Study Skills

Students in classroom Learning study skills is an important part of being a successful student. Remember that for every hour you spend in class, you will need to spend an additional 2 hours outside of class to complete homework for the class. This can include reading assignments, writing papers, doing research or group work.

PCC offers one, two or three credit Study Skills classes: CG 111A , 111B, or 111C and college counselors may be able to help you address study skills and ways to develop successful study habits. Additionally, there are many study skill workshops offered at the college and can be found in the PCC Calendar of Events in MyPCC.

Top Ten Study Tips

  1. Take good class notes.  Consider rewriting your notes after class in order to make them more complete and to further aid in retention of course content.
  2. Use a handheld cassette recorder to record class lectures and take notes from if your instructors allow you to do so.
  3. Stay ahead of the class readings.  Highlight your text or take notes from the readings.  Make an outline of the reading or chapters.
  4. Don’t procrastinate.  Give yourself enough time to complete assigned readings, assignments, and to study for exams.
  5. Set aside a fixed time and space to study.  Have your study space be free from distraction and noise.  Studying at the same time daily helps your studying behavior become habitual and easier to accomplish.
  6. Study in short sessions. Studying in shorter sessions rather than one long marathon session can help you retain information. One idea is to study in four 2-hour sessions rather than one 8-hour session. This allows your brain to store the information more effectively.
  7. Establish a study group with classmates.  Set frequent times to meet and share class notes, study for exams, work on projects, and discuss class readings.
  8. Understand your preferred learning style (auditory, visual, or tactile/kinesthetic learning) and how that impacts your study skills. For visual learners, it might help to draw pictures, charts, or graphs so you can "see" and remember an abstract concept. The more senses you involve in learning the more likely you will be to remember the information.
  9. Use mnemonic devices to help you recall information. One example of a mnemonic device is an acronym created from the first letters of a series of words such as "HOMES: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior" This is an easy way to remember the five Great Lakes. You can make up your own acronyms to recall a series of facts when you are studying.
  10. Use the SQ3R method to improve your comprehension when reading a textbook chapter:
        • Survey - skim through all the headings in the chapter and read the chapter summary if there is one. This helps you get a sense of the main themes and ideas..
        • Question - turn each of the headings in the chapter into questions by adding words such as "who", "what" or "how".
        • Read - read the paragraph or section to search for the answers to your questions.
        • Recite - use your own words to express your thoughts on the material. See if you can answer your questions without looking at the material.
        • Review - after you finished reciting the chapter, review all of the questions and answers you created. The purpose of this review is to put together all the separate questions and answers like the parts of a puzzle and understand the chapter as a whole. backnext