Some students just have everything together. They earn awesome grades, but they're also successful on other fronts. Opportunities always seem to find them, and they're always prepared for what's coming next. Equal the brightest students can sometimes find themselves academically under performing, often through no fault of their own. When students find themselves in this situation, it’s often because they’re stuck in a rut and are not sure what to do to improve.
If this sounds like you, the first step is to work out the
reasons why you may be under performing, and the next step is to work out how to
tackle the problem. If you are not sure how to get good grades
Then this article shows you ways you can do to form an
improvement plan to help you achieve the good grades you know you’re capable of
achieving.
1. Adopt a positive mental attitude
In
the face of lower-than-expected grades, it’s only human to react by feeling
disappointed with oneself. When you’re frequently receiving lower grades than
you’d hoped for, you may start to feel depressed or defeated, and feel like
giving up. The first step on the road to improving your grades is to turn this
negativity on its head. You need to be positive about the situation if you’re
to stand a chance of improving it. Acknowledge that your grades aren’t what
you’re aiming for, but believe that you can do something about it. Start by
mentally taking control of the situation: instead of thinking “I’m a failure”,
think “I can and will do better than this.” Don’t give up – take positive steps
towards achieving the improvement you’re more than capable of achieving.
2. Work out where you’re falling
short
You
need to work out which areas need targeting before you can draw up a plan of
action, so the next step is to figure out the areas in which you’re
under performing, and why. Are your grades consistently lower than you’d like
them to be across all your subjects, or is there one particular area you’re
struggling with that’s bringing down your overall performance in a particular
subject? Take a look at your grades over the last few months and look for
patterns. Has there been a general decline in academic achievement, or have
your grades in certain areas always been lower than you’d hoped? Are your
grades always low in the same areas, such as one problem subject? You’ll
probably already have a vague idea of the answers to these questions, but
seeing your grades written down on paper – perhaps even in graph format – can
help you see things more clearly.
Next, think about the reasons why you’re not performing to your full academic
potential in the areas you’ve identified. Are there external factors that may
be negatively affecting your grades, such as a family problem or worrying about
a social situation at school? Are you struggling with any particular academic
skills that might be dragging you down, such as essay-writing or note-taking?
And are you studying in a way that works for you? These are all factors that
could be affecting your academic performance, so once you’ve isolated what the
problem is – it could be a combination of more than one of these issues –
you’ll be able to start tackling it. If the problems are external, you’ll need
to take steps towards getting them to a point at which they no longer adversely
affect your studies; seeing a counselor might help, for instance. If they’re
academic, read the rest of this article for some suggestions on how you can
improve.
3. Talk to your teachers
Your
teachers know you best, so it’s worth talking to them when you’re drawing up a
plan of action for improving your grades. Ask them where they think you need to
improve, and they’ll probably have some advice on how you can go about it.
Coupled with the advice in the rest of this article, this should allow you to
tailor an action plan to your personal situation.
4. Pay more attention in class
If you’re prone to daydreaming in class, it’s time to start focusing on the here and now. Listen to what the teacher is saying rather than talking with friends or allowing your mind to wander. Don’t simply copy down what’s on the board without thinking about it; make sure you’ve understood it, make neat notes so that you can understand them when you come back to them (more on that later), and don’t be afraid to speak up if there’s something you don’t understand or want clarifying. It’s much easier to ask a teacher to explain something differently than it is to trawl through books trying to find a clearer explanation for yourself, and they won’t think less of you for asking.
Also read: Top 10 Most Educated States in Nigeria (2022)
5. Start organizing your life
Clutter
of any kind inhibits our ability to operate efficiently, so another way of
improving your academic performance is to get organized. Keep your workspace
tidy and all your notes and textbooks organized in such a way that you know
where everything is. Start thinking more about your time management, too, as
this will allow you to priorities your time effectively, freeing time for
problem subjects. Write yourself a daily timetable that incorporates your
school schedule, dividing your day into slots of time and fitting in plenty of
time for studying. Allocate extra time to subjects or topics you’ve identified
as being ones you’re struggling with; it could be that the reason for your
under performance in these subjects is that you’re simply not devoting enough
time to them.
