Study Breaks: Absolutely Key To Studying Harder

Studying is an intense activity, especially when preparing for a test such as the DAT. I hear people say they’ll study for 6 hours straight – ridiculous!

The amount of time you put into studying is not proportional to the effectiveness of your studying. It’s like exponential decay – the first hour or two of studying you’re doing great, then you start losing focus, repeatedly read the same sentence, and words may stop meaning anything to you. Your mind becomes fried. Those last few hours studying won’t help you on the DAT – you might as well have been sleeping.

You still have to study hard in preparation for the DAT, but try to incorporate breaks into your study time. For example, go for a short walk outside. Your blood flow will increase and your mind will get a chance to digest all the information it just went through. A personal favorite of mine was to sit outside, drink tea, and do nothing. Avoid using the Internet and Facebook – just let your eyes and mind relax for a few minutes without soaking up new information. It’s important to keep your break short though, otherwise your mind will exit study-mode.

Try it out! You’ll find yourself having more energy and more willing to study harder. Your memory and cognition will improve, as well as your stamina. Take a break every hour to get ahead!