For years, I was just an average student. Not bad, not great. Without putting in much effort, I consistently scored around 11 or 12 out of 20 throughout middle school and high school. I was coasting. But everything changed once I got to university. I started playing the game differently. Not by working harder than everyone else but by working smarter. And without cheating, without burning out, I ended up in the top 10% of my class. Here are the 3 simple techniques, almost like glitches in the system that helped me do it.
1. Study the Class Before the Class
Most professors reuse their lectures every year. Same slides, same examples, same explanations, sometimes even the exact same wording.
My first tactic was simple: get ahead. I got hold of notes from a student who had already taken the same classes the year before. Before each lecture, I would skim through the upcoming chapter. Five to ten minutes the night before that's all it took.
Once I was in class, everything felt familiar. The professor's explanations sounded like déjà vu. I could predict what was coming next. When they asked questions, I already had answers, not because I was a genius, but because I had seen it before. That made class participation feel natural, and my understanding much deeper. Some might call it cheating but to me, it's just being prepared.
2. Past Exams Are a Cheat Code
Just like lectures, exams don't change much from year to year. Once I realized that, I started collecting previous years’ exams, sometimes even with answer keys or graded copies.
What I found was simple: If you can solve last year's test, you'll most likely crush this year's. The numbers may change. The wording might be slightly different. But the structure, themes, and logic? Often exactly the same.
So before finals, I'd train with old exams. Not only was it the best prep, it also removed most of the surprise and stress. It was like rehearsing before a performance. And when the real show came, I was ready.
3. Learn by Teaching: Smart Group Work
This last strategy is powerful and completely underrated: learn by teaching.
Most people think group study means wasting time chatting with friends. But when done right, it becomes a massive accelerator. Here’s how: You form a small group. Each person chooses a topic to study deeply. Then, when you meet, you teach each other.
Explaining something out loud forces you to truly understand it. You can’t fake it. You’re forced to structure your thoughts and make sense of what you know.
It also creates a feedback loop:
- If you can explain it clearly, you’ve mastered it.
- If you get confused while talking, you know where you need to review.
Bonus: it’s more fun and way less isolating than studying alone.