Organize a study group. By pooling your brainpower, you and your classmates help each other understand the topic and clarify questions. Study groups also offer motivation to focus. Make it your job to start the group and keep everyone on schedule, practicing your leadership and teamwork skills.
Purchase textbooks and other required materials. Teachers assign books and materials for your own benefit. By purchasing all required materials, you have a more thorough understanding of the topic. Many exams and assignments cover material you cannot learn from lectures alone.
Attend classes regularly. This should be a habit even if your teacher does not grade based on attendance. Make classes a top priority, whether it means occasionally missing social events or going to bed early to make a morning class. Regular attendance strengthens your learning process and teaches self discipline.
Manage your time. When you balance classes, jobs and extracurricular activities, effective time management is essential. If you drop behind on homework and classes, it can be tricky to catch up again. Take time at the start of each day, week or month to write down your upcoming obligations. Schedule sufficient time for studying and relaxing. Check your syllabuses for assignments and exams.
Communicate. If your teachers invite students to participate during class, join in discussions. Talking about the subject with your classmates and teacher can spark your interest. When you need guidance, visit your teachers during office hours or schedule meetings. Most teachers are happy to take the time to make sure you are on the right track. Check emails from school and listen carefully to announcements in class.
Prepare for exams. Preparing ahead of time and knowing the subject matter helps ease test anxiety. Take thorough notes during class and re-read them before each exam. Instead of staying up all night cramming, study for the test as early as possible. When taking the test, tackle easier questions first so you have more time to focus on more difficult questions. If you need to guess, relax and draw on what you do remember to eliminate wrong choices and make an educated guess.