How Do Top Computer Science Students Study?

Through the years of completing my bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, I have tried a myriad of study techniques. From chunking study sessions into certain parts of the day to even using the Pomodoro technique. Thanks to these techniques I managed to graduate with one of the highest GPA’s in my class. As a tutor and Computer Science teacher, I have worked with a vast number of students. During this process, I have coached them to try certain techniques and help them improve their grades. Thus, succeeding in the completion of their degree.

So, through the years, I have seen a pattern that top Computer Science students exhibit in their study habits. Which I am going to share with you today, so you can emulate them and improve your grades as a Computer Science student.

If I did it, you can do it too! Now, let’s get started.

They start studying early

The biggest mistake I see that many of my students do is that they wait for the week before the test to start studying. THIS IS A BIG MISTAKE. Because Computer Science concepts take time to sink into your brain. That is, these concepts need to be practiced and a proper interval of time to stay in your mind. However, the top Computer Science students of their class start preparing early for their next test. This can be by reading the textbook, doing practice exercises and doing their homework. My recommendation is to start as soon as possible. As soon as you receive the syllabus of the course, verify the dates of the exams. Then, structure a plan to study for the test.

They practice, a LOT

Many Computer Science exams are designed to test the application of the concepts. So, knowing the theory alone will not suffice to get a good grade on the exam. Thus, top Computer Science students practice the application of these concepts. This can be doing exercises on the book or searching more on the Internet. There are plenty of resources online that have excellent programming exercises with you can practice.

My recommendation is to do as many practice exercises as possible. Do all of the exercises relevant to the topic of the book and search on the Internet. Just do a quick Google search, and you will find a lot of these exercises.

They ask for help

When top students get stuck on a particular topic, they ask for assistance as soon as they can. This can be by going to their professor’s office, asking a colleague or even hiring a tutor. This is where starting to prepare early for the test really pays off. Recognizing that you don’t understand something with enough time before the test will enable you to correct the deficiency and avoid getting points taken off on your next test. If you would like for me to tutor or coach you to improve on your next test, feel free to contact me for more information about my tutoring services.

Bonus tip

As a reward for everyone who has read the article to the end, I am going to share a strategy I used as a Computer Science student and improve my GPA significantly. I have also recommended this to many of my students, and they have seen results from them.

Get the exercises of your textbook assigned by your professor on the course syllabus, copy and paste them into a separate sheet of paper like in a test format. You should include exercises you also did in class. Then, sit down somewhere without a book, Internet, set up a timer and start doing the “mock test” by yourself.

When you finish it, grade it and see how you did. After doing this, study the material you missed on the questions. By doing this, you are simulating the test environment which reduces test anxiety and helps you perform better on the actual test. This really helped me a lot.

For more tips like these, check out my YouTube channel, Felix The Dev, where I post content and share tips to help Computer Science students succeed in their academic endeavors.

Also, don’t forget to follow me, so you don’t miss a story.

Hope this helps!

If you liked this article, I think you might be interested in these articles as well:

Disclaimer: All these tips and techniques I recommend here are based on my personal experience. Try them out to see if they can help you as well. But remember, everybody is different.

Originally published at yadielcabrera.com on June 22, 2018.