For some students, if there is no pain, there is no gain, but it need not be so.

Your success in high school and college is dependent on your ability to study effectively and efficiently.

The results of poor study skills are wasted time, frustration, and low or failing grades. It?s your life, your time, and your future. Always remember that time is precious and not to be squandered, no matter what you believe right now.

This guide is designed to help you develop effective study skills. It is not a magic formula for success in preparing for tests, written or oral assignments. Studying any material requires work!

However, by using the techniques described in this guide, and by applying yourself, you can gain a valuable edge in understanding material, preparing for tests, and, ultimately, learning.

This guide contains some of the best and most effective techniques of successful students ? students who typically have high grades in high school and college regardless of the courses they take.

So read on, think about what you read, and prepare to become a successful student!

Before you even begin to think about the process of studying, you must develop a schedule.

If you don?t have a schedule or plan for studying, then you will not have any way of allocating your valuable time when the unexpected comes up.

A good, well thought out schedule can be a lifesaver. It?s up to you to learn how develop a schedule that meets your needs, revise it if necessary, and most important, follow it.

All schedules should be made with the idea that they can be revised.

A good schedule keeps you from wandering off course.

A good schedule, if properly managed, assigns time where time is needed, but you?ve got to want to do it!

A schedule should take into account every class, laboratory, lecture, social event, and other work in which you engage.

There are givens such as classes and so on that have to be incorporated.

You must focus on the other ?free time? available and how you will use it. Make a weekly schedule and block off the 24 hour day in one hour increments.

Indicate times for classes, labs, lectures, social, and work time.

Also block off a period for sleeping each day. With what is left over, plan time for study.

This gives you a rough road map of the time available. Of course, you can revise your schedule as circumstances warrant.

The problem of when to study is critical. A good rule of thumb is that studying should be carried out only when you are rested, alert, and have planned for it. Last minute studying just before a class is usually a waste of time, but is somewhat helpful.

If your study period is before the lecture class, be sure you have read the required course material.

If the study period is after the lecture class, review the notes you took during class while the information is still fresh.

For classes that require recitation, such as foreign language, be sure to schedule a study period just before the class. Use the time to practice. Sometimes, practice with others can help sharpen your skills in a before-class study period.

Don?t be afraid to revise your schedule. Schedules are really plans for how you intend to use your time. If your schedule doesn?t work, revise it. You must understand that your schedule is to help you develop good study habits.

Once you have developed them, schedule building becomes easier.

How to use your time time is the most valuable resource a student has. It is also one of the most wasted of resources. The schedule you develop should guide you in how to allocate the available time in the most productive manner.

Sticking to your schedule can be tough. Don?t dribble away valuable time.

Avoiding study is the easiest thing in the world. It?s up to you to follow the schedule you prepared. A good deal of your success in high school or college depends on this simple truth.

You can study anywhere. Obviously, some places are better than others. Libraries, study lounges or private rooms are best. If you enjoy the outdoors, why not study at the beach or outdoors under a tree. Above all, the place you choose to study should not be distracting. Distractions can build up, and the first thing you know, you?re out of time and out of luck. Make choosing a good physical environment a part of your study habits.