The study tip they’re NOT telling you | How I went from a 2:2 to 80% at Cambridge University

Summary

In this educational video, Abby, a former Cambridge University chemical engineering graduate, shares transformative study tips that improved her academic performance. She emphasizes the inefficiency of overworking and advocates for active learning, questioning, and engaging with material deeply rather than passively taking notes. Abby also discusses the importance of balance, taking breaks, and using past papers effectively to train the brain for exam situations. Her insights are backed by reputable studies, aiming to help viewers elevate their academic performance.

Takeaways

• 🎓 Abby graduated from Cambridge University with a master's degree in chemical engineering after four years of study.
• 📚 Initially, Abby struggled with university workload and found it challenging to maintain her straight A performance.
• 🔍 She experimented with various study techniques but found that working long hours was not effective for her.
• 🕒 Abby discovered that working less and focusing on quality over quantity improved her academic results significantly.
• 🧠 The importance of understanding the difference between deep focus and surface-level work when studying is emphasized.
• 💡 The script highlights the ineffectiveness of passive learning and the benefits of active learning for better retention and understanding.
• 📈 Studies by John K. Pencale and Anders Ericsson are cited to support the idea that working more than 7.2 hours a day or doing more than four hours of deep work reduces productivity.
• 🚫 Abby advises against relying solely on note-taking as a study method, as it can be a form of passive learning and not conducive to deep understanding.
• 📝 She recommends active learning strategies such as creating question cards and reviewing them periodically to reinforce learning.
• 📑 Abby suggests using past papers as a tool for active learning by tackling questions without time limits to train the brain for deep thinking.
• 🌟 The video concludes with the message that studying should be chaotic, active, and balanced with breaks and fun activities to avoid overworking and to enhance learning efficiency.

Q & A

What degree did Abby obtain from Cambridge University?

Abby graduated from Cambridge University with a master's degree in chemical engineering.

What was Abby's initial academic performance when she first started University?

Abby was a straight-A student until she started University, where the workload overwhelmed her and she struggled to find effective study techniques.

What is the main study tip Abby discusses in her video?

Abby discusses the importance of working less and focusing on deep, effective study sessions rather than long hours of passive studying.

How did Abby's study schedule during her first year at University look like?

Abby's study schedule involved waking up early, attending lectures, note-taking, gym sessions, and several hours dedicated to university work and pre-reading lectures.

Why did Abby's initial 11.5 hours of daily studying not work for her?

The long hours of studying did not work for Abby because it involved passive learning without deep focus, leading to exhaustion and a lack of understanding or retention of the material.

What is the difference between Elon Musk's work and Abby's study hours according to the video?

Elon Musk's work involves various activities like phone calls, emails, and meetings, which are not concentrated work hours like studying requires. Studying often involves deep focus on complex tasks, which cannot be sustained for as long as Elon Musk's work hours.

Who is Terence Tao and what does he suggest about studying?

Terence Tao is a renowned mathematician who suggests that studying comes in waves and that deep focus cannot be maintained for long hours every day, which supports Abby's point about the ineffectiveness of overworking.

What does the study by John Pencavel suggest about working hours and productivity?

John Pencavel's study suggests that productivity decreases after working more than 50 hours a week, which equates to 7.2 hours a day, indicating that working less can lead to increased focus and understanding.

What is the main problem with relying solely on note-taking as a study method according to Abby?

Relying solely on note-taking is problematic because it is a passive learning method that does not create deep connections in the brain necessary for recalling information during exams.

What is Active Learning and why is it more effective than passive learning?

Active Learning is a method where information is not only absorbed but also reproduced in ways that confirm understanding. It is more effective because it allows for analysis, evaluation, and improved memory retention, which is crucial for exam situations.

How does Abby suggest using past papers for effective studying?

Abby suggests using past papers by tackling questions without time limits, focusing on deep thinking and retrieval of knowledge, rather than rushing through questions under exam conditions without truly understanding the material.

What is the final study tip Abby gives in her video?

Abby's final study tip is to not strive for perfection in studying, to embrace the chaotic nature of learning, focus on active recall, take enjoyable breaks, and avoid overworking to maintain balance and confidence.

