Homework, studying, and tests make up a huge bulk of your academic life whether you’re in high school or college—and they can also be difficult and draining. So to help you get through this semester and beyond, we’ve compiled our best advice to help you get your schoolwork done. From tips to work smarter to playlists for your study sessions to the best snacks for your brain power, we’ve got everything you need right here to ace all your assignments and tests. (And don’t worry about any content labeled “for college students” or “high school”; most of this advice can help students of any age.) Good luck with your studies!
Learning how you study best
- Infographic: Find Your Learning Style and Study Smarter: You know the saying: Study smarter, not harder. And there's no smarter way to study than figuring out how you learn best.
- 5 Smart Study Tips for All Students: Some things about studying don’t change whether you’re in high school or college. These five tips will help you study smarter for better grades at any level.
- 5 College Study Tips That Will Make Your Life Easier: Despite the previous advice, a lot of things about studying will change when you get to college. Here are five tips to make the transition easier.
- 6 Creative Study Tips for College Students: These creative study methods will help you refine your study approach for your learning style so you can enjoy it a little more along the way.
- 5 Things You Need for Your Next Study Session: Any good study session should include a few key things. So before you kick it off, make sure you set yourself up for success.
- Top 5 Study Tips From a College Freshman: Who better to give you study tips than a college freshman who’s learned how to adapt from high school to college-level schoolwork? Check out their insider advice!
Boosting your academic skills
- How to Improve Your Time Management and Study Skills: Worried about doing well in all your classes with so much homework, so many tests to study for, and not enough time in the day? Don’t be! Here’s some great advice to make it work.
- How to Get Organized and Manage Your Time as a High School Student: Struggling to get it together? These simple tips can help you get organized, get homework done efficiently, and manage your time better in high school.
- How Can I Improve My Memorization for School?: While memorization isn't the ideal way to learn, sometimes it's needed. One of our experts has eight quick methods for you to try out.
- How to Balance Homework and Internships in High School: A big part of being responsible with your academics is learning how to balance them with everything else. Here’s how you can succeed in your classes and an after-school internship.
- A Step-by-Step Guide for an Effective Research Paper: Mastering the art of the research paper is one thing you need to learn for college. Here are some tips for effective writing.
- Video: Top 10 Ways to Avoid Procrastination: Procrastination is the killer of all productivity. A sure-fire way to boost your academic skills is to stop procrastinating and do the work with these 10 tips.
Preparing for finals and AP tests
- 3 Important Tricks to Help You Survive Finals Week: Wondering just how you’re going to make it through finals? Here are three keys to making it out alive by the end of your tests.
- 21 Apps to Get You Through Finals This Semester: Finals week is always a stressful time, and even more so if you have to manage finals from home. Here are 21 apps that will make exam season easier.
- 9 Study Tips to Help You Conquer AP Tests: Whether you're tackling your very first test this year or prepping for your very last one, these 10 study tips will help you score high on any AP exam.
- The 5 Best Ways to Handle AP Exam Stress: It’s never too early to prepare yourself for AP tests, but it certainly can be too late. Here’s some advice for handling AP exam stress to prep you ahead of time.
- Poetry Study Guide for AP English Language & Literature: Check out our quick poetry review that can help you score high on AP English tests, both Literature and Language.
Studying for standardized tests
- When Should I Start Studying for the ACT or SAT?: If you're wondering when to start studying for standardized tests, that’s good news—you probably like to be prepared, which can only help you ace your exam. Here's some expert advice on when to start prepping.
- How to Prepare for the ACT, SAT, and Other Tests: This standardized test guide covers the ACT, SAT, AP tests, and more. It's basically everything you need to know to get ready for your high school exams!
- 2 Easy Study Tips for Both Admission and Language Tests: The SAT. The ACT. AP tests. And the TOEFL too? International students have a lot to juggle, but the test prep pros at Magoosh are here for you.
- 4 Awesome (and Free) SAT Prep Resources: Looking for resources to help you get ready for the SAT? Check out these four fun, easy-to-use, and totally free online test prep resources!
- The Best ACT Test Prep Sites, Books, and More: These are simply the best ACT prep resources available, from websites to books and beyond, plus other helpful tips for doing well on this college admission test.
- How to Tackle the Hardest Parts of the ACT: The ACT is pretty tough overall, but some sections are more difficult than others! Luckily, familiarizing yourself with the harder parts can help you maximize your study time.
Taking care of yourself
- How Important Is Sleep to Academic Success?: Better sleep is a key component to better studying in college. Here's how you can improve your sleep and in turn boost your academic performance.
- The Best Study Snacks for Healthy Eating in College: With finals stress, a lot of students turn to food for comfort and not always in the best way. Read on to learn how to snack healthily this finals season.
- Feeling Burnt Out? 5 Steps to Get Back on Track: If you feel like you're in a studying rut, here are five ways to fight burnout and work your way out of it.
- College Stress Solutions for Academic Anxiety: Stress from college coursework is no joke, but there are methods you can employ to ease that stress, including these solutions from a college expert.
- How to Create Smart, Long-Lasting Habits in High School: It's important to develop good study skills and healthy habits that you can carry from high school to college. Read these tips and find what works best for you!
Making your studies more fun
- 5 Simple Ways You Can Make Studying More Fun: How do you make studying more fun? It's often a matter of managing your time, scheduling intensive periods as well as breaks, giving yourself small rewards, and creating the right environment.
- Great Study Playlists for All Your High School Classes: Who doesn't need a little musical inspiration to face their chemistry homework head on? These four playlists for all types of classes should do the trick!
- Top 5 Ambience Playlists to Soundtrack Your Studies: Looking for a great instrumental playlist to create the perfect distraction-free atmosphere for studying? Check out student writer Hailey's top picks on YouTube and Spotify!
- Easy Ways to Make Studying for Standardized Tests Fun: We know, we know—studying for standardized tests is never going to actually be fun, but these ideas can certainly make it more bearable and enjoyable to get through.
- Fun SAT Vocab Prep With the Dictionary of Difficult Words: The Dictionary of Difficult Words is a children's book that's useful for all ages, especially students studying for the SAT. Unwind and review your vocab at the same time with this unconventional test prep book!
- The CollegeXpress SAT Word Game: Our SAT Word Game will help you study for the test and participate in a little friendly competition with other CollegeXpress students. Can you make it on our leaderboard?
We've compiled our top-tier content for other topics too, like how to find internships and the best advice for transferring. Check them out using the tag "our best advice."