6. Do Your Homework
It sounds obvious, doesn’t it? To get better grades, do
the homework assignments. Yet, you would be surprised by how many high school
students don’t do their homework, leaving assignments unfinished or waiting
until right before the test to do them. That might have worked in middle
school, but it’s unlikely to fly in high school.
If you’re in a rigorous class, it’s covering a lot of
material, and your teacher assumes you are going to learn some of it on your
own. This is excellent preparation for college, when your classes will meet
much less frequently, but you will have much more work to do outside of class.
High school teachers are trying to prepare you for this shift by encouraging
you to maintain and expand your knowledge through homework.
Finally, if you aren’t doing the homework, you won’t
know what you don’t understand, which means you won’t be able to ask the right
questions and get the right help. If you don’t know what you don’t know, you’ll
never learn it!
7. Participate in Class
Everyone
knows that it’s easier to pay attention to something if you’re active and
involved. Particularly in a classroom, passively listening often makes it harder
for you to remember what was said because you weren’t actively participating.
Of course, your ability to participate depends somewhat
on your teacher, the class, and your own personality. Some teachers prefer to
lecture, with minimal input from their classrooms, while some students feel
uncomfortable speaking in front of others. Nevertheless, these days almost all
educators recognize the importance of active learning and making such
participation inclusive for all students.
Whether it’s answering a question, asking a question,
participating actively in group work, or otherwise being involved in the
classroom, participation in class is a great way to master the material and
show your teacher that you’re trying hard.
8. Take Good Notes in Class
It’s
a near-universal fact: straight-A students take good notes. That said,
note-taking is not necessarily something all high school students know how to
do, and not all schools do a good job of teaching it. Learning to take notes
may be something you need to undertake on your own, but it’s absolutely crucial
to getting better grades.
Not everyone takes notes the same way. Some students
find it helpful to write long-hand, while others record lectures and take notes
later, when they can pause. In general, though, it’s best not to write down
everything the teacher says. Rather, truly good note-takers digest what’s
important and write down just the key facts.
Don’t
worry if this doesn’t come naturally right away; note-taking is a skill that
takes time to develop. As you improve, you’ll likely earn higher grades as
well.
9. Don’t Hesitate to Ask for Help
There’s
a common misconception among high school students that you should only ask for
extra help if the teacher specifically recommends it or if you’re getting
really bad grades. In fact, all good teachers would love to help you whenever
you need it!
Whether
you’re trying to understand your test scores, essay comments, homework
assignments, or class involvement, setting up a time to talk to your teacher
out of class is always a good use of your time. They don’t want to give you bad
grades; they want to help you learn the material. It’s why they teach!
That
said, if you do go in for extra help, you’ll get more out of it if you have
specific questions. Don’t ask the teacher to give his or her lesson all over
again; pinpoint what you’re struggling with and ask for advice or additional
problems.
Read on: Top 4 Unique Ways to Be One of the Best Students in School
10. Keep Yourself Motivated
Another
truth about getting better grades is that it isn’t just about one test or one
paper. A strong final grade is the product of a lot of good grades all strung
together, which means you need to stay motivated throughout the year.
Staying focused on schoolwork isn’t always easy. Things
come up in and outside of school that take away from your focus, and it’s easy
to give into procrastination when you have a lot on your plate, a situation
you’re sure to encounter at some point.
Bear in mind that this is a marathon, not a sprint; once
in a while, you won’t finish your homework, and that’s okay. The important
thing is that you are striving toward your best academic performance by doing
as much of this as you can.
11. Create a Study Schedule
Staying
on top of your schoolwork isn’t always easy; you have extracurricular
activities, service commitments, family responsibilities, and more. Time
management can be the best tool in your arsenal for getting better grades.
Creating a study schedule can help you manage your time
and keep from cramming. By learning and studying in small chunks, rather than
trying to do so all at once, you’ll be less overwhelmed and better able to
master the material. For each class, consider setting out a certain amount of
time each day, maybe in a calendar or agenda book. Doing a little every day is
miles better than cramming.