Outlines

00:00

🎓 Overcoming Academic Struggles with Effective Study Techniques

Abby, a Cambridge University graduate in chemical engineering, shares her journey of academic transformation. Initially overwhelmed by university workload, she experimented with various study methods before discovering a technique that significantly improved her results. This technique involves working less, contrary to common belief, and is backed by reputable studies. Abby emphasizes the importance of deep focus over long hours of superficial work, drawing parallels and differences between her experience and that of successful individuals like Elon Musk and Terence Tao, who rely on deep focus in their work.

05:02

📚 The Inefficiency of Excessive Study Hours and the Importance of Active Learning

Abby discusses the ineffectiveness of studying for over 11.5 hours a day, which led to exhaustion and superficial learning. She cites studies by John K. Perry and Anders Ericsson, which suggest that productivity decreases after working more than 50 hours a week and that deep work is limited to about four hours a day. Abby then introduces the concept of active learning, contrasting it with passive learning, such as excessive note-taking. She advocates for understanding and applying knowledge through active engagement rather than just absorbing information.

10:03

🔍 Active Learning Strategies for In-Depth Understanding and Recall

In this paragraph, Abby delves into the specifics of active learning, particularly for complex subjects like mathematics. She advises against the traditional method of note-taking and instead promotes a chaotic approach to learning, which involves deep thought and the creation of connections in the brain. Abby suggests using question cards and revisiting topics regularly to reinforce learning. She emphasizes the importance of understanding over mere memorization and the role of active recall in exam preparation.

15:05

⏱ The Power of Past Papers and the Pitfalls of Timed Practice

Abby shares her insights on using past papers effectively for exam preparation. She criticizes the common practice of timed practice, which can lead to stress and superficial learning. Instead, she recommends tackling past paper questions without time constraints to encourage deep thinking and problem-solving. This method helps build confidence and familiarity with exam questions, leading to better performance under exam conditions. Abby concludes with a reminder to avoid perfectionism in studying, to maintain a balance between work and leisure, and to avoid overworking.

Keywords

💡Chemical Engineering

Chemical Engineering is a branch of engineering that deals with the design, development, and production of chemical processes and equipment. In the video, Abby, the speaker, graduated from Cambridge University with a master's degree in Chemical Engineering, emphasizing her academic background and setting the stage for her credibility in discussing study techniques.

💡Study Techniques

Study Techniques refer to methods and strategies used to enhance learning and academic performance. The video's theme revolves around Abby sharing her personal study technique that significantly improved her academic results, which is a central concept to the entire narrative.

💡Deep Focus

Deep Focus is a state of concentrated attention where one is fully immersed in a task, often required for complex cognitive activities. In the script, Abby contrasts deep focus with the superficial busyness of long hours of studying, highlighting that true understanding comes from focused engagement rather than mere quantity of time spent.

💡Productivity

Productivity in the context of the video refers to the efficiency and effectiveness of one's study time. Abby discusses how working more than a certain number of hours per week can actually decrease productivity, advocating for a balance that allows for deep focus and understanding.

💡Passive Learning

Passive Learning is the process of absorbing information without actively engaging with it, often through methods like note-taking without reflection. Abby criticizes this approach, suggesting it does not lead to true understanding or effective learning, which is a key point in her argument for changing study habits.

💡Active Learning

Active Learning involves actively engaging with material to understand and apply knowledge, as opposed to passively receiving it. Abby promotes active learning as a superior method for creating deep connections in the brain, which is crucial for effective studying and exam performance.

💡Overworking

Overworking is the act of working excessively long hours without adequate rest or balance. Abby shares her personal experience with overworking, which led to exhaustion and poor academic performance, to caution viewers against this common mistake.

💡Past Papers

Past Papers refer to previous exam papers that can be used for practice. Abby discusses the importance of using past papers for active learning, rather than just timing oneself to complete questions under exam conditions, which is a practical tip for exam preparation.

💡Confidence

Confidence in the video is tied to one's belief in their ability to succeed, particularly in exams. Abby mentions that actively engaging with past papers can build confidence, as it trains the brain to think deeply and find answers, which is essential for exam success.

