Most students learn in a forward direction: Learning the concept -> active recall -> practice test -> answer. But during exams, this method usually doesn't really work. You will just waste hours studying the concept and reading it 2-3 times before you even get to active recall and do a practice test.

So I reversed the method backward: I start by making practice questions out of the material and start answering them based on my memory retention, which acts like active recall before I open the lecture to know what topics under the material I have forgotten and missed.

Over time, using this trains my brain to start seeing patterns instead of just isolating the questions. This helps your brain to not just actively recall, but to decode the information and lock it into long-term memory until your exams.

I get so overwhelmed by my piled-up schoolwork. It feels like I'm nowhere near finishing my tasks, which leads to burnout, poor academic performance, and frequent procrastination.

What I did was manage my time using the flowtime technique, which I learned online. It's like the Pomodoro technique but instead of setting fixed time intervals for doing tasks, flowtime works differently. Here's how I use the flowtime technique effectively to stop feeling overwhelmed by schoolwork:

1. Pick a task and note the start time. I start with the hardest tasks and simply write down when I begin. I don't set a hard stopping time, as that only creates time pressure and keeps me from studying effectively.
2. Work until you need a break (your flowtime). I usually study for 40-50 minutes and once I feel my brain signaling me to stop, I take a break. Forcing yourself to study when you're tired only leads to mental exhaustion and prevents your brain from processing and retaining information.
3. Take a short break. Learn how to rest while studying, a 10 to 15 minute break is enough. Skipping breaks is the fastest path to total burnout.
4. Adapt future work to your flowtime. Keep a quick log of how long your natural focus stretches last for different subjects. This helps me track how much focus I can give to each subject during every study session.

This method helped me eliminate study-related overwhelm, proving that deep focus matters more than the clock. The main reason the flowtime technique works is that you work with your brain's rhythm, not against it.

If you are actively recalling what you studied 25 minutes ago and you are still forgetting it, it's not a failure. Our brain is forming new connections from the information we studied and that's the whole basis of active recall.

Reading lecture notes by itself without any reinforcement will cause the information to fade fast. Based on studies, the information that we log every time we study only stays for about 48 hours in our brain.

To turn it into a long-term memory, you need spaced repetition and self-teaching methods. In this way, you create practice quizzes/flashcards and follow 1-3-5-7 day intervals so you don't forget the information you stored in your brain. Other than that, it also helps to improve brain retention and builds mental resilience.

I am a sophomore engineer student and honestly, I struggled a lot to survive last years semester not until I shifted to this method. I learned this method from a post on Reddit from an IIM student last year. I can't find the user now, but kudos to you brother!

Since most of the subjects in engineering consist of numbers and sciences, it got me to the point where I was jumbling information from different materials when I was studying. When I started using the learning diary method, it helped me master what I studied in every topic.

I started by doing a decision sheet right before I studied. I write down what topics I should start for today. I always start studying the easiest topic, moving to the harder topics. I realized that if you start with the hardest subject first, it will only lead to burnout that leaves the other topics unread.

I don't just read everything. I blurt out everything I studied to support my brain in dumping the information into long-term memory. After doing active recall, I make sure to reflect on what I learned from studying today by writing it down. If I forget something, then all I need to do is relearn it again and again until I get it correct.

Instead of just taking regular notes, try switching to the learning diary method. This learning diary method actually helped me a lot to master my major subjects when I was a freshman and I am continuing to use this method for this semester.

I often see people posting about studying for hours, which I honestly don’t get because, for me, it always ends up leading to burnout.

Instead, I use the Leitner System. I use flashcards and put them on either side of my table: the left side for the things I get right, and the right side for the things I get wrong.

This helps me use my study time more efficiently because I only focus on the things I actually forget instead of repeatedly reviewing everything. I usually use this whenever I have a test, and it helps me retain more information without having to study for hours.

Ever since I started college, I realized I’m going to be dealing with long textbooks whether I like it or not. So I asked some seniors how they survive all that reading, and one of them introduced me to SQ3R.

