Get Better Grades in High School
Are you nervous about going into high school? You didn't do so great in middle school, or you want to be the top of your class as a freshman? Use these steps and tips and you should be on your way to improving your grades in high school.
Contents
Steps
- Remove all distractions while studying. If you have annoying siblings coming in and out of your room yelling, or you have a cell phone ready to ring at any moment, you are bound to waste time. Remove all distractions as best as you can. Study in a quiet and comfortable room or go to the library or a friend's house to study.
- Study in short intervals of 15 to 20 minutes. After reading a lot or solving a lot of problems, your brain needs to relax for a bit, but don't let the breaks consist more than 5 to 10 minutes long. A bathroom break or a walk around your home are the best options.
- Finish all of your assignments at least a day before its due. This includes homework, unfinished classwork, and projects. Finish your assignments that are due sooner as quickly as you can but still have them neat and presentable. In other words, prioritize your work into two different piles, "Due Sooner" and "Due Later". Always work on the "Due Sooner" pile first. .
- Always hand in neat work. Teachers normally have better impressions of students with better looking papers even if it is not as good as a messy one. However this will not get you better grades unless the assignment is subjective or part of the mark is for neatness and organization. A good impression will make the teacher and yourself more comfortable to talk to each other and let the teacher help you, which, in the long run, will give you a much higher chance with a better grade.
- Use your time efficiently. Did you know that the average person spends up to 4 years of their life waiting? Use any spare waiting time to study. You don't have to be a hardcore nerd, reading out of a textbook in the doctor's office; bring a piece of paper with notes written on them or bring your math workbook and do your homework. Not only will this help you prepare for your test(s), it will also less likely make you bored.
- Choose classes that you like if you are able to, but not ones that you have already taken, or know. This is cheating, and you can't get into good universities by cheating. But enjoying a class will actually make the class be and seem class easier
- View optional extra credit projects as mandatory. Even if it is just 5 points added to your grade. When it adds up, you will get a solid 1-2 maybe 3% higher average which never hurts.
- Have a, “I’m going to ace this test/exam” attitude. Feeling confident is proven to help to be more serious and make you study harder the night before.
- Watch successful students to see why they are doing so well. It is not mimicking if you don't copy their every move and plan. Just asking them how they study is fine.
- Watch unsuccessful students to see why they are doing poorly. You can observe and do the opposite of what they're doing. Maybe even give them a hand in showing them how math is done.
- Try to be as organized as you can. It takes about 5 minutes for an unorganized person to find their things. Now imagine if you have a lot of homework! A good 20-30 minutes will be wasted if you are not organized. In 20 minutes you could learn a few new words in a new language!
- Have a Good, Nutritious Breakfast. Nothing beats a better school day when your brain is on full blast and your stomach not growling.
- Review notes immediately after class if possible. If not, review them at study hall and/or at home. Reviewing them once a day for 5 minutes will highly increase your chances for remembering them. If you didn't take notes, create or write on index cards at home getting your information from your textbook, and follow the same process.
- Read or skim your textbook before class. It doesn't hurt to "learn" something twice. It will also be explained to you more clearly while already knowing what you are going to learn.
- Study with a friend or parent who knows the material well. Your learning is not limited to a certified teacher. Your friend might understand the subject more than you, or your parents may have majored in math or literature so ask for help!
- Get help. It seems pretty obvious, but some students are too shy to get help or just don't care enough to do so. It will ensure that you understand all the material so you will be fully prepared to get an "A". You study all you want, but if you don't get help and understand what you're learning, you won't get the grades you are striving for.
Tips
- If you don't know the answer, it is proven that your first instinct is right. Don't change your answer unless you have proof and you are absolutely sure.
- It helps if you do your homework as soon as possible after a class is over because then you will feel inspired and know the material and won't forget it. But if this doesn't work for you make sure to keep good notes in your notebooks and write your homework in a planner.
- Try your best to get a good nights sleep, especially the night before an exam.
- Always answer questions and work with your friends or help them, if you can this will help your friends get better grades and helps you understand and remember more.
- Do not study only the day before the exam, study for most of the days you can study.Try to study every day before the test if possible, even if its for a short amount of time.
- If you don't know the answer never stay stuck on it, move to the next one, then come back and check it again.
- If you don't have someone to help you or are too shy to ask the teacher, remember there is that one person that can help and that is you. Review your textbook! If you don't know definitions, look them up. Studying, really, is all about common sense.
- Do not put off your work until the last minute.
- If possible, study in natural sunlight. It is scientifically proven to help you concentrate more.
- If you want to improve grades put your phone in your parents bedroom and shut it off, this will make it so you can't be on your phone when trying to improve grades.
- If you are not good at math or anything similar to it, try the "guess-and-check" method if possible.
- Potential test questions are often revealed in the first and last minutes of class. Take advantage of these.
- Talk to your parents about you and your grades. If you need help talk to your parents and teachers. If you have a friend that is very smart talk to them.
Warnings
- Giving up just proves how weak you are. Even if you aren't the best don't give up and prove you can do it.
- If you fail a test, don't give up. Giving up will only make your grade worse. Even 1% is better than nothing.
- Try to not over-stress or be anxious before a test. Being nervous will make you think about your grade more than your current assignment.
