Goated Study Hacks That Should Be Illegal

"Rewrite notes. Make flashcards. Memorize the textbook" Ever heard of these? Forget them. Forget all these boring "exam-hack" videos that keep showing up on your YouTube Homepage. A while back, I used to spend more time watching those videos than I spent for studying, until it hit me like a truck. These guides don't really give you any info at all; they just repeat the same old tips over and over again. However, I've put together a list of the JUICIEST, most underrated study hacks that you've never heard before. These aren't just tips, but are psychologically proven hacks that help you remember more than paid tuition classes.

1. Scientifically proven environment hacks

Let's face it: no matter how much you mug up the textbook, there's always something missing. Something your brain can't remember, something you remember studying at the library with a cool climate. Let's fix that. Instead of the usual lo-fi beats or classical music while studying, try ambient sounds from the environment you’ll take your exam in. Footsteps, talking, rain, even a ticking clock. Play it at low volume exactly like you’d hear it in the test room. Your brain links the study material to the sound environment, so, in simpler terms, your memory spikes: what we all want.

Your brain links the study material to the sound environment. In simple terms, your memory spikes exactly when you really need it.

2. Using sleep to your advantage

Before you sleep, look at a pretty difficult, yappable question for a minute. Then, pause for a moment, close your eyes and try to yap as much as you can to answer the question. Finally, record it. Next day, your brain recalls it much faster than traditional notes. If you watch YouTube a lot, you'll notice that most YouTubers say, “sleep to memorize,” but almost none suggest active verbal sleep encoding, or whatever this is called.

3. Using dark magic to help with exam stress

This sounded stupid to me at first, but it actually taught me how to focus in exam pressure as well as be more attentive in general. Study while doing something pretty distracting (like juggling, doodling, or humming). This helps your brain to focus "under cognitive load", which makes exam situations feel much easier as a whole. Basically, handling stress joined together with studying.

4. Using your senses as rocket science

Use your five senses. Smell, taste, or touch something unique while learning (like flavor of gum, or a metal pen). Not weird. Now, when you write the exam or do practice tests, do the same thing. Suppose you chew peppermint gum while studying. Chew the same flavor while taking the exam too. (If it's allowed) This makes your memory SKYROCKET. It's basically evil science, except to pass your exams.

These aren’t your usual “rewrite notes, make flashcards” tips. They’re psychologically proven, borderline illegal ways to boost your memory, handle stress, and actually remember what you study. Try one of these tonight and watch how your memory spikes.

👉 If you want to stack even more hacks, I wrote about 10 Study Habits from Top Students (and How You Can Copy Them) 

Check it out next.

I’m also planning to create a YouTube channel to share even more underrated tips like these. It’s coming soon. Stay tuned!

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