A Questionnaire to Review Your Study Habits*
Where to Study 1. I study where there is good indirect lighting. 2. I study in a room where the temperature is not too warm (less than 70’). 3. The desk or tabletop area where I study is always clear except for the materials for the subject I am currently studying. 4. I study in a quiet place, or use earplugs, or a fan to provide a masking noise to minimize distracting sounds. 5. I study facing a wall or a corner to minimize distracting sights. 6. At the place or places where I study, I only study (I don’t do other things such as spend time on Facebook, read magazines, etc.). 7. At each study session, I review the subjects that I am going to study, and I prepare ahead of time all the materials (papers, pencils, books, laptop) that I will need. When and How Much to Study 8. I use my “most alert” times for studying (I avoid wasting my best times in the lounge drinking coffee, on Facebook, etc.). 9. I review my class notes within one day after the class in which they were taken. 10. At each study session, I set a goal in order to take a break, based upon some amount (such as reading a certain number of pages, writing a certain number of paragraphs, etc.) rather than on the basis of time (such as studying for one-half hour or one hour). 11. Each goal that I set before taking a break never takes more than about an hour to complete. 12. I take breaks for progress, not for fatigue or daydreaming. (See the explanation for this item at the bottom of this questionnaire.) 13. I study the “tough” subjects when I am most alert. (For most students, this will be during the morning.) 14. At the start of each week, I carefully plan my study schedule for the week. Yes Sometimes No

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*©Prentice Hall, G. Martin, & J. G. Osborne. This material has been copied under licence from Access Copyright. Resale or further copying of this material is strictly prohibited.

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Study Habits Questionnaire (cont'd)
How to Study 15. When I am working on a major project, such as a term paper, I break it down into small steps, each of which requires no more than an hour or two. 16. When studying textual material, I try to determine what kinds of questions will be asked on exams, and read the text with the idea of discovering answers to those questions. (Just generally reading with no goal in mind is not particularly effective.) 17. When I am learning a principle or definition, I try to think of at least two examples of how it might be applied or used. 18. When I am learning material, I ask myself questions and study until I can give the answer, on two or three separate occasions, without looking at the text or my notes. 19. When studying a text with an outline or an organized sequence, I follow the SQ3R method1 as follows: a. Survey: I briefly examine a chapter’s headings and subheadings in order to list as many questions as possible about the material to be studied (this also helps to get warmed up and into the material). Yes Sometimes No

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b. Question: I try to think of and list additional questions that I should be able to answer from reading the chapter (explained below). c. Read: While reading, I try to underline, take notes, or in some way identify material that will help me answer the questions that I previously listed.

d. Recite: At key points throughout the chapter, I put the book down or look away form it while I try to recite material that I have just read which is relevant to one of the questions previously formulated (explained below). e. Review: After surveying, questioning, reading, and reciting some textual material, I then review the material and continue to go over my recitation to the questions and my notes until “I know the answers cold” for an exam (explained below).

Explanation of Items in Your Study Habits Review Item 12: Taking a break following a period of making progress and feeling alert will reward you for making progress and feeling alert. If you feel drowsy or begin to daydream, you should read at least one more page carefully, or solve one or two easy problems, and then take a break, rather than taking a break after feeling drowsy or daydreaming and accomplishing relatively little for the preceding few minutes. Item 19(b): The questions might be provided in each chapter, suggested by the professor, or you might be able to make up some of your own from the headings and subheadings. Reading to try and answer questions is much more effective than just being a passive reader. Item 19(d): This is one of the most important parts of studying. When you are passively reading, it is kind of like watching someone else perform. When you are reciting, it is like you are performing for yourself. It is during the recitation of answers to questions that essential learning is occurring. Simply reading and rereading does not mean that you are learning the material. Item 19(e): This is also a critical part of learning. Often a review of approximately 20 minutes on three or four successive occasions over several days is all that is needed for a student to remember a great deal of information during an entire semester.
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For a detailed discussion of the SQ3R method, see F. P. Robinson, Effective study (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1961).