Passing your probability is good. Passing your probability classes and being the top student in your class is even better.
However, top students do a lot of things differently than average students. Therefore, you will need to discover and emulate what you will need to take the top spot in your class.
What is required of top students? Here are tips on how to become a top student in your probability class.
1. Learn By Doing
When it comes to practical courses like probability, reading through a textbook can be among the least effective ways to learn. Instead, strive to mix reading theory, learning concepts, and solving actual problems.
The theoretical part of the course is included in your study material so you can use it to solve problems.
If you find this challenging to do, go back to your notes and start the process afresh. Top students test themselves frequently, flag problem areas, and resolve them.
2. Be Well-Organized
You will have lectures, CATS, quizzes, term papers, exams, and assignments in this and other courses you are taking during the semester.
All these go towards your final grade at the end of the semester and are therefore important. Some students rely on memory to recall which events are happening when. Unfortunately, this is not always the best method as it’s possible to forget.
A-students go about it another way and take down the assignments and their due dates; this lowers the possibility of them forgetting or being overtaken by events.
Buy a study diary or use a free online scheduler to help you get and remain well organized.
3. Take Charge
At this stage in life, it’s upon you to set goals and evaluate ways to help you meet them; this will be extremely important if you graduate from the top of your class.
The onus is on you to concentrate in class, reach out to your instructor when stuck, and master what is taught. If you get overwhelmed or need more specialized help, consider enlisting the help of online probability tutors.
In short, this is your ship, and it’s up to you to steer it in the direction you want it to go. Unfortunately, if you take the passive route, you might find yourself being an average student-or worse.
4. Embrace Group Study
It would help if you had some solo study time every so often to review your notes and test your knowledge. As important as this is, it can get monotonous pretty quickly.
For this reason, it’s important to evaluate other study methods like group study.
This is useful on many fronts. The first is that it is an accountability tool that will encourage you not to skip a study session. This quality is not there for individual study sessions.
The second is that group study can be very effective in learning. In a group, you exchange ideas, discuss concepts and applications and even explain what you know and your problem-solving methods. All these activities help you to engage with learned concepts much better.
5. Sit In Front
Chances are, the best performers in your class so far are not the backbenchers. This is something you can use strategically in your favor.
Granted, sitting out front can be a bit nerve-wracking at first, but it pays off in the end.
You get to hear the instructor very clearly, and you can get their attention pretty quickly should you need clarification on anything.
Lastly, it’s hard to give in to distractions when you are in the instructor’s eye view. This means you are unlikely to twiddle with your phone, doodle, zone off, and other unhelpful activities that divert your concentration.
