How to Get Straight "A"s

Co-authored by Ashley Pritchard, MA

Last Updated: November 11, 2024 Fact Checked

Being a great student doesn't mean hours and hours of studying and having no social life at all! There's always room to improve, so it helps to always check the work you do. This will lead to happiness and satisfaction with not only yourself but what you are doing with your life. And you know: accomplishments are for life; they last! If you get good grades, you're that much closer to a good college, which leads you to a good job. Keep reading to find out how to be more successful in any type of school.

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

General Practices

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Don’t just stop learning at the bare facts. These will not make you any smarter, nor will they give you the analytical tools you need to get straight A’s. If you really want to excel in school the most important thing is to always ask why. Learn why things work the way they do, why things matter and then you can apply that knowledge to a vast amount of information and may be correctly guessing even things you might not have learned about.
This doesn't mean you should cheat - when we say use the knowledge of others, what we mean is that you should talk with friends, family members and teachers about the subjects you are studying. Get their opinions on topics, see how they would have approached a problem or learn their method of doing something. In opening your mind to new ways of thinking and doing you should be better prepared to handle almost any academic challenge.^{[1]
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Be proactive in your education. Participate in study groups. Get help when you need it. Study over time rather than cramming before a test. Basically, getting straight A’s is hard (if it were easy, everyone would do it) so you need to work at it if you want to do this. However, avoid study groups if you tend to talk more than study. Remember, you are only working in a study group to study. Most people, tend to forget this when they see a friend, so keep this in mind.
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Get organized.^{[2]
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Expert Source

Ashley Pritchard, MA
School Counselor

Expert Interview. 4 November 2019.} Consistently keep all assignments or handed back work/handouts separate and in chronological order. Not only does this make life in general easier, but it also helps when exam time comes, especially if there will be a cumulative end-of-year exam. You should also organize your time by allowing yourself plenty of time to study and sleep. Organize your notes and your study space.^{[3]
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- Study and do homework in chunks.^{[4]
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  Expert Source
  
  Ashley Pritchard, MA
  School Counselor
  
  Expert Interview. 4 November 2019.} If you have two days to do a homework assignment, do most of it the first and do the other part the second. Or, if you have a week to learn 10 vocabulary words, learn a few each day and review the words you already learned. This way you'll be less overwhelmed and ultimately have more time free from cramming.
- Get a planner.^{[5]
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  Expert Source
  
  Ashley Pritchard, MA
  School Counselor
  
  Expert Interview. 4 November 2019.} Write down your homework as soon as the teacher assigns it. If a teacher tells you when a project is due or a test will be given write it down. This will help you know what you have to do.
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Choose courses you are interested in. If you can, make sure you are studying things you enjoy and can get invested in. You will do better if you care about the material you are studying. This is why you will find that you get the best grades in your favorite classes.
- Remember to balance things you enjoy with things you need to know.
Be aware of your body clock. The human body learns best at specific times and for some people it can be in the morning. Be sure you save this time for studying important class material, and leave the rest of the time for less important activities such as socializing. Avoid studying when you are tired. In general, you should try to get at least 8 hours of sleep a night.
. You need to have knowledge of each subject you're studying, but it is also important to persevere and go back and revise the subject until you are confident that you will be able to get the right answers during an exam or test. If you don't understand a question on a test then think it through and write it out so that you can see what you are doing.

Part 2

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Working Hard in Class

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1
Pay attention in class.^{[6]
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Expert Source

