Students Who Take Notes Score Higher — Here's What the Data Says

You probably know that "good study habits lead to good grades." But how much do they actually matter? And which habits make the biggest difference?

A real study from the Guilan University of Medical Sciences tracked 461 university students and measured exactly how their study habits correlated with their academic performance. The results are surprisingly specific — and one habit stands out above all others.

Here's the full breakdown, with every statistical term explained so you don't need a stats degree to understand it.

The Study at a Glance

Detail	Info
Sample size	461 students
University	Guilan University of Medical Sciences (Iran)
Time period	2013–2014
Courses	Multiple medical science programs
Method	Stratified random sampling + standardized questionnaire
Tool used	Palsane and Sharma Study Habit Inventory (PSSHI)

The researchers used the PSSHI — a validated questionnaire that scores students across 8 different study habit areas with 45 total questions. Each student also had their GPA (grade point average) recorded as a measure of academic performance.

What is "stratified random sampling"? Instead of picking students randomly from the entire university, the researchers divided students into groups (strata) by their course/program, then randomly selected from each group. This ensures every program is fairly represented — not just the biggest ones.

The 8 Study Habit Areas

The PSSHI questionnaire measures these 8 specific habits:

1. Time division — How well you plan and allocate your study time
2. Physical status — Your study environment (lighting, noise, desk setup, comfort)
3. Reading ability — How effectively you read and comprehend academic material
4. Noting — How well you take, organize, and review your notes
5. Learning motivation — Your internal drive and interest in the subject matter
6. Memory — The techniques you use to remember and retain information
7. Exams — How you prepare for and take exams (strategies, anxiety management)
8. Wellness — Your physical health, sleep, nutrition, and exercise habits

Each area is scored, and the total across all 8 gives an overall study habits score out of 90.

Key Findings

Overall study habits: average, not great

The average study habits score across all 461 students was 48.35 out of 90 — that's about 53.7%.

What does "48.35 ± 10.37" mean? The ± symbol represents the standard deviation, which tells you how spread out the scores are. Most students scored between 38 and 59 (one standard deviation above and below the average). A smaller standard deviation would mean most students scored similarly; a larger one would mean scores were all over the place.

Translation: most students have average study habits. Not terrible, but far from optimized. There's significant room for improvement across the board.

67.2% of students had "intermediate" academic performance

The majority of students weren't failing, but they weren't excelling either. Only a minority achieved high academic performance, which suggests that most students are leaving grades on the table by not optimizing their study habits.

The study habits that matter most (and least)

Here's how each of the 8 study habit areas correlated with academic performance, ranked from strongest to weakest:

Rank	Study Habit Area	Correlation (r)	Significance (p)
1	Noting (note-taking)	0.234	p < 0.0001
2	Reading ability	0.198	p < 0.001
3	Learning motivation	0.187	p < 0.001
4	Time division	0.174	p < 0.001
5	Memory techniques	0.162	p < 0.01
6	Exam preparation	0.149	p < 0.01
7	Physical status	0.127	p < 0.05
8	Wellness	0.101	p = 0.03
—	Overall study habits	0.229	p < 0.0001

The winner: note-taking. Students who take better notes consistently get better grades. It had the strongest link to performance of any individual habit.

The weakest link: wellness. While still statistically significant, physical health habits had the weakest direct correlation with grades. This doesn't mean wellness is unimportant — it likely affects performance indirectly (through energy, focus, and consistency) rather than directly.

Understanding the Statistics (Plain English)

What is a correlation coefficient (r)?

The "r" value measures how strongly two things are related, on a scale from -1 to +1:

• r = 1.0 → Perfect positive relationship (as one goes up, the other always goes up)
• r = 0 → No relationship at all
• r = -1.0 → Perfect negative relationship (as one goes up, the other always goes down)

In this study, the overall correlation between study habits and academic performance is r = 0.229. That's a small-to-moderate positive correlation. It means students with better study habits tend to get better grades — but it's not a guarantee. Many other factors also play a role.

For context:

• r = 0.1 to 0.3 → Small effect (but real and meaningful in social science)
• r = 0.3 to 0.5 → Moderate effect
• r = 0.5+ → Large effect

What does "p < 0.0001" mean?

The p-value tells you how likely it is that the result happened by pure chance. A p-value of less than 0.0001 means there's a less than 0.01% chance the correlation is a coincidence.

In simpler terms: the relationship between study habits and grades is real, not a fluke.

Scientists typically consider anything below p = 0.05 (5%) to be "statistically significant." This study's result (p < 0.0001) is far below that threshold — strong evidence.

What does R² = 0.068 mean?

R² (R-squared) tells you how much of the variation in grades can be explained by study habits alone. An R² of 0.068 means study habits explain 6.8% of the differences in academic performance.

That might sound small, but consider:

• Academic performance is influenced by dozens of factors — intelligence, prior knowledge, course difficulty, teaching quality, personal circumstances, exam format, and many more
• No single factor will explain everything
• 6.8% from one controllable factor (your habits) is actually meaningful — and it's one of the few things you can directly improve

Think of it this way: if you could get 6.8% more of your grade just by changing how you study, would you? That could be the difference between a B and a B+.

What This Means for You

The data points to clear, actionable conclusions:

1. Prioritize note-taking above all else

Note-taking had the strongest correlation with academic performance (r = 0.234). This isn't about writing down everything the professor says — it's about:

• Active noting: putting concepts in your own words
• Reviewing notes: regularly going back over what you wrote
• Organizing notes: creating a structure that makes revision efficient

If you improve only one study habit, make it this one.

2. Work on your reading skills

Reading ability was the second-strongest predictor. This means how you read matters:

• Don't just passively read — highlight, summarize, question
• Practice active recall after reading each section
• Speed isn't the goal — comprehension is

3. Study habits alone won't save you — but they help

With R² = 0.068, study habits explain about 7% of performance variation. That means 93% comes from other factors. But here's the key: study habits are one of the few factors you can directly control. You can't change your IQ, your professor, or the difficulty of the exam. But you can change how you study.

4. Your study environment matters less than you think

Physical environment (desk, lighting, noise) had a weaker correlation than expected. Don't waste hours perfecting your setup when you could spend that time actually studying with better techniques.

5. Most students are average — you can stand out

With the average study habits score at just 53.7% of the maximum, most students aren't studying effectively. Small improvements to your habits — especially note-taking and reading — can put you ahead of the majority.

Study Limitations

Every study has limits, and it's important to note these:

• Single university: Results come from one medical university in Iran — patterns may differ across countries and disciplines
• Self-reported data: Students reported their own study habits, which can be subject to bias
• Correlation ≠ causation: The study shows a relationship, not that better habits cause better grades (though it's a reasonable inference)
• 2013–2014 data: Study habits may have evolved with the rise of digital tools and AI since then

Source

This article is based on a peer-reviewed study published in the Education and Development Journal:

"The Relationship between Study Habits and Academic Performance of Students" — Guilan University of Medical Sciences, 2013–2014. 461 students across multiple medical science programs.

📄 Read the full study →