In this article, I show you my tips and tricks for getting better grades.
If you’re looking for how to get better grades as an engineering student, you’ve come to the right place.
Tip #1 Schedule Your Time Effectively
First things first, you need to schedule your time effectively.
A good schedule will keep you organized and focused.
You need to know exactly how much time you have for each task.
For an in-depth article on time management, read My Top 6 Tips for Managing Your Time as an Engineering Student.
Tip #2 Put In The Work: Don’t Be Lazy
Most people underestimate the time and effort needed to get high grades in engineering programs.
You really do need to put in an extreme amount of hours to get good grades in engineering courses.
All while balancing work, extracurricular activities, and social time.
Now that you have your schedule worked out, all you need is to put in the hours.
Do whatever you can to avoid distractions:
- Put your phone on airplane mode.
- A study by yourself (especially if you’re a social person).
- Study in a productive work environment (the library is good for this).
Tip #3 Study The Right Way
Most people have no idea how to study.
This is especially true for smart students.
They have never had to work hard to get high grades in high school, so they never learned good study habits.
These types of people are in trouble when they study engineering in college or university.
So how do you study engineering effectively?
First, study your teacher.
The types of questions they ask in class and on assignments, the way they mark, and their teaching style all give clues as to what will be on the tests and how they will be graded.
Next, find practice problems with solutions and write out the solutions as if you were submitting them for grades.
Here is a link to engineering practice problems with solutions.
Do NOT just read through notes and examples, that is not a good way to study.
You need to actually be solving questions yourself.
Avoid questions that don’t have answers.
There will be no way to check your work, so they aren’t very good to study with.
If you are given a formula sheet for your tests, use that as you study to get familiar with it.
If you need to make your own formula sheet, take all the equations and diagrams that you used to study and add those to your formula sheet.
Tip #4 Get Some Sleep
One of the biggest mistakes that I see people make is neglecting sleep in order to study.
This is counterproductive.
You require sleep in order to learn.
The learning occurs in your sleep after you have studied.
Sometimes people make the excuse “I had to stay up late to finish my assignment”.
You have to think about your goals in the longer term, rather than focus on the immediate task.
Staying up late will have you tired and unable to concentrate in class, or have you skipping class altogether.
This is especially true on the days leading up to your exams.
You need to enter your exams with a razor-sharp focus, and that not gonna happen if you’re tired.
Getter good sleep will definitely help you get better grades as an engineering student.
Tip #5 Take Care of Your Health
This goes hand-in-hand with getting more sleep, except it applies to other areas of your life.
When working extremely hard, you need to take care of your body to avoid burnout.
The last thing you want is to get sick, right when you need to be focused the most.
Here is a list of ways to be healthier as an engineering student:
1. Get outside every day. Even if it’s just a 5-minute walk. You need to see the sun.
2. Drink water. Your brain needs water to function. Stay Hydrated.
3. Eat your fruits and vegetables. Meal prepping is a great way to make sure you’ve got healthy meals for the week.
4. Limit alcohol consumption. There’s nothing worse for studying than a hangover.
5. Get your exercise. Go to the gym, join an intramural team, or go for a run.
6. Be social. Don’t forget that socializing is part of a healthy life!
Tip #6 Reduce Your Stress
A lot of people suffer from test anxiety: the worry that they will not perform well on a test.
The increased stress then makes it harder to focus.
Staying calm yet focused is the key to excelling on engineering tests.
This will allow you to recall what you studied and reduce the number of errors in your work.
So how do you stay calm during engineering tests?
1. Remind yourself how hard you’ve studied. If you’ve put in the work, there is no need to worry.
2. Take a break right before the test. Go for a walk, get outside, eat some food, and drink some water. Don’t cram for your test.
3. Practice deep breathing. Box breathing is a great way to relax. This is usually done with a 4-second inhale, a 4-second hold, a 4-second exhale, and a 4-second hold. Repeat this for a few minutes to calm yourself down.
Getting better grades as an engineering student doesn’t have to be hard! Follow these 6 steps and you are well on you’re way. Have any questions? Leave a comment below.
Matt Heywood
Matt Heywood is the founder of Heywood Academies, a tutoring company for STEM students, and a Physics Instructional Assistant at Camosun College.
His simple and effective approach to learning has helped over 140 students in Science, Math, and Engineering.
You can find Matt on Instagram, Facebook, Linked In, and YouTube.