We have all had those moments in school or college where we wonder what a particular student is doing to come on top every time. In our moments of frustration, we often ask why our hard work doesn’t pay us back.

The reality is that you are not alone. This sentiment is shared by millions of students worldwide, which caused Douglas Barton, an academic researcher, to investigate this question. His findings give us a lot to think about and provide us with those essential practices that make students stand out amongst their peers.  

What Do Top Students Do Differently?

Douglas spent 13 years researching some 10,000 students globally to seek out patterns that gave some students an edge over the others. What he has found can be broken down into three primary practices that are common amongst high-achievers.

The good news is that these skills can be taught to any student and doesn’t have anything to do with a student’s IQ.

They Do Practice Tests

One of the most obvious things that distinguish top students from average ones is practice tests.

According to his research, Douglas found that students who took more practice tests throughout the year did substantially better than those who revised their notes or course work.

This correlation was so impeccable that the researchers could even predict a student’s performance based on how many practice exams they solved before their exams.

The problem with most college students is that they rely solely on handwritten notes or their course material. While no one will dispute the importance of taking notes, you have to understand that merely revising them won’t be enough to fetch you top grades.

Traditionally, students rely on memorizing their notes, thinking that it will give them a bigger chance of acing their exam. However, most students fail to realize that exams are not a test of how well you can memorize but how well you can use what you remember.

Moreover, only a fraction of us have the cognitive edge of remembering things in detail. So for most people, relying on their memory alone isn’t going to be a surefire way to get ahead. Because many students fear not being able to recall information during a test, they spend most of their time memorizing information they forget anyway.

The best way to combat this is to solve as many past exams as you can. Then, instead of putting all the burden on your memory, you will learn how to utilize the information you already know by actively solving questions and, at the same time learning new information as you go.

They Have Self Discipline

The second most important finding was that students who made a timetable or a schedule and stuck to it for the whole year performed vastly better than those that didn’t.

But, unfortunately, according to the study conducted on grade-11 students in the U.K, only 22% of them stuck to their timetables and reaped the rewards.

One may ask why do some students maintain their discipline while others don’t. Of the students who were investigated, it was found that those who put study-related tasks on their timetables ahead of other stuff like socializing or sports were more likely to throw away their schedules after a few weeks.

To the average joe, this may sound counter-intuitive, but what ends up happening is that students who prioritized homework or study in general quickly found that they grew tired of the routine almost instantly.

Tthe students who put social activities and other leisure stuff first found it easier to study when the time came. They also found that they were more focused on their studies and were far more likely to maintain their timetables than the other 77%.

They Work Hard Instead of Aiming to Work Hard

At first glance, the two notions don’t look all that different, and you may raise your eyebrows thinking, what does this mean. In reality, these two things couldn’t be more different.

The research mentioned above strongly suggested that students who aimed to work hard did drastically poorer on their exams than students who worked hard.

What is the difference?

Well, aiming to work hard is when a student promises themselves that they will work hard at the start of the year but repeat the same mistakes.

So, for example, a student who puts in all their prep time in memorizing notes and repeatedly reciting information thinking they are working hard is bound to do worse.

The reason is simple, you can work hard all you want, but if your study technique is flawed, you will end up working hard for nothing.

This idea is captured aptly by a quote by Micheal Jordan that reads, “You can practice shooting 8 hours a day, but if your technique is wrong, then all you become is very good at shooting the badly”.

In the same light, the students who lag in their exams take their inadequate study skills and use them more often, expecting a different result.

On the other hand, the students who succeed don’t just aim to work hard, but they do the right things. The right thing here is realizing that if a particular study technique hasn’t worked in the past, it won’t work in the future either, no matter how often you do it.

If memorization techniques haven’t worked for you, why would you keep doing it? Instead, experiment with other stuff like solving practice exams that improve your likelihood of attaining higher grades.

Conclusion

Contrary to what most students think, your IQ is not what determines your performance on exams. Instead, what matters is solving practice tests, having self-discipline and working hard by doing the right thing.

Practice tests are the number one reason why some students ace their exams while others lag. The old ways of memorizing long swaths of information aren’t conducive to a higher score. After all, our memories are unreliable. Instead, if you solve past exams, you stand a better chance of scoring high on your exams.

Students who stick to their timetables year-round are the ones who consistently come on top. The research has clearly shown that students who throw away their schedules after a few weeks do worse than those who stick to them.

Lastly, there is a difference between working hard and aiming to work hard. The latter applies to those students who stick to their old techniques that don’t work and investing their time and effort doing it more often. Whereas the students who work hard do the right things to improve their chances of scoring high such as solving practice exams.