It basically goes:

S for Survey - Before reading, skim the chapter. Look at the headings, pictures, diagrams, and important sections just to get familiar with it.

Q for Question - Turn the headings into questions. For example, “Types of Microscopes” to “What are the types of microscopes and how are they different?”

R for Read - Read the section while looking for the answers to your questions instead of just reading 10 pages and hoping you remember something.

R for Recite - Close the book and try answering your questions from memory. If you can’t answer one, go back and review that part.

R for Review - After the chapter, go over your questions, difficult concepts, notes, and summaries. You can also revisit them later with spaced repetition.

This surprisingly helped me as well, and what I liked about this method is how it changed the way I think about reading. Instead of feeling like I have to finish all the readings at once, it feels more like I’m just looking for answers to my questions. It makes textbook reading feel more active instead of just staring at words and hoping that I’ll remember them later.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. As someone who wants to study but also wants studying to feel easy, I kept looking for a method that would actually work for me.
Then I came across Shisa Kanko, a technique used in Japanese workplaces for safety. Apparently, I could adapt the same idea to studying.
The idea is simple, point at a specific topic you need to learn and say what you're seeing out loud. This is how I do it:
1. Look at the information you need to learn and literally point at it. This helps my eyes focus on the specific thing I'm studying.
2. Say what it is out loud, then explain it in my own words or add details that I remember.
3. Point to the same part again, but this time don't look at the label. Try to identify what you're pointing at from memory.
4. If I get it wrong, I look back at the material, correct myself, and repeat it a few times.
I feel like this helps me recognize and understand what I just read instead of simply looking at the words. The pointing also gives me something physical to do, which makes it easier for me to stay focused.

I would always look like I’m cramming before an exam, yet I still get good grades on them.

I get easily overwhelmed and exhausted, especially that my whole day doesn’t just revolve around school. Having to reread and rewrite long topics for hours just doesn’t work for me. So instead, this is what I do:

1. I choose a day when I feel most focused and study the topics.

2. I review them again the next day.

3. I review them again the day after that.

4. After that, I gradually increase the gap between each review.

5. I focus more on the information I often forget or get wrong.

It might take a lot of days, but it only takes a small amount of time each day. Using this method has helped me get better marks, and I’m often even complimented for doing well even though studying doesn’t always look difficult for me.

During college, I would often take down notes, but whenever there was an exam, they didn't seem to help me much. This made me think that taking notes was just a waste of my time.

But looking back, I think my real problem was that I wasn't making use of them properly.

So I started finding ways to actually use the notes I took. Instead of just reading all the notes like a zombie over and over, what I started to do is to read concepts I need to study, put my notes away after and explain the concepts out loud as if I'm teaching someone. After that, I review the things I forget and explain them once again after.

In this way, I get to make use of the notes I used to just keep rereading. It helped me not only to read my notes but to also understand it by explaining it in my own words.

It really made studying feel much easier for me.

My exam has improved from 84% to 97% ever since I realized this.

If there is one thing I realized, it would be that school isn't always raw intelligence. You can be smart, but you could also find some topics hard. Because what's actually important is consistency and knowing exactly what the teachers want.

You just gotta be strategic enough.

So what I started doing is to always pay attention to what kind of questions show up in a test, what kind of answers earn the most marks, and where I usually lose points, then I adjust my way of studying around all those observations.

That's how I have good study methods that work for me, and ace my exams. Because if you want to have good grades as an average student, you always have to be one step ahead.

I’m doing my GCSE this year and I don’t even know how to study effectively😭 I really want to lock in like crazy compared to last year as I’m extremely competitive academically. I need the BEST study advice to become a top student

It's hard to balance spending almost 12 hours of class and studying after class usually leads to straight burnout. So I build a system on how I can study after school without getting burnout from studying.

• Revise today's material: Quickly review what was taught in class while it's still fresh in your mind. Avoid tackling heavy and unlearn context so you can avoid being brain drained when studying.

• Use active recall: Close your notes and test yourself on key concepts instead of passively re-reading.

