Study methods and study skills
Study methods and study skills
Last modified on 12-12-2025 11:30
Being a university student means honing your study skills: reading articles and course literature, planning your study sessions, revising for exams, writing in an academic style and setting priorities for your free time and studies. For help with study skills and methods, the UvA offers courses and workshops, online tips and background reading.
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- Help with academic writingIf you want help or advice to improve your academic writing skills, the UvA offers free options to do so in both English and Dutch.
- Focus and concentrationSometimes it’s difficult to concentrate while you’re studying. There are a number of things that you can do to help you focus better on your work.
- Assimilating information If you simply read a text, you will already have forgotten 80% of it by the following day. What techniques can you use to ensure that you remember the text as effectively as possible?
- Retaining information By adopting the right approach you can ensure that you retain the material you are studying effectively...even after the exam.
- Creating a study planWant to keep on top of the course material and remember it better? Make sure you create an effective study plan.
- Reading effectivelyHow do you ensure that you understand and remember the content of a book or article?
- Different types of exam questions This page gives tips on how to approach different types of exam questions.
- Giving a presentationIf you’re studying at university you will regularly have to give a presentation on the course material or on the results of your own research. How do you do this?
- Key competences of academic writingAs a student you often have to write texts. Academic writing is a skill you will develop during the course of your studies.