The Pros and Cons of Group and Solo Studying

Posted November 16, 2009

Should you study in a group, or should you study alone? It's a tricky question when it comes to prepping for the SAT or ACT. After all, participating in a study group can be a great way to stay motivated, get your questions answered, and have a little bit of fun. On the other hand, your score is on the line here, and a study group could become a time suck. If you happen to be the most prepared and disciplined out of all your study friends, you might end up spending more time answering questions than working on a practice section.

Of course, each person is different, and it's up to you to figure out what works best for you. To help you with the decision, here are some pros and cons that you should consider when trying to decide how best to spend your time. Think about your daily schedule and how much time you have left before the test to determine which method will be most effective for you.

Group Study

Pros:

Members motivate each other to keep pushing forward, and provide moral support and encouragement.
Members help each other see the questions from a new perspective.
Members can share study strategies and test taking techniques, as well as study materials.
Participating in group study can turn the chore of studying into a fun social event, something that you actually look forward to doing.

Cons:

Just because they're your friends doesn't mean your study partners will be easy to study with.
Conflicting schedules can make it difficulty to schedule regular and frequent meetings.
It might become distracting to study with friends because you end up gossiping
You may start to feel intimidated if one friend is much better at math/vocab/grammar/essays than you are.
On the flip side, group study can become a waste of your time if you find yourself way ahead of your friends.
Members of any group will have degrees of concentration and focus, as well as different expectations of how a study group should operate.

Solo Study

Pros:

You can study anytime, anywhere and anyhow.
You are the master of your own study space and can eliminate distractions and interruptions.
You can move at your own pace and focus on what you need to focus on without getting overwhelmed with conflicting ideas on how to approach a section.
You can be more efficient in your studies, since each session gives you the chance to focus completely on your own problems.

Cons:

Study alone can be straight up boring, since there's no one else around to liven up those 2 or 3 hours.
There's also no one around to encourage or motivate you when your mind starts to drift.
You have no one to consult when you don't understand something or if you have a question.
You also have no one to complain to or get excited with about the highs and lows of SAT study.

In the end, you need to find the right balance between group studying and solo work. Don't let your friends persuade you to spend most of your times studying together if you know you won't get much out of it. But by all means do try out the study group method if you're curious about its benefits. You may be pleasantly surprised—and if not, stick to your solo study sessions and be confident in the fact that you're better off this way.

Which do you find more effective and more enjoyable: study groups or solo studying? Let us know in the comments, and email your questions to testpreptutor@sparknotes.com.

By: Suchi Rudra Vasquez

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