4 Tips for Forming a Successful Study Group

Forming a group study can be a great way to learn and connect with your peers. It can enhance your learning experience and enrich you as a student if you aspire to be more effective and efficient in your academic life. A group study session can be helpful as it motivates you to exchange ideas and clear doubts as they come up while you are studying. Below are tips for forming a successful study group for students who would like to participate effectively. 

Communication:  

When you communicate with your peers in class, you will get a better understanding of who they are and how they like to study. Since we are focusing on group studies, the goal is to align with peers who are also interested in group studies and willing to commit their time to meeting regularly to study with you. Being interactive in class can be challenging for introverts, but it can be done strategically by communicating with the classmate sitting next to you and trying to talk to a different classmate in each class session. Doing this will allow you to bond with your peers, and the connection will help you immensely in your academic life.    

I would arrive a few minutes early to class and introduce myself to my classmate sitting next to me on the first day. I would ask them open-ended questions to get to know them. I would ask questions about their major, the number of classes they take per semester, their work routine, hobbies, etc. This gives me an opportunity to get to know them and gauge their interest and availability for a group study. It is a good idea to exchange contact information with your peers that you interact with.

Communication is important to select peers for effective group study. Good communication will also help you during group studies, as you will exchange ideas with your peers and come up with innovative solutions in real time while working on an assignment or project, thus making your group study session more effective. 

 Availability:  

Your classmates may not have the same availability and schedule as you. Finding peers with similar availability and study goals will require communication, planning, and commitment. In my case, it was really challenging to meet and study with peers in college because they all had very different schedules. For example, I liked to study with my friends Evan and Miguel for my computer science class because we studied effectively and had similar study goals. Evan often had work commitments and could not come to the campus library to study. Miguel also could not meet regularly due to a longer commute to campus. This scheduling conflict was frustrating, so I reached out to other peers.  

I started meeting with Justin and Kristen on campus to study together because their schedules aligned better with mine. Since I tried to communicate with them during class, via email, and by text, it was easy to connect with them and meet on campus to study together. By effective communication and planning, I was able to align my schedule and study goals with different peers. It is advisable to be open, flexible, and adaptable when making plans to study with peers. 

Commitment:  

It requires commitment from all peers to meet and study together to succeed academically. Once you identify the peers you want to study with and your schedule aligns with theirs, it is important to set common study goals and determine a consistent time and location to meet. I preferred studying at the library because it was centrally located on campus, easily accessible to all students, and was open all day. We would meet at the scheduled time at the library and book a study room. A study room allowed us to focus, communicate, and study effectively by isolating us from noise and distractions.  

You can choose a location, date, and time that align with your group’s schedule and meet your group’s needs. It is also advisable to set guidelines, norms, and expectations for the group. For example, we would commit to meeting at the library an hour before the class. We would communicate beforehand if someone was running late. We would keep our phones silent while studying. We would prioritize the problem or assignment with the earliest due date, etc. These group ground rules helped us be more effective in our studies.

By making such commitments to the group, peers can hold each other accountable. In case of a conflict within the group, it can be addressed immediately by adhering to group norms and guidelines, ensuring the focus remains on learning.

3-5 students:

Forming a small group of 3-5 students, because in my experience, a small group is more effective. Having a small group where everyone feels heard and gets the opportunity to share and learn is ideal. It improves student engagement and enhances learning effectiveness.  

A small study group allows the students to share their strengths and weaknesses and tackle the learning challenges collectively. For example, I had some difficulty learning the accounting principles in my college accounting class, but my classmates Chris and Alyssa excelled in that area, so I would study with them. Similarly, I would help them with mathematics because that was my strength. 

Since it was a small group, it was easier to manage our discussion and work towards common study goals. When I study with a large group, I often find peers getting distracted, talking over each other, or even working on completely different topics because their study goals differ. In my experience, student engagement is low in large groups. 

With a smaller group of 3 to 5 students, I faced few distractions, and learning challenges were tackled with ease and urgency. It was easy to align on study goals and focus on a successful outcome because we actively supported each other’s growth and learning.

The smaller group also improved our engagement by making our communication simpler. We would help each other out immediately if someone felt stuck while studying together, instead of procrastinating on a problem. Students may lose their train of thought while studying or even procrastinate when faced with learning challenges, but when they are studying with a small group that is committed to learning and helping each other, they can solve each other’s problems almost instantaneously. They can communicate in real time and develop innovative solutions to overcome learning challenges, thereby becoming more successful and efficient in their academic life.  

About the author:

Bhishma Contractor is an intern for Wake-Up Foundation. He is also an international student from India. He recently graduated from Seattle University with M.S. degree in Business Analytics in Spring 2025. He also received his undergraduate degree from Penn College of Technology in Business Administration with a management concentration. Some of his hobbies include hiking, jogging, outdoor sports such as cricket and golf, traveling, and learning about new tech products. He is also interested in sustainability and real estate development and aspires to become an entrepreneur.