Athina Hansen
Content Writer at Gradehacker
Are you struggling with study methods that never seem to work for you? Do you spend hours revising exam content but can never retain information?
You are not alone! This frustration of studying but not soaking in information is very common. In fact, this is something we have encountered with many of the students we help here at Gradehacker. We have seen how students are unaware of what is missing in their study methods, causing the information not to remain in their minds.
If you find yourself in this position, it is probably because you are not studying according to your particular learning style.
You may be asking yourself, learning style? What is that? Well, there are three main learning styles: auditory, visual, and kinesthetic/tactile.
Do you understand information better by listening to your professor teach it rather than reading it in a textbook? Is it easier for you to find your way around town with verbal directions rather than by looking at a map? If you answered yes, then you just might be an auditory learner! Auditory learners process information best through sound or speech.
In this article, we will be listing out the best ways to study as an auditory learner so that you study better and faster!
Best Ways to Study as an Auditory Learner:
- Avoid Sound Distractions
- Study Groups
- Mnemonics
- Read Notes Aloud
- Watch Videos
- Use Google Docs Voice Typing
- Record Lectures
- Get a Tutor
Avoid Sound Distractions
As an auditory learner, you are very attentive to sound! This is great when it comes to lectures, as you will thrive in auditory learning environments. But this also means that you are easily distracted by outside sounds!
Make sure your study environment isn’t packed with outside street noise or any other distracting sounds! Studying in a library is a great option. You can also try out noise-canceling headphones.
Also, be careful when listening to music while studying. As an auditory learner, you may end up focusing more on the music than studying. Try listening to instrumental songs or songs without any lyrics; these will be less distracting!
Study Groups
Finding a reliable study group or a study partner will be very beneficial for you!
If you study with a group, you will be discussing and reading information out loud. Your study partner can also quiz you on your knowledge. Listening to and verbally reinforcing information will help you remember it for the test!
Take advantage of studying with a classmate as you understand concepts better through discussion rather than through reading.
Mnemonics
Using mnemonics is a creative way to memorize information! With mnemonics, you can shorten information into an acronym, sentence, or even a little song.
A short mnemonic will help you remember important information when you sit for your exam!
An example of a well-known mnemonic is one used to remember the mathematical order of operations. The order of operations goes as follows: parentheses, exponents, multiplication/division, addition/subtraction. The acronym PEMDAS is much easier to memorize.
But as an auditory learner, you can go the extra mile and memorize a sentence, such as:
Please excuse my dear aunt Sally.
By repeating this sentence verbally many times, you are bound to remember it on the test!
Read Notes Aloud
While others may be able to remember their notes by reading them again and again, this will not be a helpful study method for you.
As an auditory learner, to remember information, you need to hear it repeatedly! Just reading alone will not be useful.
Read your notes out loud! Hearing yourself verbalize the information multiple times will not only help you understand the information but also remember it on the day of your exam!
If you don’t enjoy reading out loud, you can try out a text to speech tool. These tools allow you to listen to your information and simulate the experience of listening to someone else.
Naturalreaders is a tool you can try out. It offers a voice that is more natural than google translate, for example. This will allow you to feel as if someone else is communicating the information to you!
Watch Videos
Videos are another helpful tool to understand concepts as an auditory learner when studying, so you don’t feel tied down to your college textbook! If the resources you were given are not helpful, find videos online about the exam topic.
A simple search on YouTube will give you a plethora of videos for you to choose from.
Even if the resources you have are helpful, use videos to complement your studying. Using additional resources, like videos, will truly engrave the information in your mind.
Listening to these videos will be a lot easier for you to understand and remember than reading your textbook’s many pages.
Use Google Docs Voice Typing
If you write your study notes online, then the voice typing tool in google docs will be an excellent study method for you!
This tool is available if you create a google document, click Tools, and then voice typing. Voice typing allows you your hands to rest and translates your speech into text.
The benefit of this for auditory learners is that you are verbally reinforcing the information by creating notes through speaking.
Record Lectures
Make sure to help yourself by recording any lectures you attend! This allows you to focus on listening to the lecture and taking notes later by listening to the recording.
Don’t forget to make a note of the topics each lecture teaches. This will be valuable in the studying stage! Whenever you need to clarify a specific topic, you can listen to a lecture recording that explained that topic.
You will feel as if you are in the classroom again and listening to this information will be the best way for you to process it.
Get a Tutor
If you are struggling a lot with studying, and are not confident about your knowledge, consider getting a tutor!
A tutor will help you as an auditory learner because you will learn conversationally and listen to them explain topics.
Also, they will be able to answer any of the questions you have! Listening to their answers will be valuable, as it will be easier for you to grasp and understand the information.
How Do I Study Better as an Auditory Learner?
Start being more conscious of your studying habits and implementing methods aligned with your learning style. Help yourself in any way you can by trying out study methods that allow you to benefit from your listening skills.
It is easy to feel defeated when you fail your exams all because of unsuccessful studying. We understand your frustrations and would be happy to assist you with your upcoming exam to finally get that A you dream of!
Athina Hansen
Athina has worked with Gradehacker both as a content writer and a study consultant, where she assisted college students with nursing courses. Athina has a background of educating others and producing content, having tutored college students and produced articles for her school magazine. She brings her experience to her current role, where she writes content to empower and assist the non-traditional college student who is often overlooked. You can find her on LinkedIn