💡Balance

Balance in the context of the video means maintaining a healthy equilibrium between work and leisure. Abby emphasizes the importance of scheduling fun activities and not overworking, which contributes to a more sustainable and effective study routine.

💡Efficiency

Efficiency is the ability to achieve maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort or expense. The video's theme of working less to achieve more is essentially about studying efficiently, where Abby shares her insights on how to optimize study time for better results.

Highlights

Abby graduated from Cambridge University with a master's in chemical engineering after four years of study.

Abby struggled with university workload and found a study technique that transformed her academic results.

The study technique Abby discovered was not commonly discussed and was backed by reputable studies.

Working less paradoxically improved Abby's university experience and final grade.

Abby's typical day involved 11.5 hours of studying, which she later realized was not effective.

The difference between productive work and studying is the level of deep focus required.

Elon Musk's workweek of 120 hours is not a model for effective studying due to the nature of his tasks.

Terence Tao's work pattern shows the importance of waves of productivity in deep focus tasks.

John K. Pencale's study indicates reduced productivity after working more than 50 hours a week.

Anders Ericsson's research suggests a limit of four hours of deep work per day.

Abby implemented a balance of work and leisure to avoid overworking and increase productivity.

Passive learning through note-taking is less effective than active learning for understanding and recall.

Abby recommends deriving mathematical concepts to build deep connections in the brain for better recall.

Creating question cards for review can improve understanding without the need for extensive note-taking.

Past papers should be tackled without time limits to train the brain for deep thinking and problem-solving.

Confidence in exams can be built by actively engaging with past papers and gradually improving.

Abby emphasizes the importance of not overworking and maintaining a balance for effective studying.

