Study Habits Checklist

Study Habits Assessment

To assess your personal study habits, please print and complete the study habits checklist.

Information from the printable self-assessment is included below.


Time Management

  • Do you keep up to date in your text reading and other assignments?
  • Do you have a study-schedule plan in which you set aside time each day for studying and reviewing?
  • Do you schedule manageable study periods and frequent periods for review, interspersing 50-minutes of studying with 10-minute breaks?

Previewing

  • Do you read over the Table of  Contents of a book before you begin studying the book?
  • Before studying the book, do you  take 10 minutes to thumb through the book as a whole to check for the presence of study aids such as glossaries, summaries, outlines, italicized or bold-faced words, and charts?
  • Before each reading assignment, do you take 10-15 minutes to preview the chapter (familiarizing yourself with charts, illustrations, key words, summaries, etc.)?
  • Do you write down questions based on the preview so that you approach your reading and class with an active inquiring mind?

Reading

  • Do you look up or find the meaning of important new words and key terms?
  • As you read an assignment, do you turn section headings into questions that  you actually are trying to answer?
  • Do you find the main idea of each paragraph or section and repeat it aloud to yourself?
  • Do you read one section of a chapter at a time rather than reading straight through the entire chapter?
  • Do you seek out other reading materials in addition to assigned textbook sections if you need to strengthen your understanding?

Reading Review

  • Do you utilize review questions or summaries at the end of a chapter to test your recall of what you’ve read?
  • Do you write key terms and definitions on 3x5 note cards or notebook paper?

Remembering

  • Do you display an interest or enthusiasm for a course to people around you  (fellow students, instructor, etc)?
  • If you do not understand a concept, do you ask the instructor?
  • When studying material to be remembered, do you try to summarize it or put it into your own words?
  • Do you distribute the study of a lengthy assignment over several study sessions (less than an hour each)?
  • Do you deliberately relate new or unfamiliar material to things that you already know?
  • When studying information to be memorized, do you practice or review over many short sessions

In Class

  • Do you always take class notes?
  • Do you ask questions or initiate comments in each class?
  • During class, do you try to compare or relate ideas being presented in class to ideas from the textbook?
  • Do you approach each class with questions from your readings or preview?
  • Do you review and edit your class notes within 24 hours?
  • Do you write down possible test questions while reviewing your class notes?
  • Do you review all your notes weekly?

Writing Papers

  • Before starting to write a paper, do you collect information and ideas from other people or outside readings?
  • Before writing a paper, do you make an outline OR list ideas and then organize them into a meaningful order?
  • In writing a paper, do you clearly indicate the main ideas of the paper as well as each paragraph?
  • In writing a paper, do you write a first draft, edit and rewrite the paper at least once?

Preparing for Examinations

  • In studying for an examination, do you distribute your studying over at least 3 or 4 one-hour sessions?
  • As you review, do you relate class notes to textbook notes to reinforce the  main ideas?
  • Do you create memory devices, such as acronyms, to help you remember lists of terms, etc.?
  • Do you make up examination questions that you think will be asked and then find the answers?
  •  Do you get a normal amount of sleep the night before an exam so that you are well-rested and alert?

Taking Examinations

  • When taking an exam, do you first carefully read each section’s directions and look through the entire test?
  • Before beginning the test, do you make plans for distributing your time among the questions?
  • In taking an essay examination, do you quickly outline your answer before you start to write?
  • At the end of an examination, do you proofread or check your answers?
  • In multiple-choice, matching and true-false tests, are you aware of good strategies in finding answers?

Physical Setting

  • Do you study in a quiet place – one that is free from noisy disturbances?
  • Do you study by yourself before studying with others?
  • Do you have a special location to study – separate from relaxation or sleeping furniture?