25 academic goals for students: count the studying, not the grade

Academic goals examples for students

These fit any subject at any level, because they count what you do and leave the grade as the direction.

• Study on 75 days this semester: 5 days a week for 15 weeks.
• Raise one subject by one grade this term, with 2 practice tests a week behind it.
• Hand in every assignment on time for a whole term.
• Correct every mistake on a marked test within 3 days of getting it back.
• Write every test and due date of the term in one planner in the first week.

High school academic goals

High school goals keep every class on track at once, and they start well before the test.

• Start studying for every test 7 days before it, not the night before.
• Do homework on the day it is set, 4 school days out of 5, for a term.
• Get help in your hardest subject once a week for 8 weeks.
• Do one full past exam paper for each subject before your final exams.
• Visit 3 colleges or open days before your last year of high school.

College academic goals

In college, nobody checks your work until the exam, so the counts are yours to keep, and many of them already point toward career goals.

• Go to every lecture and every class of the semester.
• Visit each professor's office hours once in the first 4 weeks.
• Write the first draft of every essay 7 days before it is due.
• Join a study group and go to 10 of its sessions.
• Finish one research project with a professor before you graduate.

Study method goals: practice tests and spaced review

Method goals use the two techniques a large review of learning research rated most useful: testing yourself, and spreading study over days.

• Answer 10 practice questions on each lesson in the same week it is taught.
• Review each topic 3 times: 1 day, 1 week and 1 month after you learn it.
• Take a practice test 2 weeks before every exam, and a second one 3 days before.
• Close the book after every chapter and write down all you remember.
• Mix 3 types of problem in every practice session for 6 weeks.

Reading, writing and class goals

Class goals go both ways, since the person teaching the class is setting goals for the same room, and teacher goals shows what theirs look like.

• Read one book a month that is not on the course list.
• Ask or answer one question in every class of your hardest subject for a term.
• Write 250 words of your long essay on 20 different days.
• Have one person read every essay before you hand it in.
• Learn 10 new subject words a week and use each one in your writing.

What is a good academic goal?

A good academic goal counts the studying and leaves the grade as the direction. A review of 35 years of goal research found that specific, hard goals lead to higher performance than being told to do your best. "Do better in chemistry" is a do your best goal. "Two practice tests a week until the exam" is specific and hard.

Then pick the method with care. A 2013 review of 10 learning techniques rated two of them the most useful: practice testing, which means quizzing yourself, and spaced practice, which means spreading study over days. It rated highlighting and rereading low, even though most students say they use them, and summarizing low too. Its advice is to test yourself instead of rereading.

Last, decide when. "If it is 4 pm on a school day, I answer 10 practice questions" is an if-then plan, and a review of 94 tests found that plans like this had a medium to large effect on reaching goals.

How to track academic goals

Tick the day once the studying is done. A review of 138 studies found that people who monitored their progress reached their goals more often, and that recording it beat keeping it in your head.

Study days and review days are a day count: 5 a week for a 15 week semester is 75. Practice questions, tests and words written are amounts that add up. For a 30 day plan built on the same daily idea, see these study challenge ideas.

A grade arrives once, at the end of term. A grid that fills one study day at a time shows the work while there is still time to add to it.

Frequently asked questions

What are some examples of academic goals?

Study on 75 days this semester. Answer 10 practice questions on each lesson. Review each topic 3 times over a month. Write every first draft 7 days before it is due. Each one is a count you can check, with the grade as the direction.

What are good academic goals for high school students?

Start studying for every test 7 days ahead, do homework on the day it is set, and do one full past exam paper per subject before finals. All three fit inside a normal school week.

What are short term and long term academic goals?

A short term goal fits in a week or a term, like 2 practice tests a week. A long term goal takes a year or more, like finishing a research project or getting into the school you want. Keep the long one as the direction and set short ones under it.