Transcripts

so in 2022 I graduated from Cambridge

University with a masters in chemical

engineering after studying for four

years

I completed my first year with the tutu

and after a lot of trial and error I

graduated with 80 in my Master's thesis

hello my name is Abby and welcome back

to my Channel today we are going to

discuss a study tip that transformed my

academic results and hopefully if you

keep watching we'll transform yours too

so first of all why should you be

listening to me I was a straight A star

student until I got to University and

the workload overwhelmed me and I could

not no matter how many study techniques

I tried or how many YouTube videos I

watched I could not find a silly

technique that worked for me and after a

lot lot of trial and error I finally

found the study technique that nobody

talks about and I'm going to share my

whole experience with you backing up all

of my points with reputable studies so

that you can elevate your academic

performance so let's get straight into

it you need to be working less now

obviously how does that even work why

should I work less if I want to do well

but I'm going to take you through this

whole process of how working less

literally changed my whole university

experience and got me my final grade

let's take it back to the work process

that gave me a final grade of a 2-2 and

you're going to be surprised by this one

so let's look at a typical day I would

wake up at 5 30 a.m maybe you make a cup

of tea or something and then between

about six and nine a.m I would do two of

my lectures for the day whilst having my

breakfast I would then get ready for the

day and between about 9 30 a.m and 1pm I

would then make notes on all of the

lectures I'd watched that morning or

lectures from the day before I would

then have lunch and go to the gym and

then between about four and six pm I

would do uni work so things like

questions set any essays things like

that that would be my uni work slot I

would then have dinner and then from

seven to about 9 10 pm I would continue

doing any uni work questions and then

pre-read my lectures in the morning now

you may hear this and think well that's

a great disc very very productive day I

got the gym in I got all my meals in

that's what I used to think as well and

the funny thing is when I was doing

these days I thought I was a productive

Queen like I literally like my ego was

like woo look look at me go I am

literally working so hard I'm up so

early you know I'm out before everyone

else like I'm getting the extra work in

I'm so leaving with the first class this

year

I was wrong I was very very wrong now

let me explain to you what is so wrong

with that day so in total with the day I

just described that totals to 11.5 hours

of studying in that one single day why

did this not work it all comes down to

being able to study effectively working

ridiculous amount of hours a day is

completely romanticized and ultimately

when you're putting all this work in and

putting more effort in you'd expect to

do very well it's very understandable to

think this when you look at influential

people who work ridiculous hours but

what we need to understand is the

difference between these people and you

studying so let's take Elon Musk for

example Elon Musk claims to work 120

hours a week that's about 17.2 hours a

day seven days a week so it seems like

that should be the goal he's a very

successful person you should aim to work

in the same way as him if you want to

achieve what he has achieved this is

wrong because the type of work is very

different so Elon Musk Works 17.2 hours

a day okay but the work that he does in

that day is very different to the work

that you'll be doing when you're

studying that 17.2 hour day will consist

of phone calls emails travel

conversations with other people meetings

and so the last version of that day is

not concentrated work hours this is

where we need to make a very clear

differentiation between studying and

working these can be the same thing but

it's very important to know that these

are not always the same so where Elon

Musk is working and it includes all

these other things like course meal

Times Travel you are studying now

studying is actually more of a deep

focus style of working your studying

includes deep focus often on a very

complicated task such as understanding a

mathematical concept and applying it

completing a research paper a crime

complex understanding or writing an

essay on a topic you've never seen

before each of these tasks require deep

focus you cannot deep focus for 17.2

hours a day now let's look at someone

whose work does rely on deep focus and

let's see how they work Terence Tao is a

renowned mathematician at 10 years old

he became the youngest person in his

history to win the international

mathematical Olympiad terenceau is often

referred to as the finest mathematician

of his generation so let's see what he

has to say about studying Tau released

an article all about the way that he

works and I will link that article below

but one really important quote that I

took from this was my ability to do any

serious mathematics fluctuates greatly

from day to day sometimes I can think

hard on a problem for an hour other

times I feel ready to type up the full

details of a sketch that I or my

co-authors already wrote and other times

I only feel qualified to respond to an

email do errands or just take a walk or

even a nap Tao talks in his article

about studying for him comes in waves

some days he can do a lot Sundays he

literally just needs a nap and this is

so so important and this is due to deep

focus you cannot do 17.2 hours of deep

focus as Terence Town describes and this

is why setting yourself up to work

ridiculous amounts of hours a day is not

effective working and will not get you

the grace that you want and what's

really into interesting is I can

completely vouch for everything that I

have discussed so far so I set myself up

11.5 hours of work a day and it was just

impossible even though I did the work I

had no engagement in the work I to be

honest had no idea what was going on

most of the time because I was so

adamant to get through it there was no

time to take a moment to understand it

and I ended up just reaching a point of

pure exhaustion and this was very

uneffective studying so we've discussed

what you should not be doing and you

should not be studying for 11.5 hours a

day it's impossible but now what should

