“How Many Hours Do I Need To Study?”
You have already shown that you can succeed academically. The skills and habits that helped you in high school are valuable strengths to bring with you to college.
College offers an opportunity to build on those strengths in new ways. Courses often require more independent learning, deeper engagement with material, and intentional study time outside of class. Learning how to adapt your strategies is a normal and important part of the college experience.
You may have heard the guideline that students should plan to spend about two hours studying outside of class for every hour spent in class. Rather than viewing this as a challenge, think of it as an opportunity to intentionally invest in your success. Taking time to calculate your weekly study commitments can help you make informed decisions about your schedule and identify when you are making steady progress toward your goals.
Estimating Study Hours Based On Course Difficulty
Rather than focusing on the arbitrary two hours of study for every hour in class method for determining your needed study hours per week, the Estimating Study Hours worksheet will help you determine study time based on course difficulty as well. In other words, you may have more background knowledge (experience) in English than you do in math. In classes that are more difficult for you, it is not unusual to spend three to four hours a day in study and fewer in the classes with which you are more familiar.
Complete the Estimating My Weekly Study Hours Worksheet.
Estimating My Weekly Study Hours Worksheet
Download the interactive spreadsheet to calculate your recommended study hours.
Download Interactive Spreadsheet
| Predict Course Difficulty | *Study Hours Based on Course Difficulty |
|---|---|
| High Difficulty Course | 3 hours |
| Medium Difficulty Course | 2 hours |
| Low Difficulty Course | 1 hour |
| Just Participation Based | 0 hours |
| Multiply | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Biology 1010 | High | 3 | x | 3 | = | 9 |
| Math 1010 | High | 3 | x | 3 | = | 9 |
| USU 1730 | Medium | 3 | x | 2 | = | 6 |
| ENGL 1010 | Medium | 3 | x | 2 | = | 6 |
| PE 1605 (Skiing) | N/A | 2 | x | 0 | = | 0 |
| Total Study Hours per Week | = | 30 | ||||
Final Thoughts: There’s no need to get discouraged or perfectionistic about a new study plan. Instead, the goal is to become aware how much time it takes to succeed in college. If it seems overwhelming or unrealistic to add this many hours to your study schedule, you have some options:
- Consider taking fewer credits – believe it or not, college is not a race. It’s better to go a little slower and get better grades.
- Try to keep your work hours less than 20-25 hours per week.
- Try adding one more hour of study per day to begin with. This will increase your weekly total by 5 to 7 hours!
Sources:
Jensen, Deborah, et. al. (2011). “Lab 2 – Time Management.” PSY 1730 Student Lab Packet, 6th Edition, 7-9