Planning your study
Knowing what to study, when and for how long
High score: You know what you will study each day, you plan backwards from dates, and you do not leave hard topics for the last minute.
Low score: You often decide what to study only after sitting down, or plans exist in your head and fall apart when the week gets busy.
Focus and distractions
Staying with one task without drifting away
High score: You can stay with one topic for a full session, and you have set up your place and phone so that distractions are hard to reach.
Low score: Phone, messages, videos or noise pull you away many times in a session, so long hours of sitting give you little real study.
How you learn
Understanding, recalling and practising, not just reading
High score: You study actively: you explain topics in your own words, solve problems yourself and look for the reason behind a rule.
Low score: You mostly read, highlight or copy, and you memorise without understanding, so topics feel known until a question is asked in a new way.
Revision and self-testing
Coming back to topics and checking what you remember
High score: You return to topics at spaced intervals, test yourself before looking at answers, and learn from the mistakes you make.
Low score: You revise only near the exam, or you re-read until the page looks familiar without checking whether you can recall it.
Sleep, breaks and study conditions
Resting enough to keep studying well
High score: You sleep at fairly regular times, take real breaks, eat on time and study in a place that is comfortable enough to last.
Low score: Late nights, skipped meals, long sessions without a break or a poor study spot leave you tired, so the hours you put in give less back.