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Study methods and study skills

Study methods and study skills

Last modified on 13-01-2026 16:34
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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Workshops

  • Check the events calendar Find workshops on planning, speed reading, processing study material or taking exams.
  • Guided study sessionsStudying requires time, energy and commitment. Maybe you struggle with performance pressure, uncertainty about your results, early dropout or procrastination. Join the guided study sessions.

Writing and presenting

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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?

Studying effectively

  • Creating a study planWant to keep on top of the course material and remember it better? Make sure you create an effective study plan.
  • 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.
  • Reading effectivelyHow do you ensure that you understand and remember the content of a book or article?
  • 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.
  • Different types of exam questions This page gives tips on how to approach different types of exam questions.

See also

Study guidance and counselling