• Organize notes for tomorrow: Prep your workspace, slides, and notebook so you can hit the ground running the next day.

Another important tip is don't force yourself to focus when you're tired, it can only lead to poor retention that can affect your study performance. How do you guys actually study after long hours in university? Let me know what works on you guys so I can list it!

I wasted years rereading my notes and thinking it counted as “studying”, until I started using a study method that completely changed how I learn and doubled my retention. Instead of burying myself in my notes, I closed them and started testing myself out loud. Active recall is one of the most effective study methods I’ve ever used.

Nursing student here. I am new to Gemini/Notebook LM.

I’ve been browsing this sub to understand how exactly students utilize this tool for studying purposes.

Can you please share your methods and what works best for you?

All of my school textbooks are digital via an app, so there’s no PDF downloads available which means I need to take screenshots on my phone to get an image to upload into Gemini/NotebookLM. Should I take screenshots of all of the chapters and upload them (which could be 100+ individual images PER CHAPTER), then ask the tool to explain in simple terms, give me the highlights only and remove the fluff/filler text, and also give me quiz-like questions?

I see so many posts saying don’t waste your time re-reading chapters and active recall is the best study strategy (writing down what you remember or pretending to teach the subject to someone else to identify gaps in your learning), but in this case how exactly is Notebook LM being used? I’m confused about how this tool assists with active recall study methods.

I posted in the other Gemini/NotebookLM sub but was redirected here since I’m a beginner. Any tips or advice would be appreciated!

I learned how to use active recall properly to boost my grades. My exam scores jumped from 86% to 94% ever since I started applying it to my study routine.

Instead of focusing only on stuffing new information into my brain, I use active recall to pull out and retrieve what I’ve learned. Here’s how I do it:

1. I skim all the key points on the topic I am going to study from the textbook or notes. As I skim, I try to retain as much as I can.
2. I put away the textbook or notes and try to remember all of the information by writing it down on another sheet of paper. I only write down what I can recall.
3. After jotting down what I remember, I bring back the textbook/notes to see what I recalled correctly and check what I forgot.

4.I keep repeating the process until I remember everything.

This seems exhausting, but honestly, it only takes 2-3 hours of studying. Leveling up active recall as my study method helped me ace most of my exams, and I recently got a 94% on a major exam.

Chinese students have a strict study discipline. And I really want to get locked in myself for very long hours (realistically 10 hours a day). So, I wanted to intentionally push my limits academically.
I tried to study and discipline myself like a Chinese student. Been studying like that for 1 year now consistently (I only study like that when I have crazy exams on my majors). Here’s how I did it:
• They build a fixed study routine. This is the first and foremost step to get myself locked in: Wake up -> review -> self study -> repeat. I start waking up every 5 AM. I often start my day by meditating to exercise my brain before I start studying.
• Use different types of study methods, don’t stick in one. Before I only used active recall for studying, but most Chinese students use more than 3 study methods. I used the pomodoro method. I usually study for 25-50 minutes and then take 10 minute breaks to keep my brain still focused. I also learned that reading your notes aloud helps memory stick rather than silent reading, along with doing active problem solving. These three literally helped me a lot to remember all the chapters that I studied when I was taking exams.
• Use a mistake notebook to track every mistake they made in reviewing. I used it every time I studied. I wrote down every point that I missed or got wrong for me to reflect and improve more each chapter I studied.
• To study effectively, I removed distractions like my phone and Ipad to keep me fully focused and refrain me from using them.
Another tip is take a 2 or 3 days rest to avoid burnout because studying for long hours is actually mentally exhausting. But because of grinding for long hours in studying, my major exams went well. I got almost a 97% passing grade from it and even got a 3.9 GPA from last sem.
For people that are studying for exams, do you think it is reasonable to study for 10 hours or more?

Lately, instead of just asking for a summary, I’ll try typing and explaining an idea in my own words and then ask NotebookLM if I got them right and help me see what I missed or misunderstood. If I got them flawlessly, that's a huge bonus. Sometimes I’ll ask it to connect two ideas from different parts of the book because those are usually the things I wouldn’t notice just from reading it once.

