BV Newsroom's Study Tips
BV Newsroom
By Zoe Darby
Fair Oaks, CA - October 2, 2025
As the new school year picks up and homework starts flooding our days, students might begin to worry about grades and test scores again.
Academic pressure is a significant issue among students. According to the Newport Institute, 87 percent of students surveyed in 2019 by the American College Health Association said they had felt overwhelmed at some point during the school year by everything they had to do.
So how can you stay on top of grades while leaving time to relax and keep up your social life?
Study Groups:
Studying on your own can be incredibly boring. Study groups allow you to compare how much you know to others. You are able to identify what you do not know, and your peers can help you fill those gaps in knowledge. The act of sharing information is similar to teaching information, reinforcing the understanding of the content.
Study groups are also more playful and motivating: you can quiz your friends, help others, share study tips, and socialize.
Good Notes:
Identifying the key concepts is way more important than writing every word down! You want to get rid of the clutter so that the information is easier to process. If you miss anything, you can compare notes with other students. Comparing notes will give you access to other points of view and different approaches to the subject.
Color coding, highlighting important information, and structuring your notes with bullet points and headings will allow for easier review, as well as making the notes nicer to look at.
You can also leave room on the sides, so when you review your notes at a later time you can make comments or add questions. These questions could be about vocabulary or concepts that you just don’t understand yet. Then, before a test, you can go back and review your weak points.
Summarizing your notes in your own words will also do wonders for you. You will be able to find weak spots in your knowledge, as well as reinforce the information.
For more information on note-taking, look up Cornell notes, mind maps, charts, and outlining.
Class Participation:
While raising your hand in class might seem mortifying, it is incredibly beneficial to participate in class. Discussing concepts, asking questions, and listening to others explain the material will deepen your understanding of the subject and boost retention. The teacher and other students can also provide feedback, helping you to readjust or correct your work or thinking.
Information Review:
Mrs. Varanelli, the AP and Honors Biology teacher, always says, “You can’t just sit there and listen, you have to do something with the information!”. This is supported by many research trials.
Reviewing information can be:
Looking over notes and summarizing/rewriting them
Modeling the knowledge through drawings or other media
Explaining concepts to other people
Test your knowledge with quizzes
Make and study flashcards
Study Tips:
Take a break and come back to the subject later
Study at night (studying before sleeping will help consolidate your memories)
Plan your study time
Use mnemonics (turning information into poems or phrases)
Create cheat sheets (don’t use them if you’re not allowed to)
Create a study guide
Studying can be overwhelming and time consuming, but developing good study habits makes it much more manageable, and can even boost your confidence. Remember, school isn’t always about grades. Balance your academics with rest, family, friends, and hobbies so that you can enjoy this school year while still succeeding.
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