How to study a textbook when there is so much information?

Don't read a textbook like a novel from the beginning to the end.

The more you read it like a novel, the more details you lose.

Unlike in a novel, your job here is not to find out the story but to find out the details, specifics, and their application.

In the novel, some characters continue throughout the story. There is continuity in the story, too. One character is related to another and there is always an interaction between them. However, this may not happen in a textbook.

One concept may not get linked to another at all, and even if it does, sometimes it will be in an indirect way. Concepts that we have studied elsewhere, in earlier classes, are suddenly introduced and we are supposed to know how they are linked to the subject we are studying.

Hence, each time you come across a concept, think of where it can be applied.

For instance, if you studying a parabola, think of what is the use of knowing about a parabola. The moment you ask this question, the relevant content in the brain opens up and you will be able to store the corresponding information alongside it.

When you don't ask the question, the information doesn't get stored.

In addition, roughly draw a parabola on a piece of paper and try to understand what you read with reference to the diagram you have written. This will enable the storage of information.

So, this is not a question of your ability to remember, but a question of storage of information.

The Six-step strategy for studying a Textbook

Study Skills Program