How Much Should You Study to Get the Best Grades?
How Much Should You Study to Get the Best Grades?
The realistic study hours, secrets of top students, and the formula you can copy.
Getting top grades (1.0–1.3 in Germany, A/A+ elsewhere) is not about luck or “being a genius.”
It’s about how and how much you study.
Let’s break down the real numbers.
⭐ 1. How many hours do top students actually study?
Research from universities in Germany, the US, and the EU shows:
🎓 Average student:
→ 8–12 hours/week outside of classes
🎓 Good student (2.0–1.7):
→ 10–15 hours/week
🎓 Very good student (1.3–1.0):
→ 18–25 hours/week
🎓 Top 1% of students:
→ 25–35 hours/week
BUT extremely efficient (no wasting time)
So the real answer is:
👉 To get very good to excellent grades, you need
18–25 hours/week of high-quality studying.
⭐ 2. Why hours alone don’t matter
You can study 20 hours/week and still fail — if your methods are wrong.
Top students use effective methods, not more time.
❌ Passive studying (ineffective)
-
Highlighting
-
Rereading textbooks
-
Copying notes
-
Listening to lectures while distracted
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Studying only the night before the exam
✔ Active studying (highly effective)
-
Solving practice sheets
-
Making your own examples
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Testing yourself
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Teaching the material to someone
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Summarizing in your own words
-
Practising old exams
Top grades come from active recall + spaced repetition — scientifically proven.
⭐ 3. The “3-Part Study Formula” of 1.0 Students
Every top student follows this pattern:
1️⃣ Daily Mini-Sessions (30–90 mins)
Keep topics fresh → prevents forgetting → easier exam prep.
2️⃣ Weekly Deep Work Sessions (2–4 hours)
For the hardest subjects (maths, physics, economics, engineering…).
3️⃣ Exam Phase Blocks (3–6 hours/day)
Only 4–6 weeks per semester — not forever.
This is where your grade is made.
This structure works for every major.
⭐ 4. Signs that you are studying “enough”
You should feel:
✔ ahead of the class
✔ confident about concepts
✔ able to explain topics without reading
✔ able to solve exam-like problems
✔ not panicking before exams
If you are always behind, confused, stressed, or re-learning old topics →
you’re not studying enough (or not studying the right way).
⭐ 5. Should you study every day?
Short answer: Yes — but only a little.
✔ Best system:
1–2 hours/day on weekdays
+
2–4 hours on weekends
This keeps your brain in learning mode and prevents burnout.
✔ Worst system:
Studying nothing for 2 weeks → then 10 hours/day in panic mode.
⭐ 6. How much should you study during exam season?
During exam preparation:
📌 For very good grades (1.3–1.0):
→ 3–6 hours/day, 4–6 weeks before exams
with old exams + exercises + summaries
📌 For extremely difficult subjects (advanced physics, math, engineering):
→ sometimes 6–8 hours/day, but only short-term.
⭐ 7. Example weekly study plan to get top grades
Monday–Friday
-
60–120 min: rewrite notes, summarize, small exercises
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20–30 min: vocabulary/formulas review
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30 min: active recall quizzes
Total: 1.5–2.5 hours/day
Saturday
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3–4 hours deep work (problem solving, essays, labs)
Sunday
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1–2 hours light revision
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rest of the day free
Total = 18–25 hours/week
Perfect for great grades.
⭐ 8. The secret nobody says
You don’t need to study 10 hours per day.
You need to study 2–4 hours every day — consistently.
That’s how students with a 1.0 GPA do it.
⭐ Conclusion
To get the best grades:
🎓 18–25 hours/week
of high-quality, active studying is enough for most subjects.
You don’t need to be a genius.
You need a system.
Your habits decide your GPA — not your talent.
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