One good reason to consider having a study partner is to beat procrastination, which makes you skip or skim or both. If your struggle with procrastination is real, a study group might just be the solution for you! Besides, studying with a group is a great way to liven up your regular humdrum study sessions. If you aren’t convinced yet, read on to find more intriguing reasons.

Breaks Monotony
It's a lot easier to make excuses to yourself than it is to other people. In that sense, a group setting holds each member accountable. Furthermore, each problem will have someone in the group that’s done it and can help the others if they get stuck.

Fills Knowledge Holes
Since everyone has individual talents and unique insights, group members can learn from each other’s perspective on the subject matter. It’s only a win-win when you give and take.

Boosts Learning Speed
When you don’t have a natural affinity for a topic, choosing someone at random in the group to explain the topic is beneficial, let alone easy. A fair play would be learning and teaching difficult topics to one another. Pick the best strategy in the end, and everyone is good to go.

Makes Q & A Fun
Discussion improves information retention. After all, what's more fun than playing Q and A with your buddies? You may choose to make the loser run a small errand. You get the point, right? Remember, the more the merrier!


It’s also good to know what a solo-study session offers, just in case you got curious..

Uncertainty
No certainty if you are studying the right thing.

Indiscipline
You always find it tempting to tamper with the study schedules.

Inconsistency
Your motivation is either uphill or downhill but never steady.

Despite the above, self-learning gives you privacy and independence to choose when and what to study. The only catch here is, sometimes it’s hard to figure if there’s an easier way out for a topic for which you might slog for hours. And that is what becomes your very own blind spot.

So, the question is how do you form an effective study group, one that helps you to stay alert and focused?

For a non-distractive study session, you might want to consider the following:

Number of partners:
4-6 is a good number as too less a number makes room for gossip while too many in a group do not contribute as much.

Environment:
Any place where you don’t feel the urge to get distracted is perfect. You could even resist using your mobile phone while studying. Maybe treat yourself to a game later?

Study break:
Yes, you do need a break, but how long? A 20-minutes break after every hour of study will save you from being overloaded with information.

There you have it! In choosing whether to join a study group or prepare for the exam on your own, consider your overall strengths and weaknesses. It can be very draining to spend long hours alone in the library or your very own room. Joining a study group and studying in a group environment makes learning much more fulfilling and enjoyable whilst ensuring strategic learning.