Group Studying: Pros, Cons, and Tips

1. Group Studying: Pros, Cons, and Tips

2. The Pros • Can increase your motivation to study, particularly if you have to prepare material for the next group study session (e.g. quizzes or lecture notes). • Teaching other people or discussing study topics together can help with learning and retaining information, as you need to learn the content well enough to be able to talk about it. • Different people learn and understand things in different ways. Your peers might be able to explain things in a way that resonates with you better than your lecturers’ explanations. • It can be fun and energising to study with others, particularly if you are extroverted. • Certain study methods can only be used in a group. These include teaching each other (e.g. each person presents a short summary of a topic) and practising practical skills, if your course has a practical component to it.

3. The Cons • It can be very easy to become distracted when studying with other people. • There can be some difficulty involved in setting up a time for a group study session, particularly if your group members have different class schedules and are working while studying. • Aside from the actual time studying in the group, additional time is required for travelling to/from study sessions, doing preparatory work between sessions, and discussing logistics with the group (e.g. when and what to study). • You may have to deal with group members who don’t pull their weight, leading to increased wasted time and/or some very difficult conversations.

4. Tips to Maximise the Pros while Minimising the Cons • Perhaps one of the most useful tips for making the most out of group study time is to have a good GAMSAT study plan. The agenda doesn’t have to be detailed, but it should at least have enough structure so that you and your classmates are not wasting time trying to figure out what to do. • When you set the agenda, remember that since your group study time will be more limited than individual study time, it may be a good idea to prioritise study methods that are best done as a group. These include quizzing each other (e.g. using Kahoot), teaching each other, and practising skills. • On a similar vein to setting an agenda, it may be useful to figure out if there is any preparatory work that should be done prior to the group study session, and ensure that each group member knows what they are expected to do. If your group likes to quiz each other, for instance, there should be a roster so that each group member knows when it is their time to prepare a quiz for the next session.

5. Tips to Maximise the Pros while Minimising the Cons • If your group is planning to meet regularly, consider having a regular time, e.g. every Wednesday after class. Having a regular time helps with consistency and routine, saves time in having to decide when the next session will be, and will make it easier for your group members to plan other commitments such as work. • Another important consideration is who is in your study group. Your closest friends might not necessarily be the best people to study with. Considerations to keep in mind include how likely your group is to become side-tracked, and whether your group members will reliably do preparatory work in between sessions. You may have to be prepared to have some uncomfortable conversations if a team member is not pulling their weight.

6. Further Materials • Free GAMSAT Study Syllabus • Free GAMSAT Preparation Materials • GAMSAT Biology: How to prepare • GAMSAT Chemistry: How to Prepare • GAMSAT Physics: How to Prepare • Don’t forget to sign up for our GAMSAT Free Trial, which includes 50 MCQs from our intelligent MCQ Bank, access to our week-by-week study guide for each section, and a wealth of our GAMSAT resources: https://gradready.com.au/gamsat-preparation-courses/free-gamsat-trial