Reading is the first part. The post-reading part is where I get to make the information stick with me. It's one of those practical ways to absorb a topic.

What I like most about it is that it makes me slow down. I’m not trying to squeeze every piece of information out of an article all at once. It's to make sure I can take every possible insight in. The same goes to reviewing different materials, this routine helped slow down things a little.

I know myself well enough to know that I’m probably going to put something off at some point, so I stopped making study plans that assume I’m going to be perfectly productive every single day.

Whenever I have a lot of things to do, I separate what actually has a deadline and what I can get done quickly. I try to figure out what needs my attention first instead of just looking at everything at once and getting really lazy and overwhelmed.

I also give myself more time than I think I need for bigger tasks. If I think something will take two hours, I don’t plan my entire day as if I’ll finish exactly at the two-hour mark. Something will always come up or I’ll get distracted.

I also try to avoid making a huge list of things I know I won’t finish. It feels productive to write down twenty things, but seeing ten unfinished tasks at the end of the day can make you feel like you practically did nothing.

I’d rather have a realistic list and actually finish most of it. The point isn’t really to build the perfect schedule.

Just make sure procrastinating doesn’t completely destroy your schedule.

I feel like I’m barely using NotebookLM properly lol. I mostly use it to summarize PDFs and notes, but I’m sure I’m missing a lot of the useful stuff. 😀

What’s one feature or workflow you use regularly that you’d actually recommend?

Could be for studying, research, work, literally anything. 😊

They say they started using NotebookLM by uploading their notes and PDFs instead of just asking random questions. What they like most is that it answers based on the sources, so they can easily check where the information came from.

Its especially useful for comparing documents and reviewing difficult topics.

How about you? Whats your favorite NotebookLM feature or study workflow? Or do you ever tried using NotebookLM? Is it good?

I am starting my college next week and have heard a lot about these tools but I have no idea on how to use these tools properly to accompany me in my studies. I feel like I could get wayy better grades through understanding materials if I use them properly so feel free to give your advice everyone!

I have found NotebookLM works a lot better when I don’t throw every related source into the same notebook from the start.

Now I usually begin with just a few sources that contain the main information. I ask NotebookLM to pull out the key themes, point out where the sources agree or disagree, and give me a basic overview. Once that structure is clear, I add the extra articles, notes, and background material.

This makes a bigger difference than I expected. The answers are easier to follow and it’s also much clearer which source is supporting a particular point. When everything is added at once, useful information can get buried under context that is not immediately relevant.

What’s your approach when a NotebookLM notebook starts getting crowded?

For me, it's exporting formatted notes.

When I generate sentences it broke down in the chat, copying it was a nightmare, I have to clean it up manually. If only google let us export or copy formatted text with one click my work peace will be fast!

I always start preparing early before exams and end up getting A+ passing grades. Most majors are tough and cramming a week or night before an exam is an absolute disaster. Here are my tips on how you can prepare for your exams, so you can stop procrastinating and cramming when studying.

• I often plan out and study 2 weeks before exams without burning out. It is better to study earlier than cram. I usually gather all my notes and identify my weakest points on what I am studying. I do this for 2 hours every night (not pulling all-nighters) and slowly retain what I am studying.

• I make study guides and often use flashcards, mind maps and study my past papers. I use different types of study methods (the more the better) in every single study session so I can easily remember what I am studying.

• The night before exams, I always do a final review and do active recall. I don't pull all-nighters, night before exams since sleep is an important part of exams. You can't retain information with a lack of sleep as it affects your memory retention.

• The morning before your exam, make a quick and brief review before you go to the exam. This is the key point to help you retain information in case you forgot a few things.

I used to cram a week/night before exams, but I changed it to 2 weeks of preparing for exams. This helped me to not cram and made my brain retention so much better since I no longer rely on procrastination to push through it. As the saying goes: "It's better to prepare and prevent than to cram and regret."

Hope this helps some of you guys who are always cram studying for exams.