discussions and lectures? Are you able
to record an accurate set of lecture notes? Can you skim through
a complex chapter and get the basic messages quickly and effecttively?
And, looking at the end of the academic year, can you
organise a thorough revision of all topics so that you enter the
examination room with confidence? These questions might
sound demanding, but that is exactly what studying at upper
secondary and tertiary levels is all about.
These are but a few of the critical skills which many students
and, indeed teachers, assume are present. However, are these
skills developed and used to best advantage? Many years spent
counselling secondary and tertiary students have shown me that
the rudiments of the skills are there, but they certainly need to be
developed further. This book will show you how to develop