Ashley Pritchard, MA
School Counselor

Expert Interview. 4 November 2019.} You can learn so much from just listening so always pay attention in class. Study smart! You should be able to understand the subject better and know what the teacher is talking about prior to a test.
- Eat breakfast and if you are prescribed medication or take vitamins make sure you take them before leaving for school. A good breakfast will help keep you awake and focused throughout the day.
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Ask questions. Ask the teacher relevant questions about the subject. If you do not understand the subject then write down what it is you are having trouble with and ask the teacher if you can have some time to discuss your concerns.
- Never be embarrassed to ask questions. Curious students make teachers happy.
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Read any syllabus you are given and have a general idea about the course subjects and what you may be learning.
- For example, if you’re in a history class and you’re learning about the formation of the United States of America but you see that the next section will be about the American Civil War, think about how those two events could connect to each other.
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Take notes. Learn to write down an outline and fill it in with bits and pieces of key information. Write a summary of what you have learned in class to use it for future reference.^{[7]
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- Make notes on what you don’t understand so that you are well prepared when your teacher explains those things or you can discuss them with your teacher.
If you are sick and cannot go to school, ask the teacher for any notes on the classes you may have missed. If the teacher is not available for some reason, ask a friend for some information you have missed on the day you were absent.
Ask about your quality of work and reasons for any weak grades. Work on any areas of weakness and ask your teacher if your extra work will help improve your grades.

Part 3

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Working Hard At Home

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1
Do your homework. Some college teachers may not always check your homework so it is important to remain motivated. Motivate yourself to do your homework. Homework helps to reinforce what you have learned in class and identify what you don’t understand. Study. If you don't have any homework on a subject, read your notes or read any textbooks on the subjects.
- On average about 10% of your grade is homework but how it is incorporated into your grade really depends on the teacher.
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Study a little bit every day at home. This will help cement material in your mind, and you won't have to worry as much if you have a pop quiz, or just a teacher who announces tests late.
- As you review, see if you can explain a new concept in your own words.^{[8]
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  Expert Source
  
  Ted Coopersmith, MBA
  Academic Tutor
  
  Expert Interview. 12 May 2021.}
This can help you identify areas that you may have more trouble in.
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Don’t procrastinate. Never stay up late doing an assignment unless you have not finished it and it is due very soon. Instead, if you have two weeks to do your assignment, spend the first week outlining and doing the basics. Over the weekend, neatly put it together, and the next week, just put the finishing touches on it, do some editing, and print it out. Don't forget to hand it in to your teacher one day before you actually should. This will show your dedication and give your teacher time to suggest revisions.
- Starting an assignment ahead of time will also give you time to meet with your teacher and discuss any problems you have, directions you can take, and get other assignment help that is crucial to getting A’s. Just going to the extra trouble of asking for help and taking your teacher’s advice may earn you a slightly higher grade.
Find a quiet place, maybe in your room, lock the door and imagine you are the teacher explaining the subject to a student. This is also a good way to measure your understanding of the material and explaining it to someone who doesn’t understand it at all can often help you develop a better understanding of the material yourself. If you can participate in tutoring programs in school, this serves the same purpose.^{[9]
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Get a dedicated study space. Find a space that is only for studying. This may help to minimize distractions and keep you on track. Studying is just another habit and if you teach your brain that a certain desk or room is just for studying then you should have a much easier time focusing and getting work done.^{[10]
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You can always go onto the internet or go to the library and find more books or information about the subjects you are studying. Learning some additional information and adding it into papers or test questions may impress your teachers.
There's nothing wrong with getting in some extra learning and it may make a difference in your grades.

Part 4

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Helpful School Tips and Tricks

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Learn to take great notes. Still having trouble taking notes that help you later? Try the look, cover, write and check method, aiding your memory to take in the information you are learning.
Learn to outline. Outlining can make any assignment easier by breaking it up into easy to understand chunks. Dealing with these pieces rather than trying to wrap your brain around the whole thing may help you excel.
Learn how to spell correctly. If you want to get perfect points on an assignment you’re going to need to be sure it’s free of spelling and grammar mistakes.
Learn how to concentrate.
Learn how to do well in school. Doing well in school is about more than just getting A’s. Read about how to succeed in school as a whole.
WikiHow offers help in all sorts of subjects, including tutorials in Math, a helping hand in Science, and advice for English. Find more general help in the Education and Communications Category.

Supercharge Your Studying with this Expert Series

Do you want to make your studying more efficient, learn more quickly, and remember more information? Check out these expert articles.

