How to do well without studying

For those of you who wanted an easy way out of hard work, let me warn you now, this is not it. This is possibly harder than study, plus the results you get at the end of your exam period may not be better than if you studied in the first place.

Then why do it? And why write an entry about it?

For two reasons;

a) I am a terrible studier. I am lazy and have low motivation for study outside of school or university. However, I get good grades, hell I even got top of my course and won an award for it. There must be something I am doing differently to the other people, and I would like to share to you what I think it may be.

b) The techniques or tips that I go through are not for you to become a student that does not study. These incentives are for me, to not study. What's in it for you is that you can walk away with this information and get even better grades if you incorporate it as well with your study.

If you're sitting there reading this confused, good I've started to make your brain jiggle.
"All I hear is study study study, my parents want me to study all the time, my teachers recommend I do X hours a day, so I should be studying all day everyday".
Let me tell you what I think of that, WRONG.

What does the word "study" mean to you anyway. What does "study" involve. Is it just reading a textbook? Is it just doing question after question? Is it writing notes all over the walls and house?
It shouldn't be. Underlying and preceding all study should be an "understanding". Only after you have an understanding can effective studying take place.

Too many times have I seen fellow students try to recite formulas right before their tests. Too many times have I seen fellow students look frantically through their notes right before their tests.
There is no point knowing a formula unless you know it's meaning. I'm not necessarily talking about knowing exactly how to derive it, but knowing where it comes from helps dearly.
How do you learn where it comes from?

Listen in class

This is my number one tip and is the most important. Attend all classes and lectures, concentrate to the best of your ability during class. This is what I do.
I know some people like to not bother with anything during school and think that it will be fine because you have all the time in the world to study it later at home on a weekend or something. Some people don't bother showing up because they feel it is more 'efficient' to study at home rather than attend class.
WRONG.
The most efficient thing to do is attend class, listen, then go home and don't study, like me. I spend the rest of my day doing what I please while some people may be struggling with a question that they don't fully understand.

The teacher/lecturer is the number one source of information. It's their job to pass these ideas on to you. You are a fool to pass on that opportunity. The teacher/lecturer is there to answer any questions you have as well! This is where you have to build your understanding.
This is where all of my understanding comes from, not from any books or sources on the web.

Aside - another reason why you should attend all lectures - grow up. Somebody some where out there is paying for these classes. Whether it be you, a parent, a guardian, a friend, a future employer, a current employer, a government body or university etc, somebody is paying. You are doing them an injustice if you don't attend classes or lectures.

So what do I do after I listen in class and ask questions on things that weren't clear and understand things? Nothing
That's it, no study for me.
I relax, go off and do my own thing. No stress involved.

What do I do before a test? Nothing.
Not even up to the last minute until the test do I study. I sit there patiently while I see others panick and wonder why I'm not panicking with them.

What do I do during a test? I answer the questions like I would have at the end of the lesson we learned the material.
The way I look at tests is that I want to see if I can answer the questions. I want to see if my understanding of the material and my interpretation of it meets the markers' standards. That's all.
I don't see it as an opportunity to out-do my friends, I don't see it as a branding that will leave me with a mark that you have to be stuck with for life. I see it as an opportunity to learn.

Never does a low test score have to be depressing. I see it as a goldmine of answers. The more corrections I have on my paper, the more learning I will do from it.
There's nothing scarier than going into a test, not knowing whether you're understanding was firm, getting the test results and getting a high mark. You don't know what you did right. Getting a test like that, is the worst feeling.

That's what happens to me. I get a high test result, but am not 100% confident why. And that scares me.
So I guess you should study if you don't want to be scared like me.
Good luck.