you be doing a study by John pen cable

on the productivity of working hours

discusses a reduction in productivity

after somebody works more than 50 hours

a week this equates to 7.2 hours a day

studying for less than 7.2 hours a day

means you have increased energy and

increased Focus which means you're more

likely to enter a state of deep focus in

which you can develop a deeper

understanding of the work now what's

really interesting especially if I

compare it to how I used to work when I

wasn't doing as well as I wanted it is a

study done by psychologist Anders

Erickson which suggests that people

can't do more than four hours of deep

work in a day so if you're setting

yourself up for 12 hour days you are

just setting yourself up for exhaustion

not for 12 hours of productivity you

want to be aiming for less than 7.2

hours a day on average some days you

might do a tiny bit more some days you

might do a lot less but that is good

that is not a bad thing and what's so

important to remember is the reason I'm

saying this is the study technique

that's not talked about is because it's

a study technique that's almost frowned

upon you should be working hard you

should be putting the hours in but

sometimes putting the hours in does not

correlate to doing well so how can you

make sure you're not overworking well

what I did to get my best result at

University was I scheduled in fun I

scheduled fun activities with friends I

scheduled time for myself I made sure to

try my hardest although easier said than

done to not think about work in my spare

time so when I wasn't working don't

think about it sometimes if you want to

if you're mulling on a complex problem

that is fine you can think about that as

you're going through your day but if you

have taken time away from work and you

know you've got to go back to it you

need to try and turn off just so your

brain can have time to reset and to

bring your energy back okay now I've

given you all the facts now you're

probably thinking okay so what do I

actually do how do I now study

efficiently well the next Point kind of

backs up the point I've just spoken

about working less you need to stop

making notes notes are again completely

romanticized especially on social media

or like study Pages everything like how

pretty can your notes be how how many

notes can you fit on a piece of paper

notes are almost an egotistical form of

studying where you can just show off

your work and it makes you feel like you

did really well but actually did you

understand anything that went on that

piece of paper now I am so so guilty for

this I will put on the screen now my

notes and

um every single sheet that you see on

the screen right now is A3 paper so I

must have had I had too many notes that

they couldn't fill bedroom walls they

would be going out of rooms I felt super

proud of myself when I saw these notes I

thought look at me go writing all my

lectures going through all of the

content they look good they're color

coded were they useful absolutely not

did I understand anything on them no and

obviously some people notes will be

really really helpful for them but stop

relying on notes and this is why writing

notes is obviously a time consuming task

and if you've got a lot of content to

get through to then write notes on all

of that it's going to take up so much

time that you are going to need 11.5

hour days and as we've just discussed

this is not effective and you will not

learn efficiently from this so if you

have a lot of content and you don't have

all of the time in the world you need to

let the notes go and you need to find a

more effective way to study and I'm

going to tell you exactly how I did that

so when I was writing these notes it's

called passive learning so you literally

just rewrite this information you hope

that you absorb it you read it you try

to understand it you move on okay now

passive learning does not create the

Deep Connections in your brain that you

need to be able to recall this

information in an exam situation so this

is why we need to start Active Learning

so Active Learning is a way that you not

only absorb the information but you can

reproduce it in a way that confirms your

understanding this form of learning

allows you to analyze and evaluate the

information improving your understanding

and ability to remember it so how can I

Implement Active Learning into my work

instead of just writing notes I'm going

to give an example that's on engineering

because obviously I studied chemical

engineering okay so first of all let's

focus on trying to understand the math

what you want to do is you want to get a

lot of paper a lot of paper you do not

want one sheet of paper because maths is

chaotic and math should be chaotic if

you want to understand it and you want

to go through your notes you want to

take a chunk of math that you want to

learn

and you are going to derive it use it

turn it upside down flip it on its head

basically learn it inside out

quickly and kind of just throw all the

thoughts you have in your head onto

these pieces of paper so by the end of

each section of mask you should have

paper filled with just

gibberish really because obviously

nobody else is going to understand what

just went through what happened in your

head to work all of that out you just

want loads of math all over the paper so

that you can start to build all the

connections between each equation well

that one derives that and if I derive

that I can get to here and once I've

done that I finally get to the equation

I need when you get to the exam you've

already created these Connections in

your brain and so you know these

equations inside and out so now you've

actively used these equations and built

the connections in your brain that you

need often this will require deep focus

so again you can't spend masses and

masses of time a day doing this it's

time to look at the wordy parts of your

lectures or the information that you

need to learn now with wordy Parts you'd

think okay this is where I can write

notes again no we do not write notes no

no writing what we're going to do

instead is we are going to read through

the notes and highlight interesting bits

or bits that you might really really

need to remember

and then we are going to create little

question cards at the end of each

subsection topic a little flashcard with

about probably six to ten questions on

it regarding the topic that you've just

studied once you've done that you're

