How to Improve Grades Quickly

Keeping your grades up is tough, especially as you near the end of the semester and every last bit counts. But sometimes life circumstances get in the way, and your grades are not as high as you were hoping. Many students, even the brightest, find themselves slipping a bit from time to time. 

While there’s no quick fix to improve your grades instantly, there are a bunch of things you can do to finish off the semester as strongly as possible. Here’s how you can reasonably improve your grades as fast as possible. 

 

Ask Yourself What’s Going on

The first thing you’ll need to do is take an honest look at your performance. Are you doing better in some courses and worse in others? Or are you dissatisfied with your scores across the board? Have your grades been steadily declining for a while now or did something happen that caused them to suddenly dip?  

 

You may discover that an outside factor is impacting your ability to study or hand in assignments on time. Or you may realize that you simply need a bit of extra help understanding how to balance equations in chemistry. Once you have more of an idea of where the issue is coming from, you can start to take action.

 

Talk to Your Professor 

If you haven’t already met with your professor, now is the time. After all, they’re the ones who know you best in an academic setting and may be able to provide more insight into what’s going on. Remember, they are there to help you succeed. Don’t hesitate to go over an old midterm with them or ask for advice on how to study their course material. 

 

Be sure to take advantage of professor office hours. Far too many students don’t take the time to meet with their professors early-on. If you’ve already met your professor when you were doing well in the class, it will make it far easier to have a follow-up meeting if you need extra help. You can even pre-empt potential challenges by visiting your professor multiple times to show your essay-in-development before the due date, get insight into what to study for upcoming exams, etc.

 

Establishing rapport with your professors may also make it easier to negotiate options if things go awry. Your instructor may let you retake a test, resubmit a paper, or do a project for extra credit. Take advantage of all of these opportunities. If you have a unique circumstance that is impacting your grades, don’t hesitate to share with them. They will likely be understanding. On the other hand, if you have been slacking off all semester, don’t expect that your teacher will be as quick to help.  

 

As always, be respectful when talking to your instructors and don’t put the blame on them. Don’t approach them in the middle of class. Instead, write them an email or visit them during office hours. This goes without saying, but don’t wait for the last day of the semester to ask for help.

 

Complete Missing Assignments 

There is nothing that brings down your average like a missing assignment. Of course, you’ll need your teacher’s approval to still submit the late assignment. Your teacher may agree to let you hand in the assignment without penalty, or for up to half the marks. Still, getting any score is better than no score at all.

 

Change How You’re Studying

If you feel like you could have done better this semester maybe you need to look into how you are studying. We all have different learning styles and it could take some experimenting to figure out which is right for you. Ask yourself what has worked and what hasn’t. Maybe you don’t have a photogenic memory like you thought, and reading through the course material isn’t enough. Maybe it will help you to learn by writing things down. Or maybe you’re missing things like the textbooks or a calculator. Are you waiting for the last minute to study for a test or to start working on an assignment? Are you missing class often? 

 

As always, if there is an extenuating circumstance that is impacting your performance, be sure to address this with your teacher as soon as possible. Of course, if you haven’t been studying at all, then you know exactly what you need to do.  

 

Change Where You’re Studying

Maybe the problem isn’t how you’re studying, but where you’re studying. Studying at a coffee shop might be more action-filled, but if you find yourself looking more at people than you are at your textbook, it’s probably best you choose a different study location, like a quiet room in your house or the library. 

 

Join Forces With a Friend

Finding a study partner can help motivate you and hold you accountable. It can also make the experience of studying much more enjoyable. You and your study partner can help one another by quizzing each other, explaining things to each other, or simply by enjoying each others company and taking breaks together. Just don’t forget that the main purpose you’re meeting is to study. 

 

Get Organized 

Getting organized can make a huge difference in terms of your grades. Keep your study space tidy as well as your school work. You should have separate binders for each class you’re in with dividers to separate your homework, notes and syllabus. Keeping organized means that you can find everything you need, and understand everything you’ve written down. An organized desk is a sign of an organized mind, and it’s much easier to understand and process the course material when your mind is organized. 

 

In addition, you should also be writing down test dates and your homework in an assignment notebook or using an app, like Google Calendar. Otherwise, you are sure to forget important dates.

 

Don’t Cram

The early bird catches the worm, or in this case, the good grades. There are very few people who can get away with studying at the last minute. It’s not always possible to get a head start on something weeks in advance, but if you know you have a big test or project coming up, start preparing as soon as you can. Ideally you should be reviewing your notes from class every day or every week to make sure you understand everything. You’ll thank yourself for doing so the days before the test. 

 

Create a Schedule

It is difficult balancing schoolwork, especially during finals week. Sticking to a schedule can help you stay on track and manage your time better. Create a daily schedule for yourself, setting aside time for studying, doing homework, doing activities and meeting friends. A schedule can come in handy before big exams and prevent you from cramming.

 

Disconnect Devices 

If you have trouble getting off your phone, it’s safe to say that your devices are impacting your studies. If you need to improve your grades quickly, disconnect from all your electronic devices. For starters, put your phone in the other room or turn it off. It may be hard to disconnect completely, especially if you have to use your computer to write a paper or work on an assignment. An easy way to get around this is to simply turn off the WIFI. 

 

Involve Your Parents

Involving your parents, especially if you are still in high school, can be a good way to get you back on track. It may seem silly to tell your parents that you are doing poorly in school, especially if they are paying for your college tuition. But remember, they want to see you succeed and are probably happy to help. Also, they may help keep you accountable. A little extra accountability never hurts. 

 

Get a Tutor 

There is nothing wrong with needing help, and it doesn’t make you less smart if you need one.  If you are struggling with course material, a private tutor can make a huge difference. Having a tutor gives you the time and space to ask all the questions you need to ask until you feel secure with the concept and the material. While this option will cost money, you may be able to find a cheaper option from a fellow student on campus. 

The first thing you should do is check what your school offers. They may have a tutoring center where graduate students provide tutoring at little to no cost. You can also ask your teacher about finding a tutor, or they may even offer to help you directly if they have time.

 

Study from the Study Guide

If your teacher blesses you with a study guide, they are not trying to trick you. They are trying to help you. Focus most of your time studying from the study guide and inquire whether you need to study other material not in the study guide. This can save you so much time and help you score better. 

 

Prepare for the Future 

If this isn’t your last semester of school, it is smart to think about the changes you can make moving forward. Look at how you performed this past semester and think about ways you can improve moving forward. Here are some tips to get you started: 

• Use an assignment notebook from the start of the semester 
• Keep track of important dates in a calendar 
• Review your class syllabus before the start of the semester 
• Keep your study space free of clutter
• Make use of any writing center or tutor you have available on campus 
• Balance your schedule with a manageable workload. It’s no fun to study all the hardest and most demanding subjects in the same semester. 
• Organize all the materials you need for class before the start of the semester 
• Stay ahead as much as possible
• Keep a schedule to stay on top of your work

 

Take Care of Your Health

You might be in a pinch to get your grades up fast, but this doesn’t have to mean neglecting your mental and physical well-being. Taking breaks to eat, workout, and go outside is essential for both yourself and your grades. Be sure to get enough sleep so that you have the energy to study. 

 

Final Thoughts 

It can certainly be hard to keep your grades up when you have a lot going on. You might be nearing the end of the semester and realize you didn’t do as well as you had hoped. It’s not always an overnight fix, but these tips should help you improve your grades so that with hard work, you can finish the semester strong.