Study Habits To Try Out On The New Year for Computer Science Students

The fall 2018–2019 semester has ended. You may have received the grades you wanted this year, or you may have fallen short. Nonetheless, I believe there is always room for improvement. That is, you can find new ways to become a better Computer Science student this upcoming year. Also, you can incorporate new study habits and techniques to get better grades or even maintain the grades you have as a Computer Science student.

Finding new ways to improve can help you achieve your goals as a Computer Science student

Fortunately, this winter break is an excellent time you can use to reflect on your performance as a student. You can determine what worked in your study process, or what did not work. This way, you can make the changes before starting the next semester and start the new academic year with a new, optimistic and improved mindset. Also, you can use this time to set new goals to accomplish on this upcoming year as a student.

So, today I will share some ideas on study habits, techniques and strategies, you may have or not heard of, so you can incorporate them into your study routine. Thus, helping you improve and move closer towards accomplishing your goals when it comes to your grades.

Let’s get started.

Habit #1: Start doing practice tests routinely

I am a big believer in the power of practice tests. Moreover, I think practice tests can be used as a great tool to increase performance on the real test, especially in Computer Science tests. Through the years as a Computer Science tutor and a former Computer Science undergraduate student, I have seen that Computer Science exams can have a balance of theory and practice in the questions that may come up in the test.

Use practice tests to your advantage.

For example, let’s say you are taking “Introduction to Programming” and are discussing the concept of decision structures, more specific if-else statements. In my experience, the exam may contain a question (or questions) which will require you to understand the idea behind an if-else statement but also apply the concept to write an algorithm.

So, my suggestion is to spend time understanding the theory behind if-else statements by attending class, reading your textbook, but also spend time applying the concept. This is just one example, this strategy can apply to other Computer Science related concepts, this is just to help you understand the importance of theory and practice when it comes to preparing for your Computer Science exams.

This is where practice tests come in handy, by separating time to complete a practice test, you are exposing yourself to apply the knowledge you have acquired to a similar scenario as in test day. Also, you can mimic the test environment and after you finish the practice test, you can take a look at the questions you answered incorrectly and you can review the concepts before test day. Hence, not losing points on the actual test and helping you get a better grade overall on the course.

So, I recommend starting to incorporate a habit of completing practice tests before the actual test, maybe two weeks or a week before the exam. I know this helped me a lot to get better grades.

Habit #2: Structure your study time

As a Computer Science undergraduate student, I remember there were weeks that got really hectic due to all the assignments I had to hand in, exams I had to take and extracurricular activities I was engaged in. So, there were times that I did not have time to spare, I had to be very careful of how I invested my time to get the results I wanted. This is where I learned to structure my study time. A way you can do this is by using a planner or a calendar to keep track of all the due dates of your class assignments, projects, exams and all other important commitments you may have coming up.

Habit #3: Get the most out of your study time

A lesson I learned as an undergraduate student is that it’s not the number of hours you spend studying, but the quality of those hours you invest in studying to get the best results on your exams. A way I used to help me get the most of my study sessions, was the Pomodoro Technique by Francesco Cirillo. It’s a simple technique where you separate 25 minutes to accomplish a task, then take a 5-minute break. As you use this technique, you can modify it to increase the time you spend completing a task.

When I was an undergrad, I used this technique to study for my exams and it helped me a lot. Not only to prepare for the exams, but I also used it to do all the homework assignments and class projects. It helped me stay focus on the task and get the most out of the time I invested in my study sessions.

There you have it, some ideas on study habits you can use in the new year to improve your academic performance as a Computer Science student. In my experience, to get the best results you need to practice these habits consistently. At least that’s how it helped me the most.

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I hope this helps and happy new year!

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Photo by Startup Stock Photos from Pexels

Disclaimer: Results may vary. These tips and advice are based on my experience and opinion as a former undergraduate Computer Science student, tutor, and teacher. Everyone is different, so, the advice shared on this article may or not work for you.

Originally published at yadielcabrera.com on December 30, 2018.