Study Skills for High School Students

High school is the perfect time to build powerful study habits. High schools often provide limited resources, though, for helping students to build and maintain these habits. For high school students who are motivated to develop stronger study skills, it can be challenging to know exactly how to build a well-structured study strategy or how to improve on their current study routine.

Developing strong study skills is foundational for academic success in high school and college. Students who strengthen these muscles early on in their academic careers experience less stress, retain more information, and are better prepared for college- and university-level courses. We’re excited to share actionable strategies to support high school students looking for successful study structures, and to help them find the study rhythms and patterns that work for their individual learning styles!

Why Study Skills Are Important in High School

Strong study skills are highly beneficial for high school students. Students who practice healthy and effective study habits are able to maximize their productivity and comprehension across all subject areas, improving skills like math and writing. They need less time and energy to complete their homework and are better prepared for challenging tests and exams, including college admissions examinations. As a result, they also have more time for extracurricular activities and more personal time to spend with friends and families.

Implementing intentional, rigorous, and resilient structures around studying empowers high school students to become academically independent. As students advance through high school and prepare for college, they are increasingly expected to manage their own workloads and to use their study time efficiently. According to Harvard University, students who create and actively maintain an independent study routine are better prepared for the academic demands encountered during the first year of college.

Common Study Challenges for High Schoolers

High schoolers face innumerable challenges as they strive for academic success. These include differences in learning styles and abilities, rapidly changing environments, test anxiety, and constant demands from all angles on students’ time, energy, and resources, to name just a few. Staying afloat in a large educational system with limited individual support can be extremely challenging, and students who fall behind often struggle to make up the gap to their peers.

Managing a sustainable study schedule is one of the toughest challenges that high schoolers face, and students are often left on their own to manage their own routines. Students who are susceptible to procrastination, who have difficulty focusing or retaining information, who have to work hard to internally motivate themselves, or who struggle with organizational issues are likely to experience compounding problems when trying to stay on top of their studying and school work.

Top Study Skills for Academic Success

Time Management and Planning

Developing an effective time management system is not always easy, but it is one of the keys to finding and sustaining academic success. Here are a few tips for staying on top of your tasks:

1. Take the time to set up a good system. If you’re already feeling overwhelmed by the pile of work you have to do in a limited time window, it can be tempting to jump in and try to make a dent in that pile. However, your productivity will benefit if you step back and establish a strategy to organize your study tasks and your available time. Setting aside just one hour (ideally during a weekend or school break) to establish a time management system will be worth it in the long run.

2. Break large study tasks into manageable, actionable chunks with time estimates. Smaller tasks are less intimidating and allow you to take advantage of shorter study windows. For example, a task like “study calculus” could be separated into three action items such as:
   
   a) “Review calculus textbook chapter 6.1: areas between curves (ca. 1 hour)”
   b) “Review calculus textbook chapter 6.2: determining volumes by slicing (ca. 1 hour)”
   c) “Complete calculus practice problems 1-10 and 58-67 (ca. 1 hour 30 minutes)”
   
   If you’re not sure how long a task will take, leave the time estimate blank but record how long it takes you for the next time you want to work on a similar task.

3. Use a calendar, a planner, a to-do list app, or a task management software. Whether your setup is physical or digital, there are dozens of tools that you can use to help you stay on top of your study workload. One of the simplest (and most effective) systems combines an ongoing to-do list for keeping track of your tasks with a planner or calendar to organize your schedule. Whatever your system, make sure to write down new tasks immediately to avoid forgetting them.

4. Keep it simple. During busy or unexpectedly urgent periods, many people’s overengineered task management systems fall apart. The best strategy is to avoid unnecessary complexity and over categorization, and to maintain a sustainable, flexible, and easy-to-use setup that makes sense for your use.

5. Personalize your approach. A task management system could be very effective for one student and not effective at all for someone else. Research has shown that the efficacies of personal task management systems vary from individual to individual. If your current system is not working, change it up or try something completely different.

Note-Taking Techniques

Like time management, note taking is an essential skill that requires active practice and personalization. Note taking has two functions: encoding and storage. The act of taking notes helps students’ brains make internal connections, and those notes also serve as a reference for later review. Studies have suggested that different students can find success with different note-taking techniques that complement their skills and abilities. For example, some students find greater success typing their notes on a computer, while others find better results when writing their notes in a physical notebook. Similarly, some students prefer to take long notes, even transcribing entire lectures, while others prefer to synthesize and summarize the ideas into bullet points in real time. Most importantly, highly successful students organize their notes by category, observe their own learning rates and results, and, if necessary, change their note taking techniques until they find what works.

Cornell Notes is a proven note-taking technique that has been shown to work well for many students across multiple subjects. This system requires students to divide their page into three sections: “notes” (right), “cues/questions” (left), and “summary” (bottom). The goal is to record facts and detailed points from a class or a book, as well as questions that arise during that class or while reading the book, and finally to summarize the information in one to two lines. By combining approaches from multiple angles, students activate multiple parts of their brains and are better able to make connections.

Active Study Methods

Active studying means that the student is cognitively interacting with the material they are learning. As opposed to passive studying, in which the student simply reads or listens to the material with the goal of memorization, active studying requires your brain to analyze, synthesize, and reflect on the information and allows you to learn more deeply.

Active study methods include:

• Writing down incisive questions as you read (as in the Cornell Notes system)

• Discussing topics in a study group or pod

• Connecting theoretical concepts to real-life examples or stories

• “Teaching-back” the material to a friend or classmate who was absent (or who pretends to have been absent) from class

When completing these activities, try to identify relationships among different topics, and between new information and information that you already know. Use a variety of active study methods to find the combination that works best for your own style of learning.

