Everyone who has been through it, knows that getting straight "A"s is not a mystery, and you don't have to be Einstein to do it. As anything else in life though, it does require effort, determination, and positive thinking. Just do your best.
- Always pay attention in class. You would be surprised to see how much you would learn from not talking and just listening. If you don't completely understand the material, ask the teacher about it. If you're embarrassed by it, do it after school or in between classes. If you must talk, do it when the teacher isn't exactly 'teaching', or when they give you free time. Of course, don't be afraid to ask, statistics show that at least one other person in your classroom has the same question on mind as you are wanting to ask. It's your future, not theirs.
- Read your lesson prior to the class. You don't have to study it and memorize it, just read it to have a notion of the topic in class, and to prepare the questions for the teacher to clarify.
- Take good class notes. Don't write everything the teacher says, just enough bullets or headlines to remind you of the class discussions and significant points.
- Always spend approximately 20 minutes reading your class notes, and reading the material from the book. This is crucial as books are usually written by subject experts and are more extensive and better prepared than the teacher's materials presented during class.
- Do the exercises at the end of the book. This is the best way to prove to yourself that you understand the material.
- Find a quiet place, like your room, lock the door, and imagine you are the teacher explaining the subject to a student. This is also a good way to measure your understanding of the material. If you can participate in tutoring programs in school, this serves the same purpose.
- Be proactive in participating in study groups. To deepen your understanding of a particular subject, it is sometimes beneficial to hear other people's perspectives and explanations. This sometimes helps clarify topics that we may misunderstand or not fully understand.
- Never stay up late the night before a test. If you are not prepared by the prior evening, chances are you will not get an A, and pulling an all-nighter will only tire you and hamper your focus during the test. Studies have shown that if the brain does not get enough sleep, it cannot consolidate the memory. It is pointless to study all night before the test, you will not remember any of it.
- Get organized. Consistently place all assignments or handed back work/handouts separate and in chronological order. Not only does this make life in general easier, but it really, really helps come exam times, especially if there will be a cumulative "end-of-the-year" exam.
- Take courses you are interested in. You will do better if you are actually enjoying yourself while in class. One consistently will find that your favorite classes are the ones you get the best grade in.
- Be aware of your body clock. The human body learns best at specific times (usually in the morning for most people). Be sure you save this time for studying and internalizing important class materials, and reserve the other time for less pensive activities as homework or socializing. Avoid studying when you are tired. In general, you should try to get at least 8 hours of sleep a night.
- Pay attention in class. You will understand the subject better and know what the teacher is talking about prior to a test.
- Spend a reasonable amount of time on your assignments. Assignments done at the last minute or of poor quality will not help you much. Also, they won't reflect your skills as a student and probably will lower your grade.
- Do your homework. A lot of your mark is based on whether you do your homework and whether you have a good attitude. Chances are, if you do your homework, you'll do better on tests, too. Doing homework does not mean only doing assignments that are going to be collected or graded. For example if the teacher asks for you to read a section of the textbook, there is a reason for it, and doing all of your homework includes doing every assigned task and taking notes on reading whether it is required or not. This is the most important step to achieving an A in the class. Since you will always be prepared for class, pop-quizzes, and it will significantly decrease the amount of time you need to study. For example, if you do this in mathematics class, you will often find that you will not need more than a 10-minute review of the formulas/concepts and that's it!
- Never cheat or copy someone else's work! Cheating could get you a zero on the assignment/test and you could risk getting expelled from your school if you get caught. Cheating won't help you in the long run.
- Get a Planner: One of the most important things that you will need to succeed is a planner. Write down your homework right when the teacher assigns it, not later or you will forget! If a teacher tells you when a project is due or a test or quiz will be given write it down! This will help you know what you have to do.
- Create a study time: Have a designated time each day that you will only use for studying. You will need at least an hour mattering on how much home work you have. If you don't have homework, look over your notes for the day and make sure you understand it. This will help you understand the subject and even prepare you for a pop quiz. Also, read for at least twenty minutes each day. This will help your vocabulary as well as your reading skills.
- Show Up: Never skip class. This will only hurt your grade. Never play hooky! You will get behind. Only miss school if you are really sick. If you are sick for more than two days get your work from a teacher. When you come back get all your work done. Strive to get perfect attendance!
- Ask about your grade: Asking about your grade constantly will help you raise your grade, motivate you to do better, or help you rewarded for your work.
- Stay Focused: It's not how long you sit in a place with the books open, its what you do while you are sitting. Some people open their books and ignore everything; while a straight A student stays on task.
- Set Goals: Remember there is happiness in getting straight A's and reaching to your dream day by day makes even more happy; it's the beginning of achieving your dreams. Here is a poem: "When we ponder the stars, when we reach for our dreams, we're never bothered by how far away they seem. Instead, we are inspired by the beauty of our vision. Dreams are like stars they are brilliant and permanent"
- Breakfast and Food: Always eat breakfast. Breakfast supplies your brain with vital nutrients which allow you to pay attention and participate efficiently in class. Avoid the ingestion of sugary foods. While sugary food do taste good, the energy received from sugar quickly turns to a crash, which makes it harder to pay attention in class.
- ASK QUESTIONS: asking questions helps you in getting a grip over the subject with all your doubts solved
- Learn from other students. Books such as Cal Newport's Getting Straight A's detail the specific study strategies employed by real straight-A college students.
- The right attitude will help a lot. Some people are amazingly intelligent, but because they just don't care they end up making lower grades.
- These are not the only ways of getting straight As! Since individual learning styles vary, study skills should be developed in accordance with one's personal characteristics.
- A great way to understand something is to try to appreciate it. If you hate the subject, you have a very good chance of failing it. Try to find something to learn every day that you think is at least kinda cool. If that's tough, find something interesting, weird, or unexpected about the subject and go from there. When Mozart was asked about his huge musical talent, he replied: “Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together go to the making of genius. Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius.”
- The skills required to maintain perfect grades vary across levels of education (high school, university, graduate, professional, etc). Entering new phases of your education will require you to learn new skills and to develop different sorts of study and work habits.
- Ultimately you're looking to get a job. Employers and colleges are increasingly looking for extra-curricular skills and activities, not just academic ones. Work hard, but make time for other things as well. The same principles of learning academics apply to learner sports. 95% of professional athletes practiced their sport for an average of 8 hours a day when they were in high school. You may have the potential to be great at something, but it is practice and dedication that actually make you great. Whether it's the tennis team or the chess club champion, hard-work can make you the best in your area.
- If you are failing or don't understand something, try talking to the teacher. The teacher is one of the best resources for help in class. Another possibility is a tutor. Many successful students have tutors even in their best subject. Having a tutor is no shame and it is certain that many of the top students at your local schools probably use tutors.
- Don't be afraid to burn the midnight oil if you don't have something done. It is almost always better to turn an assignment in on time that might not be its best due to working late, than turning it in late. On the flip side, staying up all night before an exam can be detrimental, and caffeine can only go so far.
- If you have finals, prepare from day one of class. Keep notes clear, and note what is asked on tests. Also be sure to flip back once in a while to check how you've remembered things.
- Try to balance all areas of your life, if you're having trouble socially or not getting along with your friends or family, you might feel too emotionally stressed out to do stuff like your homework.
- Try and do all your assignments the day you get them, you wont need to worry about them as much and will have more time for fun :)
- Know the syllabus. You can not get an A if you do not know what is required to get an A.
- Learn about your teacher, ask friends who have had them before. Learn their body language, they will emphasis what is important for the course or tests to come up.
