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Kahoot! Study Habits Snapshot 2024

Studying smart for 
less stress

Kahoot!’s new report underscores the connection between study habits and mental health for higher education students, showing the importance of healthy study habits and the right study support tools.

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Time management and procrastination are the biggest challenges students face in studying.

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Nearly half of students surveyed say tests or exams make them feel stressed or anxious often, almost always, or always.

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63% of respondents say that digital, interactive study tools are extremely or very important to their studying.

Studying is part of life for higher ed students. Can it be less stressful?

The college or university experience can be an incredible adventure, from making new friends to exploring new interests. However, it can also be a stressful time for students, with bigger learning challenges than ever. In our Kahoot! Study Habits Snapshot 2024, based on a survey of 1,000 higher ed students, the link between studying and mental health is clear. How students study affects their state of mind, and in turn, their state of mind affects how—and how effectively—they study.

For many students, issues like time management and distractions continue to be significant obstacles to achieving study goals, and they can become even more challenging as students struggle with stress and mental health. How can strong study habits impact students’ emotions and academic performance? What tools and techniques are students using for study success?

Keep reading to discover key insights into the connection between studying and well-being, and learn how you can take action to study smarter and thrive in the classroom and beyond!

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Tips from the Kahoot! team

  • Study smarter, not harder, with proven strategies
  • Use technology and AI to maximize your learning time
  • Stay motivated by making studying fun

Learn more >

Two-thirds of students say mental health impacts their studying

As the conversation around mental health grows worldwide, students are sounding off on the effect it can have on their learning. Among the students surveyed, two-thirds say mental health negatively impacts their ability to study or complete academic work on a regular basis (defined as several times a month or more). Additionally, half of students surveyed report overwhelming stress or anxiety on a weekly or daily basis. With mental health presenting a significant challenge, it may be necessary for many students to rethink their approach to studying.

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Nearly half of students say they
don’t manage their time well

 

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Students' top study hang-up

Higher education can mean a whole new level of academic responsibilities, making it critical for students to manage their time efficiently. It’s perhaps no surprise then that when students were asked what challenges they face when studying, time management and procrastination topped the list. Nearly half (47%) of students rank time management as one of their top three challenges when studying.

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Less sleep = more study stress

 This may also contribute to students’ regular lack of sufficient sleep. Only about 1 in 4 college students report getting 8 or more hours of sleep, and 31% report getting 5 or fewer hours of sleep each night on average. This can create a vicious cycle, where sleep deprivation can make it more difficult to study, leading to procrastination and cramming later on, adding to stress and cutting in further to important rest time.

What emotions do you most often feel while studying?

 

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Tips from the Kahoot! team


Want to stay on top of your studies and improve your time management skills? 
Start with these three key tips to time-smart studying:

  • Save time with technology: Study time should be focused on learning, not creating study materials. Take advantage of digital tools to quickly generate study content that you can use anytime, anywhere.

  • Gamify learning to stay motivated: When studying is fun, it’s easier to be productive! Add excitement to your study experience with friendly competition, either challenging yourself or friends to put your knowledge to the test.

  • Take time to rest: Getting enough sleep is important for mental health, physical health, and academic performance. By optimizing your study time, you can free up time to sleep and return to learning rested and refreshed!

Students report more negative emotions than positive ones while studying, but good study habits pay off

Studying, especially when preparing for a test, can inspire strong emotions. Students know that studying is important, but if their approach doesn’t give them confidence or doesn’t keep them engaged, it can leave students discouraged. When students were asked how they feel while studying, the three top emotions they report are negative. Anxiety is the #1 most common emotion students say they feel while studying, followed by boredom and frustration.

The good news

Strong study habits make a difference. Students who rank their study skills as excellent or good report more excitement, pride, confidence, and satisfaction while studying, compared to their peers. They also have positive academic outcomes: 99% of those with strong study habits say they do as well or better than they expected on tests.

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“I think this was more effective because I’m very competitive, so seeing my name at the top of the leaderboard is definitely a motivating factor for wanting to do well. Even when I was studying on my own time, I wanted to see how many points I could get and how long I could keep a streak going.”
—Zoë Greblunas, student.

42% of students report skipping exams, with lack of preparation as a top cause

Tests or exams are a well-known source of stress and anxiety for students in higher ed, and for many, they have opted to skip a test altogether. Among the students surveyed, 42% say they have purposely missed or avoided an exam at least once. Of students who have skipped an exam, more than half cited lack of preparation or fear of failure as the reason. 

Test anxiety is also shown to be higher among students who report struggling with general mental health. Overall, 16% of students say that tests or exams make them feel stressed or anxious always or almost always. More than twice as many students (33%) who report poor mental health say the same. With many students around the world discussing mental health as a growing challenge, it will be critical to recognize its impact on learning and connect students with resources for support.  

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of students surveyed say they spend 4-9 hours per week studying, and 42% of students spend 10 or more hours weekly studying. But they may not be using this time most effectively: when asked what would improve their studying, students’ top answer (54%) was better study habits.

Many students also see even greater potential for how AI could support their studying, with more students saying they’d find instant feedback from AI helpful (36%) than say they want more opportunities to study with peers (34%).

Which of the following, if any, would positively impact your studying?

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Many students may not be using 
the most effective study strategies

Research shows that recalling facts or information—a process known as retrieval practice—is one of the best ways to support durable, long-term learning. As it turns out, the process of getting information out is a better studying tool than trying to get more information in.
However, despite the fact that re-reading has been shown to have very little benefit, students still report it as their most often used study strategy (67%). By spending less time reviewing notes and more time recalling information, students can increase their learning retention and better prepare for exams and beyond. 

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63% of students say digital study tools are key in their learning process

Students’ studying and learning routines today often look very different than they used to, with more students turning to digital study tools and AI. Of students surveyed, 63% consider interactive digital study tools to be extremely or very important to their learning. At the same time, 70% of students say they use AI either to study (32%), complete assignments and projects (16%), or both (22%). .

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Tips from the Kahoot! team


Instantly turn your notes into study sets with AI on Kahoot!. Scan your notes, upload your PDFs, or add any topic you want to study, and let AI transform them into kahoots, flashcards, and practice tests in seconds. Take advantage of the power of retrieval practice and recall-based studying without spending hours creating study materials.

Learn more >

 

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Methodology

To understand the study habits of college students, and the connections between mental health and academic performance, Kahoot! commissioned a regionally representative survey of 1,013 current college students. Students include a mix of 2- and 4-year degree seekers (42% Bachelor’s degree, 35% Associate’s degree), graduate students (14%), and those seeking a non-degree credential (9%), and students from public, private, and for-profit institutions. The survey was conducted via a survey panel on the Qualtrics platform from August 30-September 22, 2024. For more questions on the research, please contact press@kahoot.com