How to Improve Your Grades

There's no magic fairy who can instantly turn your grade from a 5 to a 10 – you'll need to put in the effort and make a firm commitment to improve! By working hard on assignments and following useful study techniques and advice, you'll quickly see your grades rise and make your school year much better.

Pay attention in class. The best thing you can do to improve your grades is to focus the first time the information is presented. It’s easy to lose focus when the teacher is going on about a boring subject, but you shouldn’t tune them out. Stay engaged by actively listening, asking questions, and taking notes.

Take Notes. It might sound silly, but note-taking is an excellent strategy to help improve your grades. Notes act as a roadmap guiding your future learning. They also signal to your teacher that you’re serious about doing well in class. You don’t need to write down every word the teacher says—just the key points. Think of it like telling your parents about your day; write a general overview, highlighting the important details.

• If you come across information that seems confusing or complicated, make sure to jot it down! Even if you don't fully understand the lesson, your notes will be there for you to review and dig into later.
• Handwrite your notes instead of typing them. This will help you remember them more effectively.

Ask Questions When You Don’t Understand. If you don’t grasp a concept or piece of information your teacher is explaining, or if it’s unclear in your textbook, don’t hesitate to ask! Smart people don’t automatically know everything—they’re curious enough to ask questions and research what they don’t understand.

• If you’re nervous about asking questions in front of the class, talk to your teacher after school for further clarification.
• Don’t assume your teacher will be upset if you don’t understand. They’ll appreciate your interest and investment in the material enough to ask for help.
• If your teacher isn’t explaining things in a way that makes sense to you, or if you still feel uncomfortable, consider searching for explanations online. YouTube has tons of educational videos on common school topics, and there are many forums and websites where you can find helpful explanations for your questions.

Review Your Syllabus. Your teacher might have provided a syllabus at the start of the school year or semester. This is an outline of everything you’ll cover in the course. You should go over the syllabus carefully and ask your teacher about anything you don’t fully understand. Along with your notes, the syllabus is another great guide to help you with your studies.

Snack During the Day. You might not realize this, but your focus issues could be due to hunger! Try eating small snacks between classes, and drink water to boost your concentration and help your brain absorb more information.

• Opt for protein-rich snacks as they’ll give you the most energy. Consider having a quick snack like sausages or a handful of almonds or soybeans.

Try to Find Your Learning Style. Everyone learns differently. Some people learn better when they move around and use their body, while others prefer visual aids and images. Some people absorb information best through sound, such as words or music. Think about the factors that help you retain information the most and find ways to incorporate them into your study routine.

• For example, if you’re an auditory learner (someone who learns better with sound), ask your teacher if you can record their lectures to listen to later.
• If you’re not sure what your learning style is, take this quiz or explore other online quizzes. You can also reflect on your past classroom experiences to analyze what methods have worked best for you.
• If you're a visual learner, try drawing charts or diagrams that illustrate the information you need to study and the connections between key ideas visually.

Start studying right away. Don’t procrastinate! Waiting until the end of the term or, worse, cramming the night before a test will only lead to poor grades. Your brain won’t have enough time to truly absorb and retain the information. Cramming often results in forgetting or mixing up material. Instead, set aside time every evening to review the previous week’s lessons and ensure you fully understand and remember everything.

• This means when you study for a test, you’ll only need to do a quick review of the material.
• Try to revisit as many past lessons as possible to reinforce your knowledge.

Review your notes. Notes allow you to quickly revisit material and refresh your memory. If you didn’t fully grasp something the first time, your notes will provide a roadmap to help you locate the information you need. Organize your notes by topic and review them one at a time.

• Sometimes, related topics are revisited at different points throughout the year. You may need to connect what you learned in September with the concepts introduced in January to get a complete understanding.

Create study guides. Occasionally, your teacher will provide you with a study guide, but if not, you should create your own. It helps break down information that may appear on a test and provides a list of key concepts and facts. Study guides are often used to prepare for exams while also helping you stay on track with your main coursework. Make your own study guide every time you finish a lesson, and you’ll always be prepared for whatever your teacher assigns.