Setting Up a Distraction-Free Environment

Eliminating distractions makes it easier to stay focused and to be more productive when studying. Take responsibility for putting yourself in an environment where you work well:

• Turn your phone on Do Not Disturb mode. If you are tempted to look at your phone, use a focus app to lock out distractions for a period of time.

• Find a setting that you find conducive to studying. If you work well in quiet spaces, go to a library or another dedicated work area. Some students prefer working with some activity and background noise, such as a coffee shop. Find a place that makes you want to study, and go there.

• If listening to music is helpful, bring your earbuds and a playlist.

• Avoid multi-tasking. When you start a study task, have a goal in mind and aim to complete it before moving on to the next subject.

• Bring a water bottle and snacks. Hydration and nutrition is important for alertness and optimal brain function. Bringing a water bottle and a snack to your study location eliminates the need to leave and potentially become distracted in the middle of a study session.

Removing distractions doesn’t mean you can’t take breaks. In fact, taking breaks is actually an important component of staying focused and resisting distractions. For example, the Pomodoro Technique is a simple method for balancing focused work (25 minutes) and break time (5 minutes). Taking short and frequent breaks, and occasional longer breaks, improves cognitive performance and allows your brain to stay focused for longer periods of time. Try different rhythms for working and pausing to find a balance that works for you.

When taking breaks, consider doing some sort of physical activity like stretching or going for a walk. If you notice that you are getting mentally fatigued, try a change of scenery. Moving to a different space or simply swiveling your chair around to the other side of the table can give you a fresh perspective, and can help you cognitively “reset” when encountering challenges during a study session.

Building Study Habits for Lasting Success

Reducing Stress Through Effective Study Habits

One of the most immediate benefits of cultivating strong study habits is the reduction of stress. High school students face a lot of academic pressure—balancing homework, projects, extracurriculars, and sometimes part-time jobs can feel overwhelming. However, by developing a clear study routine, students can alleviate the anxiety that often comes with last-minute cramming and rushed assignments.

Tip: Start each study session with a clear plan and a set of achievable goals. Break down larger tasks into smaller, more manageable ones, and stick to your time estimates. This helps reduce the cognitive load and prevents last-minute stress. Over time, students will begin to feel more confident in their ability to manage academic challenges, knowing they have the tools to succeed.

Improving Retention Through Active Engagement

Effective study habits also lead to better retention of information. It's not just about how many hours students spend studying, but how they study. Passive reading or rote memorization may seem efficient at the moment, but active engagement with the material is proven to increase understanding and retention.

Tip: Try using active recall techniques, such as creating flashcards or teaching back the material. Engaging with content actively also strengthens the connections students make between concepts, making it easier to recall information during tests and exams.

Fostering Independence with a Structured Routine

As students progress through high school, they begin to need less external direction and more personal responsibility for their learning. Building strong study habits early on sets the stage for academic independence, a crucial skill for college and beyond. By organizing their time, notes, and tasks effectively, students gradually develop a sense of ownership over their education.

Tip: Encourage students to set personal academic goals and track their progress. Whether it's through a weekly planner or a digital tool, being able to visualize their growth builds a sense of independence and achievement. Over time, students will not only feel more capable but also more empowered to manage their time and learning strategies on their own.

The Importance of Mentorship and Study Pods

While independence is important, it's also crucial for high school students to have a solid support system. Mentors, study groups, or even family members who encourage and guide students can make a significant impact on their success. These support systems offer not only academic guidance but also emotional reassurance, helping students manage the inevitable challenges they face throughout their academic journey.

Study groups that are small, structured, and that meet frequently (i.e. not just before an exam) can be highly valuable for students who are motivated to “level up” their study strategies. In addition to pooling notes, study guides, and other resources, study pods can engage in active study methods that individual students can’t. Debates, discussions, and “teach back” sessions are just a few of the ways that small study groups can collectively grow their comprehension and critical thinking skills throughout the semester. Leading up to large tests, students can hold goal-focused review sessions and even write practice quizzes to share with one another.

Conclusion: Build Habits for Lifelong Learning

Resilience is the key to sustaining long-term effective study routines. A week of progress is more valuable than a day of perfect studying. You will almost certainly encounter challenges and frustrations that threaten to detail your study habits. For instance, you might not see immediate results in test scores, and that’s okay. It takes time to build study skills and, most importantly, to fine-tune your routine to match your strengths, weaknesses, and learning style. If you try a strategy described above and, after a few weeks, it doesn’t seem to be working or is too difficult, then stop. Swap it out for a different strategy that better suits you. The goal is to design, implement, and be able to maintain a system of strategies and techniques that maximizes your potential over weeks, months, and years.

Polygence Pods offer structure, guidance, accountability, and support to high school students who are motivated to amplify their study skills. Each Pod brings together a handful of like-minded students for six expert-guided sessions on a cutting-edge topic that everyone is passionate about. You’ll practice active study methods to reinforce learning, draw connections, and strengthen soft skills while exploring fields like Environmental Sustainability, Psychology, and East Asian Studies. All Pods are led by one of our PhD-level research program mentors.

Have an idea for a research project? For students who are ready to conduct their own research, our research mentorship program connects motivated high schoolers with expert mentors for personalized guidance and 1-on-1 support.

Is Polygence right for you? Find out how we can work together to strengthen your study skills for lasting success in high school and beyond!