1

Study For Exams

2

Study So You Can Remember Everything

3

Make a Study Space

4

Create Good Study Habits for Exams

5

Learn Without Forgetting

6

Retain Information when You Study for a Test

Expert Q&A

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Question

How do I know if I understand a topic?

Ted Coopersmith, MBA
Academic Tutor
Ted Coopersmith is an Academic Tutor for Manhattan Elite Prep, a test prep and academic tutoring company based in New York City. In addition to general academic advising, Ted has expertise in preparing for the ACT, SAT, SSAT, and ASVAB tests. He also has over 30 years of financial controller advising and consulting experience. He holds a BA from the City University of New York (CUNY) and an MBA from Pace University.

Ted Coopersmith, MBA

Academic Tutor

Expert Answer

Try explaining a concept from class to a friend or family member. This exercise can indicate how well you understand the topic.

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How can I be the best student in every subject?

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Work hard, study, learn from students around you, and try your best. Sometimes being first place isn't as important as getting a solid education, so don't push yourself over the limit. It's very unlikely that you'll ever be able to be the best student in every subject, but you can still receive consistently impressive marks with hard work and dedication.

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I tried most of these, but my grades are really low. What should I do? I'm really stressed about my grades and I need to get into a good university.

Community Answer

Before you take your exams, make sure you really know the material. Paying attention in class will not be enough. As soon as you know you have an upcoming exam, start studying an hour per night so you will be better prepared. Also, if you don't know something, ask! Even if you are embarrassed asking a question in front of your classmates, still ask your question, or if your teacher allows you to, stay after class and ask your questions. if you know you're really struggling with something, ask the teacher for extra help or hire a tutor.

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Tips

If it is hard for you to take notes, try taking Cornell notes. You draw a line about 1/4 of the page over on the left side. On the right side of the line you write the key information. On the left side of the line you write questions about that information. On the back of the page you write a summary. Later, study these notes to avoid too much confusion.^{[11]
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Don't give up if you have a bad quarter or term. You can bounce back and still get a good overall GPA.

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If you're taking an Advanced Placement class, be sure to purchase an "exam preparation book" as a useful study reference.

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Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

Try using the Pomodoro methodby doing 25-minute chunks of work with 5-minute breaks. Every 4 cycles, take a longer 15-minute break. Afterwards, you note down how many ‘Pomodoros’ the task took, so you can schedule effectively.
Kahn Academy is a great place for videos and practice on different topics, like tough math or science concepts, if you're having trouble understanding them.
If you have not already, create a chart of the most important assignments to the least important and post it somewhere that you'll notice it often.
When you are in class sit a little away from your friends so you won't be distracted during a lecture.

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Warnings

Don't sit and stare at the screen of a computer for long as this could cause headaches. Don't lean on your elbow(s) for hours as it could cause stiffness and numbness.

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Don't expect to use all these tips in just the last few weeks of school and see an A. You might, but depending on your grade before you might not.

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Make sure you go to your teachers if you need any help whatsoever.

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Don't compare your efforts and grades.

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Don't brag about your grades. It only makes people irritated and bitter towards you. Keep them to yourself.

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Just because you may have all As, or you're the best student, it doesn't mean you're the most talented. So don't pick on students who might not have grades as good as yours.

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Network in person. Don't only do schoolwork. Unless it's exam week, make room for social activities, sports, and hobbies. Neglecting these things will make you more focused on un-reality while studying, because you'll wish you were doing something else.

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Don't skip assignments; always do your reading or assignments, otherwise you'll just have to make up the work/learning near exam time when you have so many other things to do.

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If being numero uno, top of the class is the only thing that matters to you, you need to stop and think. You probably won't always be the best.

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Never cheat or copy someone else's work. Cheating could get you a zero on the assignment or test and you could risk getting expelled from your school if you get caught.

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Make sure you get enough sleep every night. If you don't, you will find it hard to concentrate. Plus, a lack of sleep reduces your ability to remember what you have already learned.

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