• Create flashcards. Flashcards are similar to study guides, but they contain one concept or fact per card. You can use them as flashcards and review 2-3 cards a day, including content from previous weeks to keep everything fresh in your mind.

Pin information to your wall. Have you ever seen a mind map? It’s when someone writes a piece of information on a card and pins it to the wall, then connects other cards containing related concepts. You can use this method for studying too! Create charts, graphs, and write notes on small cards or sticky notes, then pin them on your wall. Study from the information on your wall, and as the exam approaches, it will be easier to locate the materials you need and recall them more easily when needed!

Use memorization techniques. You may need to memorize difficult-to-remember information. Everyone has different memorization methods, so you’ll need to experiment with a few strategies. Start early and dedicate time to practice so your brain has enough time and experience to retain the knowledge. Here are some techniques you can use:

• Break things into small parts. When memorizing a list (such as vocabulary words, place names, or a group of people), don’t try to memorize more than five items at once. Make sure you’ve mastered the first five before moving on to the next five. Trying to remember everything at once will only overwhelm you.
• Use mnemonic devices. Mnemonics are when you use synonyms or keywords to remember a list or concept. For example, “Banh Miệng Cá Sấu Bẻ Răng” is a mnemonic for the IIA group of chemical elements: Be Mg Ca Sr Ba Ra. See if the material you’re studying already has a mnemonic or create your own!
• Use flashcards. Flashcards are great for studying vocabulary and other things, such as dates. Write a question or a word on one side of the card and the answer or definition on the other side.

Take breaks. Your study sessions will be much more effective if you give your mind some rest between study periods. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) suggests taking a 10-minute break after every 50 minutes of studying or working. They also recommend using this time for activities like eating or light exercise, as these can help you maintain alertness and boost brain productivity.

Set up an optimal study environment. You need an effective space to study. Your study area should be free of distractions, so turn off your phone! You must be fully focused, as research shows that every time you’re distracted, it takes 25 minutes to get back on track.

• Sometimes, if you think creatively, you can find a quiet spot in a noisy house, like the basement or even the bathroom. If your home isn’t conducive to studying, consider going to the library or a coffee shop.
• We often tell ourselves we need specific factors, like TV or music, to concentrate, but in reality, we’re just justifying distractions. If you’re one of the 30% of people who learn better with sound, studying might be more effective if you read information out loud rather than trying to memorize it while other noise is pulling your attention away.

Get proper nutrition and rest. Poor diet can make it harder for your brain to function, as it lacks the necessary tools. The same goes for sleep. Many scientists believe that while we sleep, our brain detoxifies, removing harmful substances that impair our ability to think clearly. Aim for 8 hours of sleep each night (or whatever duration keeps you alert throughout the day) and maintain a balanced, healthy diet.

• Avoid junk food, sugary snacks, and foods high in fat. Instead, opt for fruits, vegetables (kale and spinach are great), and healthy protein sources like fish and legumes.

Stay organized. You should arrange everything into folders or file pockets and keep track of due dates on a calendar. Staying organized will help you remember your assignments and upcoming exams, and also enable you to create a schedule that balances study and relaxation. This balance is key to maintaining a healthy routine.

• Also, keep your workspace tidy. Eliminate unnecessary items that might distract you from your studies.

Start with what you know. When studying, begin by reviewing the material you’re already comfortable with. You can even revisit what you remember most recently. Just make sure that you truly understand and feel confident about this content before moving on. Once you’ve reassured yourself about what you know, shift focus to mastering the topics that are more challenging or unfamiliar to you.

Prepare for exams. As the exam date approaches, dedicate additional time and focus to ensure you have a solid grasp of the material. You might want to ask your teacher for tips on how best to prepare for the exam. At the very least, inquire about the exam format and how the grading will work.

• Study in the exam room. This can be particularly useful for visual learners. Your brain will associate the classroom setting with your studying, helping you recall information more effectively.
• Some studies suggest switching to different rooms can help with memory retention, but this can also be distracting. Use this method carefully, and if it’s not working for you, stop.
• Take practice tests. Practice exams can reduce test anxiety and help you identify areas of weakness before the real test. You could even organize a study group or ask your teacher for practice materials.

