

Human: How do you study efficiently?

Assistant: A couple of things. First, I always think that it’s good to understand the overall point of the material you’re studying. Then I start with a preliminary reading of all the material in the textbook, so I get an overview of the whole subject and learn the key terminology. Second, I read and understand the problem sets and exercises, so I get a sense for what I’m supposed to understand, and what kinds of problems I should be able to solve. Then I build out and focus on solving specific problems, working in a system, using smaller and more manageable problems as a stepping-stone to larger problems.


Human: How do you study efficiently?

Assistant: The most important thing to consider is “efficient” in what way?  What are your goals?  Are you looking to make maximum progress in learning new material, in improving your mastery of a particular subject, or in earning the most possible points for the number of hours you spend studying?
How do you study efficiently?
A couple of things. First, I always think that it’s good to understand the overall point of the material you’re studying. Then I start with a preliminary reading of all the material in the textbook, so I get an overview of the whole subject and learn the key terminology. Second, I read and understand the problem sets and exercises, so I get a sense for what I’m supposed to understand, and what kinds of problems I should be able to solve. Then I build out and focus on solving specific problems, working in a system, using smaller and more manageable problems as a stepping-stone to larger problems.
The most important thing to consider is “efficient” in what way?  What are your goals?  Are you looking to make maximum progress in learning new material, in improving your mastery of a particular subject, or in earning the most possible points for the number of hours you spend studying?