Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: The 8 average lifestyle
• Part 2 of 3: Making good use of the lesson hours
• Part 3 of 3: Studying effectively
• Tips
• Warnings
• Necessities

The pressure to average those 8 is high. It seems like the competition is getting stronger! And since you have a dream school in mind, the pressure is much higher. How do you keep it up? Keep reading!

To step

Part 1 of 3: The 8 average lifestyle

1. Be organized. Make sure you have a notebook for each topic. When things like that are in order, you can start studying more easily. Put away old assignments and the like, unless you think you really need them again. Make sure that your syllabus is stored in such a way that you can easily access it if necessary.
   • The same applies to your desk and locker. Avoid clutter, because if you constantly lose everything, you will have little time to study!
2. Make friends who are smart and focused. Just make sure you can use those friends to your advantage. Many friends are smart, but they don't take studying that seriously. Working with these kind of friends is therefore pointless if you want to be an 8 average.
   • Spend your free time with them. Learn from each other's good habits. Talk about the curriculum - not about that cute guy or that cute girl who was in your class.
   • Sit next to them in class if you don't already! If your friends are focused, you are much less likely to lose your concentration.
3. Make friends who are a year higher than you. Together with those friends who also go for those 8 average, you can look for friends who have already had your lessons. They may still have old exams that sometimes almost literally come back in your academic year! No, that's not against the rules. It's just smart.
   • They can also tell you what a particular teacher is like and what you can expect. If you know that a teacher is easy to convince (to calculate that one question correctly, for example), then you can use it. Having this knowledge in advance will be of great benefit to you.
4. Organize your time well. You've probably had to hear this all your life. To get the most out of your day - studying, playing basketball, practicing on the piano, eating, drinking and sleeping well - you need to be able to manage your time very well. The question is… how?
   • The most basic approach is to create a grid. Keep in mind that some things can take a lot of time or energy. Setting priorities will make it a lot easier to stick to your schedule.
   • Be realistic! To say that you are going to study 8 hours a day is nonsense. You will not keep that up and you will only perform worse. Yes, you have to challenge yourself, but know your limits.
   • Don't delay! If you have to submit an assignment in two weeks, start now. If you have an exam soon, start learning now. Some people work better under pressure. If that applies to you, fine… but at least do a little bit now. Unfortunately, you won't have time to panicky run around ...
5. Study elsewhere. If you have a lot of things at home that you know are going to distract you at any moment, get out. Go to the library. Find a quiet place without any distractions. You probably read a book often enough, but halfway through you realize that you still don't know what it's about and you know everything. again must read. That is a waste of time. So go to a quiet place such as the library.
   • In the least, make sure you have a space at home that is only there for studying. You don't want to fall asleep at night with the feeling that you have done too little with your studies. So set up a study, free of things that might distract you. Isolate yourself so that you can fully concentrate on your studies. Let this become a habit.
6. Eat healthy. You know that feeling when you have eaten a lot, are packed and then also end with a large piece of cake. Afterwards you just want to sleep. To feel energetic and healthy, you should therefore eat normal portions, consisting of healthy food. Limit the amount of sweetness and greasiness. That way you will be able to learn much better and you will remember everything well.
   • Breakfast on the day of the exam, but don't overdo it. Also, don't drink an excessive amount of coffee. Eat a few sandwiches, a piece of fruit and drink a glass of milk. Whatever it is, at least make sure you breakfast. When you are hungry during an exam, it will certainly be at the expense of your concentration and therefore also your result!
7. Get enough sleep. Avoid going to bed excessively late. Sleep on time and get enough sleep so that you will feel a lot better the next day and perform better. When you are not well rested mentally, it will become difficult to concentrate; you cannot focus at all and all the information comes in one ear and out the other. So give your brain enough rest!
   • Try to sleep about 8 hours every night - not much more or less. Stick to the same sleep times every working day. It's okay to go to bed a little later or sleep a little less on the weekend, but you too know that the 7 am alarm clock is a lot less annoying if you've slept well.
8. Don't fool yourself. Enjoy life, smile and be optimistic. You may have heard of the massive student suicide rate in Asia. So don't fool yourself! Studying until you drop is neither smart nor efficient. Do something fun every now and then. Go to a party or to the cinema. And take an afternoon nap.
   • The world will not end if you average a 7.8 instead of that round 8.0. Of course it is a shame, but of course you will still be able to go to a good school. You can still get a good job. Your loved ones still love you. You are not terminally ill and you do not live in poverty. It's really not that bad!
9. Stay motivated. Okay, you're on this page because you want those 8 on average preserve, not true? That probably means that you are smart and motivated enough. All you have to do is hang on! Keep striving. This average will open a lot of doors for you. You know what hard work is. You have to do it every day.

