Q&A for How to Learn Faster

Try to remember that learning is a process, and no one is born understanding difficult subjects, like math. It's okay if you're not fast at it. You can take the time to learn at your own pace. Try to focus on small goals and the progress you've made so far instead of getting overwhelmed because you don't know everything yet.

Put your phone away, study in a quiet place away from other people and challenge yourself to stay focused on your studies for just a half hour at a time. Take a five minute break after a half hour to recharge, then get back to studying.

Take good notes in class. Then go over your notes when you get home to refresh your memory.

Get rid of the things which stop you from focusing on studies such as electronics and open social media pages. Choose a quiet study space without distractions. Be tidy on your desk. You might find the following article to be of help: How to Concentrate on Studies .

Your sleep may be ineffective, you may have too much stress, or you probably don't understand or know the material. Or, your eyesight may be poor and you need more light or even spectacles. Another possibility is that the reading work is hard and you get tired trying to understand the concepts -- that is normal for most people, you just have to take breaks and keep trying.

Carefully schedule the time you do have to make the most of it. Plan out your day so that you have a set time for attending to your studies.

Your brain processes what you study and commits it to long-term memory during REM sleep, so staying up late to study isn't a good idea. If you don't get at least 8 hours of sleep, you risk not retaining what you studied.

Put away your phone and make a list of what you are going to study. For example, you can do one day study social studies, the next day something else. Also, when you don't get something right, ask for help or ask your teacher or your mom or dad. If you need to do a lot of homework, reward yourself. For instance, every hour of studying, spend 5 minutes on Instagram and so on.

You should pick a quiet place where you feel most comfortable, and are not distracted. As to when, you can do it whenever you want as long as you have enough time to study without stress.

Make a game of it. If it's math, every problem you do that comes out to 5 or 6, eat a pink jelly bean, or if it's 10 or 12, eat a blue jelly bean and so on. If it's reading or science, pick a random word and every time you see that word, eat an orange jelly bean, etc.

Turn off/put away your distractions, and study hard. Keep practicing, and don't give up.

Put away any electronics or other potential distractions, then set a timer. Try to finish the assignment before the timer goes off. This will motivate you to stay on task.

Theoretically, yes, but this is very unlikely. Repetition and studying are really the only reliable ways for you to retain information over a long period of time.

Everyone has different studying and retention methods. It is very easy to feel discouraged when we see the person sitting beside us barely study, yet score high while we work hard and still struggle. Just keep in mind that it is emotionally paining if you compare yourself to other people. Don't compete with other people in your class, but compete with yourself so you can work better. Most importantly, keep a positive outlook on life, your studies, and yourself, because the way you see the world really affects the way you think.

Yes, it can be useful. However, make sure you're not just blindly memorizing your material. It's important to learn and actually understand what you are studying rather than simply memorizing it by repeating it.

Maybe you are not studying effectively. Read and apply How to Study .

Frequently review things you have learned to solidify them in your mind.

Not necessarily. If you read out-loud quickly, you may get through the material sooner, but you may not necessarily remember any of it. This won't help you learn faster. You should read at your own pace and stay focused. This way, you won't have to waste time by re-reading anything.

If the other language was, for example, Croatian, translate every word from the Croatian sentence and then write that sentence in your language and it will help you understand and memorize the words and the sentence. It's easier to memorize a word when you know what it means. Do that for the whole essay and as you read the Croatian sentence, remember the meaning in your own language.

Set goals and a timer. Study for short bursts at a time.

You will have to study more than four-and-a-half chapters per day to cover all 32 in a week.

You could schedule your personal study sessions. If you have a plan, you'll likely feel less stressed out as you get the feeling that you're actually studying enough.

You can make a fun game out of it, make flash cards, or you can reward yourself with a treat when you're finished.

Translate the essay into English and study that version with the foreign language version next to it. This will allow you to see a mirror image of the foreign language translation, which can help you memorize what the words mean.

Just concentrate and focus on the subject and then it will become easier for you to learn.

Take breaks and walk around or get some fresh air, or splash some cold water on your face to help keep you awake and alert.

Don't give up! Have faith in yourself. You can learn, you just might need to figure out some alternative techniques. If you're in school, talk to your teachers and counselors, and maybe even your doctor. Plenty of people have learning disabilities and manage them just fine, you just have to get some help.

Read all the material you are trying to memorize and jot down the key words and ideas. Read the material (or just the key points) out loud a few times, then try reciting them without looking. If you did well, give yourself a reward. Repeat the process as needed.

Sometimes studying can be ineffective if you're not fully concentrating or focusing on the right materials. You may want to start by asking your teacher for some individual help, but if they aren't available, you may want to hire a tutor.

The best place is probably the library since it's designed to be quiet and minimally distracting. If you need to study at home, you can go anywhere quiet, but I wouldn't recommend studying on your bed. Doing that could build an association in your brain between studying and laying in bed, making it harder for you to fall asleep at night or easier for you to fall asleep while studying.