Effortless A’s: My Secret To Becoming An Academic Weapon

What does it mean to be an “Ace” student? More importantly, what is the secret to consistently achieving extraordinary results?

Simply defined, an “Ace” student is someone who scores well on every test. Some may even say they excel in the subject matter of the course. While that is the ideal outcome, the modern testing framework tends to assess students' prioritization and time management skills just as much as it tests course content. Often, getting an A is more about knowing when to exert yourself and when to take a break.

When it comes to study habits, many students tend to study “harder” for longer hours rather than studying “smarter,” but an “Ace” student knows it’s more about performing well while maintaining holistic well-being.

So, how exactly do you do that?

There’s a straightforward answer to what the secret ingredient is: PLANNING.

“Failing to plan is planning to fail.”

Students hear this often, and for good reason. But what they don’t hear as often is how to plan. But don’t worry, I’m going to share the exact method I use to study for my tests.

I used this specific method throughout my time at school, guided by my dad (an accounting professor with over 35 years of experience). This method has allowed me to maintain a 3.94/4.00 cumulative GPA at my current university, pursuing dual degrees in Finance and Informatics while taking 18-20 credits each semester! And yes, I still find time to socialize, TA for two courses, hit the gym, and pursue other hobbies like painting. It only takes about 30 minutes of your time but it sets the direction for all your study sessions!

I have also attached at the very end two of my exact study plans (made the week before exams) for my Investments (300-level) course, which allowed me to score 100 on both my midterm and final exams, achieving a final grade of 98.8%.

Here are the 5 steps before I explain what they all mean:

1. Contextualize

2. List test content and determine weight

3. Prioritize content that’s weighted heavily

4. Assign date/time

5. Execute

   
   

Ready to be an “Ace” student? Let’s dive in!

STEP 1: Contextualize

Whenever I sit down to study, the first thing I do is contextualize. What does that mean?

I understand the course type (numerical, theoretical, etc.), and I make sure I know the test duration, length, and type (closed book or open book), as well as the type of questions that will be asked (multiple choice, fill in the blanks, essay type, etc.). This helps me determine whether I need to memorize information or know how to use it. Ideally though, you want to enter the study session with the goal of learning something new. When you understand content, it is easier to remember and use it.

Following are some quick tips based on these details:

If you know the questions are multiple choice, you can read the content and use cued retrieval or make educated guesses.

If the questions are fill-in-the-blanks, flashcards could be a good study tool for active recall.

If the questions are essay type, you need to make sure you understand the concepts instead of just memorizing them.

If the subject is numerical, you’ll likely need to focus more on practicing problems instead of theory.

Is a calculator allowed? Is Excel allowed (in my case, for Finance)? Is there a formula sheet?

How do YOU learn best? Are you a visual learner? Auditory learner? Kinesthetic learner?

Asking yourself these questions can help narrow down your study method and strategy going forward because every subject and test type requires a different approach.

Additionally, consider what percentage of the final grade this exam represents and give it importance accordingly!

STEP 2: List test content and determine weight

Next, I go through all the modules and write down every piece of course material I want to cover, e.g., Lecture 1 video, Lecture 1 slides, exam review slides, practice exam, etc. When doing this, I organize the material so that when I assign weights to topics, I know which materials cover what. Often, professors provide the exact weights of the concepts, and sometimes they give rough estimates verbally.

But what if you can’t find any weights? In that case, I use any available practice tests for the exam and skim the questions. For each question, I categorize it by topic and calculate the topic's weight based on the number of questions relative to the total. For example, if Topic 1 has 5 out of 25 questions on the practice test, it’s weighted at about 20%.

If there’s no practice test, I consider how much time the professor spent covering the topic in class. Generally, the most important topics are emphasized repeatedly.

I’ll admit, this method may not be perfectly exact or accurate, but at least it gives you a starting point.

STEP 3: Prioritize content that’s weighted heavily

Look at the topics and their weights, then arrange them in descending order. That’s the order I study the content in. If you have more time before your exam and can cover all the content, start with the concepts that confuse you the most. As you continue studying and improving your understanding, your confidence will grow.

If you don’t have much time, start with the concepts you’re confident in. Why? To ensure you can easily score those points. Once you’re confident in those, move on to the concepts you don’t quite understand.

For numerical subjects, it’s beneficial to take practice tests and solve questions from homework or slides before delving deeply into theoretical knowledge. If you get stuck, that’s a sign you need more practice and exposure to that concept.