Part 2 of 3: Making good use of the lesson hours

1. For the "beginners" among us, go to class. You will be surprised how much it can bring you if you go to all classes, even if you cannot maintain your full concentration all the time. Some teachers reward the students who come to the vast majority of classes with, for example, a bonus point or with information about the exam that you won't be able to get anywhere else.
   • Take notes while you're there. You probably already knew that.
   • In addition to the aforementioned benefits, attending classes will keep you informed of important dates such as assignment deadlines. Sometimes professors can suddenly make adjustments. If you take all the lessons, you will now know what to expect and which lessons you may or may not find educational.
2. Participate in the lessons. If the teacher sees that you are participating well and doing your best, not only will you learn more, but the teacher will be much more likely to give you the benefit of the doubt when grading your exams. So do well! Ask questions, make comments, and just always pay close attention. Any teacher will appreciate this.
   • You don't have to make super smart comments. Just to show that you tries to give a good answer to your teacher's question is enough. Sometimes you even get a grade for participation in class. By just participating well, this figure will always be good.
3. Get to know your teachers. Visit your teacher every now and then, during consultation hours or after class, for example. It may be unfair, but if your teacher likes you, the chances of making your 7.7 an 8 are much higher!
   • You don't have to ask about their kids or invite them to dinner. No, just talk about the lesson, about certain material. You can ask them what you will gain from this course later, what kind of job you can get with it. Tell us about it yourself. After all, you do it to get to know each other!
4. Ask for an extra point. Perhaps they will give you something, especially since they know you now and know that you always participate well. If you have a grade that you are not completely satisfied with, you can always ask for an extra point. Maybe they will approve a case of doubt afterwards. It doesn't matter if they decline your request, at least you tried.
   • Even if you already had a good grade, you can ask for an extra point. In any case, that won't hurt your average!
5. Take a class where you don't have to do much and still easily get a high grade. It can be very nice to have an easy lesson once and get a high grade without difficulty. Use this lesson to make a fresh start again. It's okay for once no very difficult course to follow.
   • You still have to do your best, so go to class, give your all and go home without being homeless afterwards.
6. Make use of the technology. Nowadays you have books online. You can watch videos or PowerPoint presentations from your own school, or you can watch those from other schools. There are entire websites explaining every topic you can think of. Use them!
   • Ask your teacher to put the slides online. Look for sites with practice materials for the topic that you want to practice with even more. With the click of a button you can find all kinds of extra teaching materials.

Part 3 of 3: Studying effectively

1. Take tutoring. There is always someone who is smarter than you in certain areas. Take advantage of this! You often have to pay for extra lessons, but you will be fully prepared for the exam in a number of lessons.
   • If you are in higher education, there are many students who have tutoring as a part-time job, or who have to teach as part of their education. In the case of a side job, these lessons are often separate from your education and you have to pay for them. If the student provides tutoring as part of his or her study program, these tutoring lessons are often simply scheduled or you can register for them. Then it is of course free.
2. Do not study all at once. Take a break now and then so that you can concentrate properly afterwards. For example, always study for half an hour or 45 minutes, then take a 5 to 10 minute break and continue again. By taking short breaks to regain some energy, you make the most of your time.
   • Also try to study at different times throughout the day. This way you will discover what is most effective for you. Everybody is different!
3. Study in different places.Another way to get the most out of your study time is to study in different places. It turns out that you can no longer process information properly if you sit in the same place for too long. If you study elsewhere for a while, you will be able to learn a lot better. So you can look up two or three study places to alternate them.
4. Study in a group. By studying with more people, you will lose your attention less quickly and you will understand the subject matter faster. If you can explain things to each other, everyone will understand the material much faster. Here are some more reasons why it is a very good idea to study in a group:
   • You can distribute large amounts of learning material among the team members, so that everyone can then explain his or her part to the rest.
   • You can solve problems together. This is especially useful for math courses.
   • You can predict what will be asked on the exam and you can hear each other.
   • Studying is interactive and a lot more fun, which also makes it easier to remember.
5. Don't bother with learning until late at night. Students who do this often get fairly average grades. So don't do it! You should not build up a chronic sleep deprivation. Your brain won't function properly when you're always fatigued, so don't bother.
   • Of course you can still learn the night before the exam, but don't let it affect your sleep. You better just get seven or eight hours of sleep. You should be almost done learning the day before the exam.
6. Know how to learn. For some, taking notes is pointless, but a video recording of the lecture would be useful. Or you may find it helpful to mark important points while reading. So make sure you know how you learn best.
7. Use WikiHow. This website contains thousands of articles that can help you with this topic. For example, did you know that chocolate is a real brain food? Or that people who write in cursive generally get better grades? Enough useful information! Here are a few examples:
   • Study more effectively
   • Studying for a test
   • Motivating yourself to study
   • Concentrate while studying
   • Get good grades

Tips

• Complete your homework on time to avoid stress.
• Start studying one, two or three weeks in advance if necessary, and not at the last minute.
• Refer back to your own work when studying for an assessment test.
• Avoid getting into trouble. Stick to the rules. Be respectful and honorable. Be on time in class.
• Don't underestimate your ability to get higher grades.
• If you have difficulty with the material, ask the teacher, professor or student assistant for an explanation. Sometimes students are afraid to ask questions because they are afraid they will appear stupid. That is nonsense, of course. If you don't ask, you will always be left with uncertainties. Every teacher appreciates it when you ask questions, because it shows that you want to learn.
• Don't wait until the last minute to submit an assignment! If you start late, it will be at the expense of quality. So don't delay. Start earlier and take your time.
• Make sure you can dream the basics of a certain topic. Then get started with more difficult material. Getting into the hard stuff right away will make it unnecessarily difficult if you don't get the basics yet. You're not going to practice a 20-page classical piece on the piano, if you've never played the piano before, are you?

Warnings

• Eat healthy, not too much, not too little. Avoid stress. Get plenty of rest, both physically and mentally. So make sure you take a number of breaks throughout the day and get enough sleep. Overburdening yourself leads to health problems in the longer term.

Necessities

• Pen / pencil
• Notebook
• A large folder
• Paper for the folder and tabs to organize different topics
• Highlighters
• Index cards
• A diary
• Tipp-Ex (only use this for yourself and never on a test!)