Effective learners experiment to see what devices or methods work for them. Then they use these devices regularly. Predicting test questions is one of the most valuable skills that a student can learn. A careful analysis of your first test can show you what your instructor thought was important from the text. Knowing how your instructor tests can help as you read, mark, and review new textbook material.
Study groups can be major aids to effective study.
Several people getting together to help each other with assignments can frequently spot difficulties and solve problems more quickly than one person studying alone. They can effectively isolate important collective information. If you can find three or four serious people willing to help each other, then forming a group can be one of the biggest favors you can do for yourself during the semester. The goal is not to spend a great deal of time studying your textbook. The goal is to get the information from the textbook into your long term memory as efficiently as possible and to keep it there.