Many students haven't the foggiest idea how to study from a reading assignment.  It's really quite simple:

Read

Realize

Rehearse

Retain

Read: Obviously this is the first step.  What you read may be your lecture notes, an article, or a text book.

Realize: Pay attention to what you are reading.  Note what's new or what you want to come back to.  Use a highlighter to note this and if it is more than a vocabulary word, bracket the phrase, sentence, paragraph rather than underline the entire passage.  It's much faster. Then return to your highlighted passages and look at what you underlined.  Think about it.  place it into context with what else you know.  This will help you with the next step.

Rehearse: Now try to repeat to yourself or someone else what the highlighted passages say without reading them.  As much as possible, do it without even looking at them.  Do this more than once.  Find down times to do this, like when you are walking or going to the bathroom.  Repetition leads to Retention and it reveals gaps in your knowledge.

Retain: If you have done the above, this step will already be completed.  Good studying!

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