going to put it down and that's the end

then every one to two weeks what you're

going to do is you're going to come back

to the work that you had studied one to

two weeks ago and you're going to read

through all those notes now I used to do

this in the morning so wake up and I

have already chosen the notes I'm going

to read that morning put them by my bed

wake up I'm not in bed I'd be so relaxed

just reading through these notes pick up

my little question card go through my

head okay what's this think about it

think about it okay I've got the answer

check my answer in a few months time

you're going to know these notes back to

front and not once have you had to write

them out you will have read them and

gone over them and processed them so

many times and gone back and answered

questions on them so many times that not

only will you know the notes back to

front you'll also placed the notes in

compartments in your brain using this

method by the time I set the exams I was

so much more confident when you're

reading your lecture notes or the

information that you're trying to learn

walk around your room talk to yourself

go over the concept say them out loud

write things down randomly and anywhere

in your room pieces of paper white

boards be completely chaotic because

this is how you're going to create a

deep understanding in your brain this

coincides again with needing to work

less because if you are overworking this

method will not work your brain will be

saturated and you'll be exhausted and

you will not be able to retrieve

information when you're going over your

lecture notes all the content you're

trying to learn another reason we should

be using Active Learning is because with

passive learning you are not training

your brain to retrieve information or

think outside of the box so when you get

to an exam situation and you need to

apply your knowledge you have not taught

your brain to do that at all all you've

taught your brain to do is to try and

absorb something if you've been doing

active learning your brain is now

trained to think deeply try to retrieve

knowledge right right at the back of

your head and look for the answer

leading on from this point my final

study tip is past papers and this is

such an obvious one of course doing past

paper questions is always always

beneficial everybody says it your

teachers are say it your lecturers will

say it and yes it 100 is but there are

two ways you can do this and I believe

one of them is beneficial and one of

them is completely nothing useless so

the useless way is the way that I used

to do it but I wasn't doing very well

and because I was on such strict

schedules to get through the ridiculous

amount of work I'd set myself I would do

all of the questions in exam time so uh

in my University we had half an hour for

a question I would time myself half an

hour and try to complete the question

now obviously in this time when you're

just learning the information and you're

not in the exam that's really really

hard to achieve so I'd reach half an

hour the question wouldn't be complete

and I'd look at the answers effectively

I've learned nothing when I got to the

exam I looked at the question and I

thought

oh I have not in any way train my brain

to think deeply to search for the answer

because I've just spent so much time

practicing in this silly time limit

panicking not knowing what to write down

not finding an answer and then looking

at the answers and trying to learn from

the answers don't get me wrong I wasn't

just looking at the answers to chi I

tried to learn from the answers but

there's only so much you can learn from

looking at information you need to

actively learn it so what should you be

doing you should be getting a past paper

question and just throwing yourself at

it with no time limit get all the paper

you need jot down anything that you

think jot down any answer that could be

even close to being right and make sure

the answers are far far far away out of

sight almost unreachable in doing this

you need to not stress about how many

questions you get through so don't set

yourself I need to do all of the past

papers for the exam because that's what

I used to do and yes I got through all

the papers before the exam and I didn't

understand the single thing that went on

the whole time whereas in my final year

I got through probably about half of the

papers but every paper I did I threw

myself at it I spent hours thinking even

for one question and obviously you can't

do that in an exam I was training my

brain to think deeply think outside of

the box so when I got to the exam this

time I was prepared and I knew how to

think deeply how to retrieve information

and I also had the confidence to face

the question when you haven't been doing

well on past papers your confidence is

not going to increase but if you throw

yourself at past papers and you give

yourself a limited time slowly you'll

get better and slowly you'll get more

and more answers right and you'll start

to think oh I actually can do this and I

actually do know the answers so as you

go on and on and on you'll get quicker

you'll get more confident and when you

walk into that exam you'll be able to

back yourself you'll be much better at

reaching the time limit and there's a

much higher chance of you reaching the

answer I think a super important

statement to take away from this video

is do not try to be a perfect studier or

whatever you'd call it it doesn't exist

studying is chaotic studying should be

chaotic especially if you're doing a

mathematical based subject because your

brain needs to thrash this out it needs

to be given the opportunity to just

throw answers at a piece of paper bring

things together break things apart so

that you can then reproduce an answer in

the correct form in the exam situation

focus on active recall challenge

yourself with questions take enjoyable

breaks see friends plan fun activities

and don't miss them and most importantly

do not overwork yourself so I'm going to

bring the video to a close there I hope

the video has been helpful and obviously

if you have any questions drop them

below and I will of course answer yeah

just do not make the mistake that I did

I genuinely overwork myself had no

enjoyment and did not do very well it

was only when I started to create

balance and study without time limits

that I actually started to learn a lot

more so if you did enjoy this video

please do like and subscribe and I shall

see you next week