We've probably all heard of the Feynman technique by now: explain a concept in simple terms to check if you actually understand it. but one thing i think is worth adding is comparing your explanation with the actual textbook definition afterward. here's why i think that matters:

- start with the simple explanation. explain the concept in your own words, as if you're teaching someone who's never encountered it before.

- go back to the textbook definition. read the formal definition again and pay attention to the key terms or details it includes.

- compare the two. does your explanation capture the same meaning, or did you accidentally leave out something important? sometimes a simplified explanation makes sense but is too broad or misses a distinction.

- fix the gaps. adjust your explanation until it's easy to understand without losing the important parts of the formal definition.

- test yourself again later. try explaining the concept from memory and see if you can still get the meaning right without looking at your notes.

being able to explain something simply is great but you also want to make sure you understand it accurately enough to recognize it in exam questions.

I am pursuing bsc chemistry so suggest some books of chemistry including organic, inorganic and physical chemistry for a good knowledge

Hi! I’m a first-year Chemistry student, and I’m struggling to figure out how to study effectively. After 12 years of school, I feel like I’ve been studying the wrong way. I have lectures, textbooks, PDFs, and exercises, but I don’t know how to use them effectively.

My modules are thermochemistry, thermodynamics, atomic structure (atomistique), algebra, analysis, and mechanics of a point.

Sometimes I feel like I’m not smart enough for this field, but I genuinely believe I’m just using the wrong methods.

Students who excel in these subjects, how do you actually study? How do you go from understanding a lecture to solving difficult exercises independently? How do you organize your notes, revise, and practice effectively?

I’d really appreciate detailed, practical advice on your study methods, especially for first-year university science courses. Thank you!

Soo, when one studies math or its adjacent subjects, mainly physics and chemistry, there's two main domains, that of understanding the theory behind it, and that of applying said theory on pratical exercises.

As of now, for me the only issue that really gets me on theory is knowing extremely obscure details, which is part of my fault because ive grown tired of studying whole books for a single exam in university. However, ive been having a growing issue on tackling new problems and, mainly, practicing for exams. I always lose part of my marks due either obscure information, like a specific configuration in a circuit transforming its type (which did not appear in any exercises ive been studying for the exam i took, and mind you, i read all the chapters, did all the exercises and did the professor's exercise list), or the actual grim reaper that makes me want to jump off of a cliff that are careless mistakes.

I think my method for studying the theory behind things is fine, i read, recall and re-do all the proofs, and it works superbly for making me remember all the info needed during an exam. However, i think my approach for exercises as of now is turning ineffective in these later years of college. There's exams ive been doing that got me to lose half of the points i could have gotten due to those mistakes :/, either being something new i havent seen at all, or something i know how to solve but i manage to mix things anyway despite that and lose my marks

Not to mention the fact that i think i work too slow on problems, this weekend i lost a full day doing an enormous total of 3 exercises from razavi's CMOS circuit design book, banging my head against the wall trying to figure out how to them. Those weren't easy exercises to expect to solve them in 5 minutes but taking a day isn't good. I generally do from exercises from cover to end on the class's syllabus but that isnt working as of late;

Like, ive seen a lot of people said "Practice more", but the issue here is that the way i'm practicing is.. simply not efficient i guess? i take too much time and i learn little. Like clearly, doing more is the best path in any case, but how do i do more with less time and get out more from it?

Soo, how does one approach that? i lose too much time doing such exercises but at the same time, said method is arguably too inefficient. Whats the correct approach for doing such exercises and being productive with them?

One day while I was procrastinating, I wondered how other people study, like, how exactly? There is some order, a guide to follow, so that was the purpose of the post.

Little context I’m in my 3rd year of dentistry school and I can’t proceed with studying I feel sleepy and just unmotivated to start but once I do start studying I feel constantly bored and tired I wasn’t like this the past 2 years…. I’m really lagging behind and I’m homesick again soo unfamiliar from 1st and 2nd year… need advice on what to do… I’m honestly severely unmotivated and just dead all the time… I don’t think it’s burnout but dooo help/suggest how to get life back on track

Hey guys. I need help, I’m in biology but I genuinely don’t know how to study. There’s so many slides that the professor covers each class and by the next time we meet we’re already on the next chapter and I it makes me feel so behind. Help, any advice on what to do?!!

Hola, quisiera que me recomendaran aplicación para estudio sin IA, ví que hay demasiadas aplicaciones con IA y sinceramente estoy muy encontra. Muchas gracias por su atención ☺️.

Aplicaciones que busco son tipo, recordatorio de exámenes, subir apuntes y editarlos y guardarlos en la aplicación, organizador de materiales, asistencias.

Helppp

I study architecture, so most of my studying includes doing something over and over again until I have acquired that skill in a software.

I have had huge strikes to my self esteem in this regard that hit other, regular exam type classes as well.

I have always been good at studying, and I know I'll do well once I can just...do it. But the fear of failure and this overwhelming feeling of dread that sits right at my chest is impossible to push through.

Sometimes I just ignore my feelings and force myself to do it anyway, but not sure if that's even healthy because it just has kept on getting worse.

Any tips?🫠 I am so tired of just simply not being able to study. I swear this is not laziness. I literally just... can't.

i used to ask it to explain stuff to me and leave every session feeling like a genius and remembering nothing. last week i flipped it. told it i’m a freshman who missed lecture, explained the topic from memory, and told it to ask me follow up questions like it doesn’t get it
first thing it asked was “ok but why does that happen” and i had NOTHING. i’d been saying those words for 2 days lmao
anything i can’t answer goes on a list and i check my notes after. takes like 15 min and i find more holes than in an hour of reading.

I'm in my second year of a medical lab program (I had to repeat this year) and frankly I am not terrible at studying but I am incredibly exhausted. And I know for a fact there has to be more I can be doing.

I am halfway through my midterms now...and so I'm wondering...what are your most wild and weird ways of studying? Or in general what methods do you find work scarily well for cramming (not that I am cramming, however with the amount of content in this course it's always a cram lol).

Currently I work in 60/15 pomodoro sessions, no phone during my breaks (I usually doodle instead), I read my notes out loud while putting it into my own words, I always do full summaries for each unit hand written and I do maybe a handful of flash cards on the side

So give me what you got! Anything to fill in the theoretical gaps of my methods. Bonus points for methods that help with lab procedures and practicals :)

Edit: Please NO AI methods. human hands only

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The only time I manage to study alone is first things in the morning, before looking at my phone and eating.