Psychology Study Tips for Uni! | HOW TO GET A FIRST CLASS in Psychology! 🧠

Study Strategies from Ro

Ro shares study strategies based on her experience completing undergraduate and postgraduate psychology studies. Her central message is to study strategically rather than simply spend more hours studying, while protecting sleep, wellbeing, and time outside university. She emphasizes that her approach is personal, not a guaranteed formula, and encourages students to adapt it to their own circumstances.

1. Make Lectures Count

• Use lecture time to listen actively and understand the material rather than attending while distracted.
• Take concise, structured notes instead of transcribing everything. Focus on the main ideas and useful details.
• Write in language you’ll understand later. Define unfamiliar terms rather than leaving them unexplained.
• Organize notes with headings, numbered points, and nested bullets. Ro found that roughly a page and a half could capture an hour-long lecture.
• Treat lecture notes as raw material for later exam preparation. Ro used OneNote to organize notes by subject and lecture and to combine typed notes with slides or screenshots.
• Aim to build a clear foundation during lectures so you don’t need to routinely spend evenings catching up or rereading notes.

2. Prepare for Exams Through Active Practice

Study schedules vary: some students review material weekly, while Ro usually consolidated her notes in the weeks before an exam. Her process was to:

1. Combine lecture notes into one document.
2. Organize them into a coherent study guide.
3. Look up confusing material in the textbook.
4. Practise retrieving and applying the information.

Do more than rewrite notes. Ro recommends practice tests, essays, and quizzing or interviewing friends, as these activities deepen understanding. Study groups can also make preparation more social and provide mutual help and accountability.

To get started, try the Pomodoro technique: work for about 25 minutes, take a five-minute break, and repeat. Short work periods can make a daunting task feel more manageable.

If you feel unmotivated or overwhelmed, consider whether you need a break and time to recharge rather than criticizing yourself.

3. Have a Calm Exam-Day Routine

• Prioritize sleep. Ro advises against all-nighters because tiredness can make it harder to handle a long exam.
• If you’re behind shortly before an exam, consider sleeping earlier and getting up earlier to study rather than staying up very late.
• Keep the morning close to your normal routine; avoid introducing unfamiliar or demanding activities.
• Prepare supplies the night before, including required stationery and spare pens, to reduce avoidable stress.
• Before the exam, avoid anxious last-minute discussions or intensive cramming. If you review notes, do so somewhere calm, then take a walk or otherwise relax.
• Ro warns that concentrating heavily on one paragraph right before the test can leave you fixated on that material and more anxious about everything else.
• Eat, drink water, use the bathroom, and bring the necessary supplies so you can focus on the exam.
• Plan something enjoyable afterward, such as lunch or dinner with friends.

4. Use Organizational Systems That Suit You

• Put assignment and exam deadlines in your calendar as soon as course outlines are available.
• Try a bullet journal or another planner system. Ro’s simple method was to keep a master task list and transfer items into a daily plan. Adapt the system to your preferences.
• Schedule regular check-ins with a study partner. Ro and her friend Wendy used weekly “ninja dates” to review academic deadlines, social plans, chores, fitness, and mental wellbeing.
• Keep important emails visible and organized. Ro used Gmail stars to highlight important messages.
• Use digital task tools if helpful:
  • Google Keep for lists, reminders, and small tasks.
  • Airtable as a Kanban-style board, moving tasks through stages of completion.

The broader principle is to capture tasks as they arise and organize them somewhere reliable rather than relying on memory.

5. Build a Balanced University Life

• Take advantage of opportunities beyond coursework, such as clubs, volunteering, exchange programs, and organizing events. Ro found these experiences and social connections enriched her university years and supported her motivation.
• Friends can provide academic support as well as social connection; learning together can be mutually helpful.
• Ro acknowledges that her circumstances included financial and practical support from her parents, which gave her more time for study and extracurricular activities. She recognizes that many students must also work or support family.
• Set boundaries between study time and rest. Ro’s approach was to work while at university, then treat the journey home or time at home as an opportunity to relax.
• Protect sleep and wellbeing. Letting study take over life can lead to exhaustion, irritability, and anxiety.
• Avoid comparing your study hours with classmates. Find a routine that works for your learning style and circumstances.

6. Change Habits Gradually

Choose one useful piece of advice and practise it consistently rather than trying to overhaul your entire routine at once. Sustainable habit change comes from small steps repeated over time.

Speakers and Sources Featured

• Ro — The presenter, who identifies herself as a psychologist from Sydney and shares advice based on her own study experience.
• Wendy — Mentioned as Ro’s friend and a collaborator in a bullet-journaling video; she is not heard speaking in the subtitles.
• Dr. Russ Harris — Author of The Happiness Trap, from which Ro reads a passage to demonstrate concise note-taking.
• World Health Organization (WHO) — Cited within that passage; the video does not independently discuss or verify the passage’s statistics.