Is it your desire to score within the distinction range (70% and above) in all your tests and examinations? Do you desire to graduate from the university with outstanding results with an appealing transcript? Have you longed to be named as the best graduating student of your class, your faculty or even the entire university? There is one secret to acheive it, same way academic giants acheived theirs. That secret is enshrined in how you study.

Cramming your notes and required text books and materials will not give you good grades and make you academically bright. Cliche right? But its true. Now look at this. Understanding the material, notes and class lectures wont give you your desired academic success either. Shocking right? Its true. You can attest to the fact that you may have done either of these two but havent seen significant changes in your grades.
What then is the solution? Understanding PLUS cramming is the secret!

We hear lecturers and other academic speakers advising students never to cram but to simply understand what they are being taught. They didnt tell you the whole story. A vital ingredient is missing from the pot of soup.
When you understand a material only but dont cram the text word for word, cramming the terms and the context that an authority delivered the message, you appear amateurish. This would show in your write ups in essays and you would always be average in your objective questions. This is because, you may understand what you want to say, but you would use layman terms to express yourself, instead of delivering your answers in an academic tone, thus appearing as if a road side groundnut seller wrote the essay. You would score low.
When you're asked to define Electromagnetism, and you answer by saying"I cant really remember the terms though but it means when current or electricity and magnet power work together to acheive an aim " you can expect the examiner to throw your scripts into the trash bin. A different scenario would occur if you defined the term exactly as it was stated in the textbooks and then proceed to explain what it means using the terms of the field in the right context. You then appear educated and an authority as far as that subject is concerned and gain maximum marks.

Therefore, when studying you can approach it in two forms. One form either by first cramming the material and making sure you can say it by heart and then proceed to try and understand what its talking about in such a way that u can explain it to anyone and apply it, or you first take your time to understand the topic and then go on to thoroughly memorise the material.

When you do this, there is no exam you wont come up on top and be among the best in your class and always score above the 70th percentile. This is how to be academically excellent.

True talk

I concur

When you are done understanding and cramming simultaneously, please come up with something for the world (the future generations at least).


Let it not end with grades.

gbam.

Unfortunately true.

@Rolandken. I'll also advise everyone to enrol for a course named LEARNING TO LEARN on Coursera. The lectures are delivered by 2 doctors from University of Illinois, USA. It's a free 4 weeks' course and I'm in my first week; anyone can still join now as this week's course is running till May 16.
As a matter of fact, I got encouraged to enrol for this Course due to the positive metamorphosis in 2 friends' level of understanding on their completion of the Course, and in addition, reviews about it online are very encouraging. I initially wanted to take Songwriting course, but reviews about the course are just too bad, so I dropped it

Insightful piece. I always read to understand but it never gave me the grades I wanted. After spending several hours reading. Thanks for this piece.

Ted07:
Insightful piece. I always read to understand but it never gave me the grades I wanted. After spending several hours reading. Thanks for this piece.

Youre welcome brother.

tosyne2much:
I totally agree bro... Such a wonderful write-up

Thank you.

MisterDreamz:
When you are done understanding and cramming simultaneously, please come up with something for the world (the future generations at least).


Let it not end with grades.

Youre right. Thats the recipe for development: Knowledge for Service.