STEP 4: Assign date/time

If you’ve heard of SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) goals, you know how important it is to detail your action plan. Now that you know the order in which to cover your content, open your calendar or planning system and assign time blocks to each concept. This way, you won’t need to spend more time planning your study sessions or deciding what to do. My favorite tool for this is Google Calendar. If it’s not on my calendar, it’s not happening!

STEP 5: Execute

This is key. Planning is essential, but it’s futile without execution. Follow through on what you’ve decided. The way you approach this can be determined by the kind of learner you are (visual, auditory, kinesthetic).

For example:

• Visual Learners: As a Teaching Assistant for an Excel course, I often found that students forgot what rows and columns are. I helped them remember this by reinforcing that “Boats row horizontally, so whatever goes in that direction is a ‘row,’ while columns remind me of Greek buildings with vertical columns (pillars), so whatever goes in that direction is a ‘column.’” Visualizing the information helped the students retain it better.

• Auditory Learners: One time, I learned the periodic table song, which made it fun and engaging—and I still remember the lyrics to this day! (Although, I’m not sure how that’s useful in a finance context, haha.)

• Kinesthetic Learners: Maybe you can find real-life examples of the concepts you’re trying to learn or make a game out of it. One time, my friends and I made jokes related to the concepts we were studying, and it was impossible to forget those concepts (or avoid laughing during the test).

One of the best ways I’ve found to learn just about anything is by explaining it to someone else. Teaching a concept requires a high level of understanding and the ability to break it down to the very basics. This helps create new neural connections in your brain, solidifying the knowledge.

Another fun way to remember details is by using acronyms. “My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nachos” is definitely more memorable than Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. I once made flashcards for learning the atomic numbers and other details of various elements of the periodic table, which was great for active recall (remembering the information without any cues instead of just “recognizing it”)!

As you can see, there are many ways to learn any concept. Studying can be fun! Pick the methods that resonate with your learning style and make the process enjoyable. Consistent execution of these personalized techniques will make your study sessions more effective and memorable.

What if I can’t follow my plan?

Plans are not set in stone. You may need to be flexible and adapt your plan based on new information or unexpected circumstances. Ensure your plan is adaptable. It’s great to have a clear starting point, but life can get in the way, and you need to be prepared to make adjustments. Remember, you don’t need to create a new plan from scratch every time something changes. You can just modify certain parts of the plan. Developing flexibility can help significantly improve your time management, which can, in turn, allow you to balance everything you want to do while improving academically.

NOTE: Also, consider the weightage of the particular exam in the overall course. Maybe it’s a low-weight exam and you can get by with an 80 and still get an A. I like to use Excel and a simple weighted average formula to keep track of what my final grade could be based on my grade in the particular test. If I know I can recover the points in a later exam, I don’t stress too much about it. If it is an important test, I focus on getting through as much of the heavily weighted content as I can. Generally, I try to score well in earlier tests and do as much extra credit work as I can so that towards the end, I can get by with lower scores and still end the class with an A. While I don’t encourage this, sometimes this strategy allows me to skip certain assignments and still maintain my GPA. This can be really useful, especially when you have a busy schedule.

Practice this planning process and become aware of your productivity methods. Metacognition—being aware of and understanding your own thought processes—can be a great tool in becoming an “Ace” student.

Test Taking Tip: If a question stumps you, skip to the next question and come back to it later. That way you won’t miss out on easy points from questions that you do know the answer to.

Contrary to popular belief, this method works really well even with limited time, especially if you’ve practiced using it before. This is because in a limited time frame this method allows you to stop worrying about if you are using your time well.

While this method can’t guarantee an A, it can guarantee improvement in your learning process, grades, and overall learning approach, positively impacting various areas of your life.

Becoming an “Ace” student isn’t about endless hours of hard work; it’s about working smarter with a structured, adaptable plan tailored to your learning style. By following the steps outlined—contextualizing, listing and prioritizing content, assigning time, and executing with flexibility—you can transform your study sessions into efficient, productive experiences. Remember, the goal is not just to excel academically but to do so while maintaining a balanced and fulfilling life. With practice, this method will become second nature, helping you achieve consistent success while enjoying the journey. I hope these tips help you start crafting your path to effortless A’s!

Now, as promised, here are my study plans from my Investments course. They follow the exact steps I mentioned above.

Midterm Study Plan: (I calculated a rough estimate of the amount of time I spent studying overall - 10 to 11 hours the week before the exam isn’t too bad, right? I'd still only be spending 2-3 hours a day)

Final Study Plan: