 Have you ever spent time and effort studying for a quiz or test only to receive a disappointing grade? Have you ever wondered why some students earn higher scores than others after spending about the same amount of time studying or possibly even less time studying? Have you ever wished there was a more effective and more efficient way to study? You're in the right place. In this learning app, you'll explore the study cycle. An approach that research and experience shows is the best and most efficient way to study. As a college student, you're busy juggling many responsibilities. The study cycle provides a proven method for studying and saving time, a recipe for success in your college classes. The first step in making your studying more efficient is to recognize that if your prior process didn't work well, you need to change the process. The study cycle is an approach that will help you maximize what your brain does best to help you use it to succeed in your studies. There are five steps in the study cycle – preview, attend, review, study, and check. The first step in the study cycle is preview. This step will take up to 15 minutes. For your class meeting, skim new material – that's any information that you did not know or know much about before the class. Skim means to look over and visually review the material without reading it word for word. As you skim, note any important points. Note means to stop and reread something to be sure you understand it. Then write a couple of words about it, either in the margins of the book or in your notebook. Go to class, either in person or in a live online session. Build the class time into your schedule and set a rule for yourself that you will protect that time. Attending class is one of the most important steps in the study cycle. In class, you'll hear and discuss examples that help to explain new information. Take notes regarding those examples so you'll easily remember them later. In class, you'll also have the opportunity to ask questions and hear your classmate's questions. Sometimes, a classmate will ask a question you didn't even know you had. That's a great way to learn even more deeply about a topic. The review stage will take you up to 15 minutes. Soon after class, read through your notes while the material is still fresh in your mind. Add any missing information. Write down any follow-up questions you may have and write questions you think might be on the test. Ask yourself, if I were the instructor and wanted to be sure students understood this concept, what questions would I ask on the test? Schedule several focused study sessions per class each week. Don't wait until just before the test to study. If you schedule several shorter study sessions each week, you won't need long, inefficient cram sessions before tests. The last step is check. Ask yourself, can I teach this material to someone else? If you can, arrange to meet with a classmate or study group. Take turns teaching main concepts to each other. After the test, note your improvement. Then ask yourself, was my study method effective? Did I follow all of the study cycle steps? How can I improve my studying next time? With a scientifically proven approach to effective studying, each time you use the study cycle, you should see your study time go down and your scores continue to increase. You've got this.