Student Guidebook: 8 Tips to Boost Assimilation and Study Smarter

• Many students face challenges with retaining information, despite long hours of studying.
• Poor assimilation can stem from multitasking, lack of focus, or poor routines.
• Daily habits like healthy eating, scheduled breaks, and practicing reading can make a big difference.
• These eight tips are designed to help students study smarter, not harder.
• Improved assimilation leads to better performance and reduced exam stress.

Do you read for hours on end, revise well, and end up forgetting things in the exam hall? Or do you try to read during the semester and have zero luck staying awake, and eventually botch your grades? Or do you use the phrase “I read better under pressure”?

This issue causes never-ending frustration for so many students, as their efforts are not reflected in their results.

If you fall under this category, it’s most likely because you have trouble assimilating. This can be caused by several things, such as reading to pass rather than to understand, unhealthy diets, etc.

And if you don’t, phew, you are one lucky lass (or lad). 

Back to the rest of us (yes, us) who have a bit of trouble with assimilation. We have correctly identified the problem as well as the reason it exists.

Now, all we need is to find out how to solve the problem. The following tips can help with that.

Don’t Multitask

This would be quite hard to do if you were trying to cover a bulky workload in a short period. But the more things you try to do, the less you end up doing. I guess this is why the saying, “less is more,” exists. Take things one at a time, and you will see more positive results.

Practice Makes Perfect

It is more advisable for a person to begin reading from the very first lecture. Rather than trying to stuff everything up there a month before the finals. This allows the brain to store information at its own pace rather than take it into overdrive. The overdrive effect, unfortunately, makes you forget points you’ve read in the exam hall. So, practice reading every day for at least 3 hours. You’d be surprised at how much you would have learned by the time exams roll around.

Set a Timer

As pointed out above, try to read for at least 3 hours each day, and then increase the hours as you go. You will notice that you can cover more workload than you could before you start this routine. When you time yourself while reading, there’s a subconscious effect it has on the brain. This effect makes you cover a specific amount of the course. And with that, you’ll be able to assimilate more.

Read the Basics

To follow this tip, you must first learn more words. This would help conserve time as you read. Encountering a strange word and looking it up can be very distracting. But mastering more words makes it easier to scan through an article or a few pages. It is more effective than slowly working your way through it. 

Read with Alertness

Most people do not pay full attention while reading. It’s almost like a part of you is somewhere other than at that table where you’re studying. Try to be 100% present when reading. This allows you to cover more ground and assimilate better at the same time.

Take Breaks

You are not a machine; no one is. So don’t try to read for long stretches. It does more harm than good, as you end up reading but not understanding or assimilating. It also takes a toll on your mental health. Take short breaks, walk around a bit, or take a short nap. You will be able to resume studying feeling refreshed and recharged.

Eat Healthy

According to science, eating junk food and an unhealthy diet in early childhood may result in a lower IQ. A healthy diet is one of the best ways to improve assimilation. Consuming brain-boosting foods like fish, eggs, and dark chocolate can enhance memory and concentration. These are much better options than junk food when studying.

Quiet environment

While some are lucky enough to read and assimilate in noisy places, most of us are not that lucky. Thus, try reading in secluded and quiet places as this reduces the risk of distractions and helps with better assimilation.

Studying effectively isn’t about the number of hours you put in. It’s about how well you assimilate the information. If you’ve been frustrated by poor academic results despite your efforts, it’s time to switch strategies. From setting timers to eating right, these eight simple tips can make a major difference. Start applying them one step at a time. You’ll be amazed at how much more confident and prepared you feel when exam day arrives.