Practice time management skills. Managing your time is crucial for achieving good grades on assignments and exams. We often feel like we’ve studied for hours when, in reality, distractions have eaten up more time than we think. Alternatively, we may feel there’s not enough time for study because we don’t have much free time. By cutting out unnecessary activities, like playing Candy Crush or browsing Facebook, you’ll find that you have plenty of time for studying and relaxation! Prioritizing the important tasks will give you more time to focus on what really matters.

Seek advice from your teachers. If you're truly striving to improve your grades but aren't seeing results, you should talk to your teachers. It's a good idea to meet them after class or during lunch to explain your situation: you're trying to boost your grades but traditional study methods like increasing study time, taking notes, and other common strategies aren't working. They might have a better understanding of your struggles and can help you find a way to overcome them.

Request extra credit. If you've been giving your best effort in all subjects and have shown your teachers that you’ve genuinely changed your approach to studying, you may want to ask for the opportunity to do extra assignments or even a special project to earn extra credit. This can make up for past poor grades and help you achieve a perfect score… even if you had a 5 before!

• Be sure to explain the situation clearly to your teachers so they understand that you're serious. Many teachers dislike giving extra credit, but they'll be more likely to consider it if they see you're genuinely trying to improve.

Hire a tutor. If you're genuinely struggling, consider asking your teacher or the school's tutoring center to help you find a tutor. Hiring a tutor doesn’t mean you’ve failed, and it doesn’t make you foolish: a tutor is simply a resource, much like an answer key or a translator. Everyone encounters knowledge gaps at some point, and by hiring a tutor, you're making a smart choice to use every available tool to overcome your lack of understanding.

Study in groups. When you study with others, you can leverage their intelligence and understanding to enhance your own academic performance! You can compare notes and discuss concepts from class to ensure you fully grasp the material. Just remember: you need to give as much as you take when collaborating with others, or else no one will want to work with you.

Provide yourself with specific context. Sometimes, studying in a real-world setting or engaging with the subject in a way that provides clear context will help you retain the information better. You should try to make your subject more tangible and give yourself context about the event you are learning about, and you'll find that you can connect with the material in a whole new way.

• For example, you could visit a museum to see actual artifacts that people used when studying history. Another example would be conducting a science experiment instead of just reading about the reactions in a textbook.
• If you're interested in running some science experiments, you can check out articles in our other sections on how to create colorful fire reactions or even how to create your own clouds!

Search for online tools. There are many online resources that can help clarify the material you're studying. You just need to visit forums or websites dedicated to explaining the concepts you’re struggling with. Just remember: you're not looking for answers to copy. If you want to boost your grades, you need to find someone who can help you understand the material. Here are a few great websites to start with:

• http://olm.vn
• https://english4u.com.vn
• http://hoc24.vn
• http://zuni.vn

• Always make sure to participate actively in class. This way, if you make a mistake, your teacher can correct you, and you won’t keep making the same errors.
• If you’re working on math exercises, you can check the answers in the back of your textbook. Complete the exercises first, then check your answers. If you notice you’ve made a mistake, go back and solve the problem again until you get it right.
• Talk to your teacher—they are there to help you.
• Take notes, review them, and then try to write down everything you remember. This method will help you realize how much more you need to study, and it will also give you a sense of satisfaction for what you’ve already memorized.
• Create study groups with classmates.
• Always set aside time to go over everything you’ve worked on, skim through your notes, close them, and answer the questions in your textbook. Ask your teacher for advice on how to study during free periods, like studying in the library, in a quiet room, or with a group of friends. See if your teacher can guide you on which specific methods are best for flashcards, memorization, or using notebooks and essays. Teachers are always ready to help!
• Don’t procrastinate—focus on the task at hand.
• Review your work before submitting it.
• If you’re studying for a test, try chewing gum. Then, during the exam, chew gum with the same flavor. This can help improve your memory.
• Complete your homework as soon as you get home.

• Never underestimate homework or class assignments. Even if you perform well on your tests, your homework scores could bring you down. Depending on the subject, you may score high on an exam but still fail the course.
• Don’t throw away things you might need. It’s best to check with your teacher to see if there are any materials you should keep or discard.