Essential tips and tricks for students to achieve academic success [ Don’t miss tip 5!]

Academic success is a crucial part of every student's life. No matter what career you want to choose in the future, you need to have an academic achievement to back it. Let's say, you want to do your masters in English Literature. You'd want to get into the best university that offers the expertise of the best teachers. To make that possible you will have to pave your way to get a seat in the best university, which might be coveted by many.  And how do you do that? By achieving academic success. 

Now, academic success is not defined by just securing good marks for tests. Consider it as a journey. The journey should aid you as students understand what you are learning, finding your passion, and paving your path. It should help you attain your personal and professional potential.

Anyone can achieve academic success if they follow a well-planned strategy. It is imperative to create clear actionable goals to be on track and develop the required skills to achieve academic success.

In this article, we discuss 7 tips and tricks you can follow to achieve academic success and pursue your passion.

Table of contents

• 7 effective tips to achieve academic success
• Manage your time effectively
• Set realistic goals
• Pay attention during classes
• Be familiar with your syllabus
• Mock tests and previous papers
• Set up a dedicated study space
• Use tools to streamline your study process
• How to measure academic success: Is it grades alone?

How to achieve academic success: 7 effective tips [Don’t miss out on the 5th!]

Before we get into the tips, here's something you should keep in mind. Always start with easy goals that can be achieved in your current circumstances. You can then slowly track your progress, set bigger objectives, and reach milestones. Let's read further and explore 7 tips to help you excel and reach your academic goals.

1. Manage your time effectively

All work and no play make Jack a dull boy. Simply focusing on your studies alone for long hours can actually make you dull. Taking an ample number of break sessions is very important for you to focus on the right things. Evidently, taking too many breaks can lead to lethargy and can restrain you from achieving your goals. That being the reason, you should always manage time effectively.

Managing your time lets you stay organized, prioritize your tasks and stick to the goal. Create a daily, weekly, and monthly study schedule. Make sure the schedule you create lets you track your project deadlines, tests, and study sessions in such a way that it is achievable. You could either use an online spreadsheet to create a calendar on your own, depend on online calendar templates, or simply install a good daily planner or screen time app to set your time management goals.

You can try this simple weekly study planner calendar template to start manage your time effectively!

2. Set realistic goals

You should strategically plan your goals. You might have long-term goals to achieve, but you might not be able to achieve it one stretch, or may even find it difficult to stick to the plan. So, the best technique would be to analyze your primary, long-term goal and split it into smaller goals. You can achieve these smaller, easier goals one by one and then achieve your main goal. The idea is to combine smart work and hard work in order to achieve academic success. Therefore, as mentioned before, set realistic and SMART goals. Here SMART stands for the acronym Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. For instance, you could set a SMART goal like " I will improve my marks from 50% to 60% in the first semester. I will achieve this by devoting 1 hour a day for understanding and learning my lessons, and making notes."

3. Pay attention during classes

This is one of the most important points to keep in mind when it comes to achieving academic success. Of course, it is an obvious point, but it is also something that students often ignore. Make sure you take part in lectures and try to understand what is being taught. Half the work gets done there. You should be fully engaged in the session, take notes and clear doubts if any. Also, ask questions and engage with your instructors to get a better insight into your subject and areas which should be focused on.

4. Be familiar with your syllabus

A syllabus is a powerful tool that can help you achieve academic success. A syllabus provides you with the information needed to create an effective timetable. You will know when and where to spend your time. You will also get an insight into what you will be taught and can get the required study materials accordingly. Speaking of which, make sure you go through your study materials and familiarize yourself with them. They are a bank of information and will provide you with deeper knowledge about a subject. You can also find quizzes and mock tests in many of these study materials.

5. Mock tests and previous papers

Taking mock tests and solving the previous years' papers are the best ways to prepare for a university exam. This practice not only helps you test your knowledge and get a better understanding of your subject but also helps you find the pattern of questions asked. The mentioned practice will always be an asset when preparing for exams. Here's how you can prepare for your exams to achieve huge academic success.

Start referring to notes and textbooks 2-3 weeks prior to your exams and learn the chapters of your subjects. Once, that is done, you can start solving 2-3 mock tests, two days before the exam. On the day before the exam, try to solve a total of 4 sets of past question papers from different years. If you don't find enough time, try to start with the section that carries the most marks and then go for the rest. This is an effective and foolproof strategy to achieve academic success. 

6. Set up a dedicated study space

A great environment is conducive to learning. Therefore, make sure that you have a study space that keeps you motivated and away from distractions. If you don't have a study space, you can always set up one. Choose a space that has ample lighting. Arrange a comfortable desk and chair. Organize the desk with all your study materials. Here's something you should keep in mind. Your environment plays a huge role in motivating you. While a good environment has a positive impact, a cluttered environment might just spoil your mood to study. Therefore, make it a point to keep your desk organized and clutter-free in a well-lit space.

7. Use tools to streamline your study process

Utilize various tools to enhance your academic workflow. For instance, note-taking apps can help you keep your thoughts organized, and citation managers can simplify the process of referencing sources. Additionally, using tools to extract data from PDFs can save you time by allowing you to quickly pull out key points, tables, and references from research papers and study materials. By incorporating these tools into your routine, you can focus more on understanding and applying the knowledge, ultimately boosting your academic success.

How to measure academic success: Is it grades alone?

Grades are great ways to measure academic success. However, it shouldn't be the only factor in gauging academic achievement. Of course, the power of grades should not be discounted. You can always produce it as proof of your performance or skillset acquired in a subject. However, when it comes to using your skills to build a career, the factor that counts the most is how well you have understood and analyzed the preferred subject, and how well do you put the skill to good use. Therefore, don't always stick to grades alone while measuring academic success. You should sometimes gauge the power of the acquired knowledge yourself. 

Keep measuring your academic achievement, and take baby steps to improve and reach greater academic success.