Are you wondering why your grades aren't improving much, in spite of those long hours you spent studying, revising and practicing? It's very likely your studying techniques are to blame. Some methods, no matter how popular they are may just be a waste of your time.

Group Study: Studying in groups is a great idea, right? You all help each other out; two heads are better than one, and so on. But is it really the case? Almost always group study can be summarised as such: One student, the most intelligent one, finds themselves explaining topics to the others and not getting much study help to benefit themselves. A friend was nice enough to let the group study at his place; well, his mom was nice enough to bring snacks every five minutes. Yes, studying on an empty stomach is terrible for concentration but so is munching on crisps, cookies and candy one after the other. Suddenly someone changes the topic from geometry to what that girl in your English class did, and then begins the gossip. Group studying is only likely to be effective if the members, of similar capability, cooperate enough to simplify the topics at hand for all the members and on top of that various distractions need to be kept in check.

MCQs and Quizzes: Many believe answering dozens of MCQs is the perfect way to revise a topic. Imagine having to sit for an exam on a literature book, taking quizzes will probably help you learn only certain details rather than bigger, more important events as a whole. When you're taking the exam and answering broad questions you may fail to link the details with each other, as you've only practiced answering them separately. On the other hand many of our exams do contain a section of MCQs, in these cases of course, practicing them is a must. But when our goal is to learn a topic thoroughly, be it literature or chemistry, relying heavily on MCQs will mean poor preparation.

Flashcards: I've heard quite a few people saying that flashcards are a quick and effective method of learning. In reality, studying using flashcards may be no better than asking yourself to simply memorise information, without really learning anything. Furthermore it can cause your brain to muddle up information, mixing up definitions of similar sounding words as you learned them one after the other. However flashcards aren't completely useless, they can be recommended only when learning a small number of short definitions.
Of the various study techniques available, some work better than others, and they all depend on what you're studying. However, a few are bound to be helpful most of the time. Breaking down the topic and studying it part by part simplifies your work. So does taking notes. If you find study groups aren't helping you much, one-on-one study is a much better alternative even if it's using websites and YouTube channels that enhance active learning. A cousin found a few YouTube channels very helpful for GRE preparation; these are conducted by people who've done really well on the exam and demonstrate with tips how to answer sample questions. You may also find online courses, like those Coursera offers, helpful.

Link to Coursera: https://www.coursera.org