The Secret Sauce to Becoming a Top Student
Ever wondered why some students seem to have an effortless handle on their learning, studying, and performance in school? They are efficient, quick learners, and consistently high performers. While intelligence, hard work, and a growth mindset play a role, is there something more that sets them apart?
The short answer is: Yes.
The longer answer lies in their mastery of a set of strategies that involve intentionally creating an inner dialogue to connect new knowledge to what they already know. This skill, when done deliberately, is called metacognition. While many define metacognition simply as thinking about thinking, it is far more complex. It is the invisible force that “quality controls” your thinking, helps you adjust your approach, and ensures you’re using the best strategies to reach your goals.
In this post, I will share some of my favorite strategies, all backed by evidence-based cognitive psychology principles.
Use Your Time Effectively (and Skip Class If You Can)
The primary goal of school is to maximize learning. If you do that, good grades naturally follow. However, if your goal is only focused on passing or getting A’s, and you’re fine with forgetting everything afterwards, you’ve missed the entire point of education.
If you’re in a flexible school environment where attendance is not factored into your final grade, I highly recommend skipping class. Sounds crazy, right? But listening in class is one of the least efficient ways to learn. Why? First, you have no control over the pace at which your professor delivers the content. Second, taking notes doesn’t guarantee you’ve learned the content—you’ll still need to spend time doing that afterwards.
So how do you learn the content if you don’t attend class?
Start by finding or making a reliable friend who is great at note-taking, or better yet, use any lecture recordings or notes provided by your professor. While many say that going to class and taking handwritten notes helps with learning, it’s only partially true. The real magic happens when you actively engage with the information and integrate it into your existing knowledge base.
That said, if you’re in a situation where attendance is mandatory, don’t skip class. But if your grades won’t suffer from missing class, read on and give these strategies a try.
Ditch Speed Reading (and Other Ineffective Strategies)
The first step in acquiring knowledge is storing it in memory. Many students rely on ineffective strategies like highlighting, re-reading, re-watching video recordings, or speed reading. Unfortunately, the content doesn’t stick because those activities are considered passive learning and adds very little to your existing knowledge.
Effective learning means slowing down and deconstructing concepts, connecting new information to what you already know. This deliberate process of reflection strengthens your memory and understanding.
What does this look like in practice?
As you read, engage in an internal dialogue. Ask yourself:
What are the key concepts?
Do I need to remember this?
How does this relate to what I already know?
Are there contradictions or supporting ideas here?
How would I explain this to someone else?
How would I summarize this in one sentence?
As you can probably already see, this reflective approach takes time, effort, and can be taxing on your cognitive load if you’re just starting out. But trust me, it gets easier with practice.
Overcoming the Forgetting Curve (Using Retrieval Practice and Spacing)
According to a replication of Ebbinghaus’ classic forgetting curve (Murre & Dros, 2015), humans are notoriously known for being forgetful and the only way to remember what you learned is through retrieval practice. The process is remarkably similar to exercising a muscle—the more you use it, the stronger it becomes.
I recommend using flashcards for retrieval practice. Before the invention of flashcard apps, I used to have stacks of physical flashcards in my backpack. Now, apps like Quizlet, Anki, or Brainscape make it easy to create flashcards, test yourself anytime, and can be even used as a fun tool to study with friends.
The other strategy I like to use is spacing, the opposite of cramming. Most students believe if they spend enough time bulk-studying a few days before the exam, they’ll remember the material. While cramming may work temporarily for the purpose of passing an exam, students usually forget everything within hours. Spacing, in contrast, is repeated learning in spaced-out sessions over a period of time, and is far more durable than cramming.
If you’re serious about excelling as a student, focus on understanding the material, then practice retrieving it regularly. Use tools like flashcards or quizzes, and space out your practice sessions for best results. These strategies have worked well for me, and I hope they work for you, too.