A
study schedule should be flexible to both your learning style and your life.
But even if it gets disrupted sometimes, just having made it can be enormously
helpful.
12. Remove Distractions
Getting
the most out of studying means staying focused, which in turn means minimizing
distractions. These days, it’s hard not to get distracted by notifications on
your phone, computer, or other screen. But maintaining productive study time means
filtering all this out to focus on your schoolwork.
To
that end, do what you can to minimize distractions and build good study habits.
Turn your phone to Do Not Disturb so you don’t get notifications and alerts.
Use anti-procrastination browser extensions like Stay Focused to keep
yourself off social media and other distracting websites. Sign out of instant
messaging.
Distractions
can be physical, too. Keeping your desk organized can help boost your
productivity and lead to higher grades, as can organizing your notes and
materials. Managing your space can be as important as managing your time.
13. Don’t Study Alone
When
we imagine studying, we often picture someone alone at a desk. But just as
being an active class participant can help you connect more deeply to the
material, so too can studying with a partner, group, or tutor help your grades!
Forming a study group or partnership can be a
particularly great way to work toward higher grades. Rather than just quizzing
yourself with flash cards, studying in a group allows you both to ask questions
of another student and to explain
concepts to a peer, which will really test whether you understand the material
or not.
Beyond a study group, working with a private tutor is
also a way to manage your schedule and get help with your homework. If your
schedule doesn’t allow you to meet with your teacher or a group, a tutor might
be a good option for you.
14. Take a 15-minute break after each 45 minutes of studying
Walk
around your house. Get some fresh air, think of how to get better grades, or
get a snack to fuel your brain. You can also reward yourself for each 45
minutes of productive work by doing something that you enjoy. Besides, breaking
up the monotony of studying will help you focus.
14. Take care of your health
Make
sure that your meals are nutritious; balanced, and varied, because your brain
needs fuel in order to be productive. Never miss breakfast before school.
16. Sleep well
Establishing a regular sleep schedule is crucial when it
comes to studying and learning how to get good grades in high school. Try to
wake up and go to bed at the same times and get at least 8 hours of sleep each
night.
17. Find the right learning style for you
If you’re academically under performing, another possible
reason could be that you haven’t found the right learning style for you. We’re
all different, and each of us has our own way of studying that yields the best
results. Perhaps you just haven’t found your most effective studying style yet.
If you’ve been trying to work on your own, for example, you might find it
easier to work with a friend or two, so that you have someone else there to
motivate you.
18. Improve your memory
Many students struggle to remember all the information
they need for exams, and this brings their grades down. With so much to learn
across many subjects, remembering facts, figures and arguments is a pretty
monumental task, and you need to arm yourself with some effective memory aids
to help you. You’ll find more tips on improving your memory in our article on
memory techniques for exam preparation.
19. Stop procrastinating
One of the reasons why you’re underperforming could be
that you’re spending too much time procrastinating – that is, putting off work
by distracting yourself with other things, such as social media. This is a
common response to a big workload; when you have so much to do that you don’t
know where to start, the temptation is simply not to start. The problem is that
in doing so, you’re delaying the inevitable, as well as making your task worse
by eating into the time when you could be productive. If you’re guilty of
procrastination – and we all are at some point or another – take a look at our
article on five reasons we procrastinate and how to stop it.
20. Make learning more fun
Sometimes students under perform because they have simply lost the motivation to learn. It’s not surprising, when the pressure of exams and doing well at school takes away the enjoyment of learning. It’s easy to get so focused on achieving top grades that you forget that learning can actually be fun – and not only that, but it’s much easier to do well when you’re enjoying it. If studying has become a chore for you, it’s time to put the fun back into learning. You could do this by gamifying your studies, or by trying some of the ideas in our article on 15 ways to make studying less stressful.
21. Use a planner to organize your time
It can be either a paper planner or a mobile app. However, we recommend that you use a paper agenda book so that your phone does not distract you. Write down all important due dates, dates of tests, and extracurricular activities.
Also read: Top 10 Best Universities to Study Medicine in South Korea
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