How Much Study Do American High School Students Really Do?

Everywhere you look, there are students stressing out about graduating from high school with good grades, studying late into the night and piling on homework to get ahead of their competition. It’s not enough just to make good grades or even straight A’s in high school anymore; it seems as if certain universities are only accepting students with a GPA close to 4.0. But if you ask most students, or teachers for that matter, how much studying they do is a completely different story.

How Many Hours a Day Should High School Students Study?

On the whole, high school students should spend at least 1 to 2 hours studying every day after class work.

In a survey of high school students, how many hours (after classes) per day do they say they study on average? This breaks down as follows:

A whopping 40% of all students surveyed reported not studying at all for an average of 1 hour per day. More than half (57%) said that they studied for up to an hour each day; 24% report studying between one and two hours. Only a handful (6%) admit to spending 3 or more hours a day in preparation for their classes.

The discrepancy between how much time students report studying and what teachers suspect is possible comes primarily out of differences in perception: The majority of teachers report that students can only manage a maximum of an hour of studying per day, while the students surveyed estimate that they are capable of spending between 1 and 2 hours doing preparatory work.

How much is too much?

When asked how long they think it’s appropriate to spend in preparation for class each day, most high school students agree: In general, between an hour and four hours seems like the ideal amount of time to spend preparing for class. Close to half (47%) say that one or two hours is reasonable, while 4-8 hours is considered acceptable by 37%. Only a small number (14%) think anything over 8 hours a day sounds fair.

How Much Do You Actually Study?

In all honesty, how many hours per week do you spend studying outside of class time? While the standard response from high schoolers when asked this question is “It varies,” somewhere around 10-20 hours appears to be the most common range. If we had to break it down into an average number, it would come out as 13+ hours a week (with 21% putting on 17 or more).

Some students work harder, and put in more than the average amount of time; some students work less hard.

What Kind of Learner Are You?

American high school system
How much do you think being a visual, auditory or kinesthetic learner has to do with how much studying is necessary for success in high school? Since it would be impossible to quantify the amount of learning that occurs on an “intuition” level, we can only examine how students answer this question regarding their own study habits:

The results should not come as a surprise: Students who rely on intuition for their understanding tend to spend longer periods studying outside of class time (15-20 hours per week) than those who learn better through one method over another (11-15 hours).

What Time Do Students Study?

When asked when they do their best work, students have a variety of different answers; most often, however, they rely on a method that has little to do with the actual clock:             Just under half (44%) say that early in the morning before school starts works best for them.

Another quarter (26%) claim that after school is over fits the bill and 13% cite late at night as their peak performance hours. Only 10% report being able to study during lunch or at any other point during the day.

How do you start out every day?

When asked about their typical study habits on school days, most high schoolers describe a routine very similar to what any other student might do: Nearly half (46%) say they check Facebook or another social network first thing in the morning; 15% check their email. A number also report getting caught up on what happened during the previous night’s online conversations—or by playing one of several games available online. Another 10% admits to logging onto chat rooms rather than starting with their homework as soon as they wake up.

How Does A Student’s Family Affect Their Study Habits?

Students’ responses vary according to several factors, including how often they have dinner with their families: The most common response, given by nearly half of all students (47%), is that they don’t eat dinner with their families very often—and the further away from home students live, the more likely this answer is to be chosen.

While not eating with their families can make it difficult for students who are pressed for time to get everything done during a hectic day, it does allow them greater freedom to do homework at times and in locations that suit their personal schedules. More than one third of high schoolers surveyed say they prefer doing their work at friends’ houses while 16% say they choose to work at libraries instead and another 14% opt to use bedroom study space rather than studying on campus.

Tips for Managing Time In High School

You never know what the future holds for you, but with high school fast approaching, now is the time to start preparing yourself. If you want a successful career and life after high school, you need to have good grades so that you can get into a good college. It may be hard to find time for everything between studying, sports practice and work, but there are some tips that might help save some time.
How to Prepare for High School Exams

1.Make a Schedule

The beginning of every year in elementary school usually started right after summer vacation ended; many students had adjusted to going back to class from all those weeks off and were happy about their new classes. However, as junior high progressed on towards senior year and even college, things got much more hectic. From homework, research papers and extracurricular activities it was hard to keep track of everything that needed to get done.

How can you avoid all the stress? Start by making a schedule! Being organized and setting priorities will help you stay on top of things without having to worry about forgetting something important.

2.Use Your Time Wisely

Even though you are in high school now, there really isn’t much time left before graduation so don’t waste any more time than necessary. The saying “time flies when you’re having fun” is completely true; when trying to study for a big final or working on your community service project, always remember that life goes by fast so make each moment count!

3.Know When to Ask for Help

Everyone gets a little confused from time to time but the important thing is that you ask someone for help when you need it. Teachers are there with the purpose of helping you succeed in your classes so don’t be afraid to approach them about anything. The same goes for classmates; fellow students in your class might already have done the homework assignment and can offer helpful tips while completing it together. It’s always better to get answers from persons who know what they’re talking about, instead of trying countless times yourself and getting even more frustrated!

4.Make Use of Technology

It may not seem like a big deal now, but when high school wraps up and you start going off to college, the tech savviness will definitely come in handy. Without a doubt all students are required to have their own laptop these days so why not get used to using it now? Check out online class syllabus for homework assignments, email teachers and fellow classmates about missing information or questions you might have and even take advantage of free tutoring websites that offer 24/7 service!

5.Don’t Get Bored!

What better way to keep yourself occupied during study time than by listening to music? Even if you find yourself distracted from the task at hand, there’s something calming about listening to beautiful music. Consider downloading some new tunes off iTunes or signing up for a Pandora account so you can listen when you need to focus on something, such as studying.

6.Set Goals

High school is a great time to establish goals for yourself so you can track your progress throughout the year and see how close you are to achieving them. This could be anything from sticking with an exercise routine, raising your GPA or even reading a few books in your spare time. Whatever it takes for you to feel good about the way you’re living your life, never forget that it’s up to YOU!

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