Study skills · Free worksheets
SMART goals worksheet and study skills worksheets
Fill in a SMART goals worksheet, sort tasks on an Eisenhower matrix, make recall cards, take Cornell-style notes and plan your week. Copy or print each one. Free, nothing you type is saved or sent, no sign-up needed.
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Part 1 · SMART goals worksheet
SMART goals worksheet
SMART is a way to turn a vague wish into a goal you can plan and track. Each letter is a question to answer. Fill in the boxes, then copy or print. Nothing you type is saved or sent.
What SMART goals means
SMART is an acronym for the five qualities of a goal that is easier to act on. A specific goal is much more likely to be reached than a general one, concrete criteria let you track progress, and a deadline gives you a reason to start.
- S · Specific
- Who is involved, what you want to achieve, where, by when, what limits apply, and why it matters to you.
- M · Measurable
- How much, how many, and how you will know the goal is done.
- A · Attainable
- The steps you will take and the skills or support you need. Set a realistic time frame.
- R · Realistic
- Are you willing and able to work toward it? Have you done something like it before?
- T · Timely
- A deadline. Without one there is no urgency; "someday" does not work.
Pages differ on the words. The UMass Dartmouth page uses Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely, and says the T can also stand for Tangible. Other pages write Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. The worksheet uses the first set and every prompt works under either.
Part 2 · Eisenhower matrix template
Eisenhower matrix template
Sort tasks by two questions: is it important, and is it urgent? Add your tasks, pick a box for each, then copy or print the grid.
Important and urgent · Do first
Crises, problems and deadlines. Unfinished Quadrant 2 work tends to land here.
Important, not urgent · Schedule
Work that advances long-term goals, plus self-care. Break it into parts over time so it does not become urgent.
Urgent, not important · Limit
Interruptions and favors that need attention now but do not advance your goals. Balance them with Quadrants 1 and 2; politely saying no is one option.
Not urgent, not important · Postpone
Mostly distractions. They do not have to go, but the page suggests postponing them until important tasks are done.
The Portland Community College guide suggests managing your time so Quadrant 2 work is finished before it becomes urgent, and it lists crises, problems and deadlines as Quadrant 1 examples.
Part 3 · Active recall
Active recall: how it works
Active recall, also called retrieval practice, means trying to pull ideas out of your memory instead of rereading or underlining your notes. The Duke Academic Resource Center teaches it as a way to build long-term retention.
Self-questioning
Read your slides, notes and textbook, set them aside, then recall what you learned silently, aloud or in writing. Note what you know and what you do not, review again and repeat with breaks in between.
Your own practice questions
Write questions from your course materials, then answer them without looking.
Flashcards
Make a card for each key concept or big idea. The card sheet below is a paper version.
Teach it
Explain a concept to a study partner without looking at your notes.
Copy, cover, check
While reviewing, cover the material and try to recall at least two main ideas. Then check how close you got and decide what to study next.
Tips from the same page
- Try to recall things you only barely know yet.
- Practice in different formats: visual, textual and graphic.
- Check your answers right away.
- Go back to your course notes to fill in what you still need to learn.
- Spread recall over several sessions in your daily and weekly study time instead of cramming (spacing).
Recall card sheet
Write a question on the left and the answer from your notes on the right. Then switch on Cover the answers, read each question, answer from memory and uncover to check.
The study cycle
Many college learning centers teach a five-step study cycle. This is how the UNC Writing and Learning Center describes it. These are study habits the centers recommend, not a promise about results.
1. Preview
Finish the assigned reading and take notes from the upcoming slides before class.
2. Attend class
Attend, add to your notes, and take part in practice problems and group work.
3. Review
Go over the material after class, for example with a review activity or a study guide.
4. Study
Schedule focused study time using methods such as charts, visual tools and flashcards.
5. Check
Check your understanding with review questions, then go back to the weak spots.
Part 4 · Cornell-style notes
Cornell-style notes page
Take brief notes on the right, pull out key concepts for the left margin afterward, and sum up the connections in the bottom strip. The system was developed by Cornell education professor Walter Pauk and described in his book How to Study in College.
How to use the page, step by step
- 1.While reading or listening, jot brief notes on the right side of the page.
- 2.Afterward, reduce your notes to a few key concepts and write them in the left margin next to the matching section.
- 3.In the bottom strip, briefly describe how the page's key concepts connect.
- 4.Cover the notes so only the left margin shows and summarize the material aloud from those cues.
- 5.Check your summary against the notes and mark any concepts you did not know for extra study time.
Part 5 · Weekly time-block plan
Weekly time-block plan
Time blocking means giving each task a block on your calendar. Write one block per line, with a time and what you will do. Fixed commitments go in first.
- 1.Block out the non-negotiables that support your well-being, such as meals and bedtime.
- 2.Add your classes and other regular weekly commitments.
- 3.Schedule any other set appointments or meetings.
- 4.On separate paper, list the important to-do items for the week.
- 5.Place the specific tasks you plan to do into your calendar. Noting where you will work and who with is a bonus.
- 6.Divide each to-do item into smaller tasks.
Steps from the Stanford Center for Teaching and Learning. The page advises aiming for at least 15 hours of entirely blank space so you can shift tasks as the week goes on.
Bonus
Three blank sheets to print
Locked until you enter your email in the box above
Three blank SMART goals
Three goal frames on one page, each with the five prompts and ruled lines.
Blank Cornell-style page
A full page with the cue column, notes area and bottom strip, ready to write on.
Weekly review questions
Eight questions to answer on paper at the end of a study week, built on the study cycle and the check step.
Everything above stays free: the SMART goals worksheet, the Eisenhower matrix, recall cards, the Cornell-style page and the weekly plan.
Sources
Where the facts come from
Written in our own words from these public pages. Your own course or learning center may teach these methods differently; follow it over these worksheets. The strategies are what these centers recommend, not a promise of results.
- SMART goals for students, UMass Dartmouth
- Eisenhower matrix for task prioritization, Portland Community College
- Retrieval practice, Duke Academic Resource Center
- The Cornell note-taking system, Cornell Learning Strategies Center
- The Cornell method of taking notes, Stanford Center for Teaching and Learning
- Weekly planning: time blocking method, Stanford Center for Teaching and Learning
- The study cycle, UNC Writing and Learning Center
More free tools: project management templates and essay writing.
Questions
Common questions
SMART is an acronym for five qualities of a goal that is easier to plan and track: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. Some pages write Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound instead. The worksheet in Part 1 has a box for each.
A four-box grid that sorts tasks by whether they are important and whether they are urgent: important and urgent, important but not urgent, urgent but not important, and neither. Part 2 lets you add tasks to each box and print the grid.
Trying to pull ideas out of your memory instead of rereading or underlining. The Duke Academic Resource Center describes self-questioning, writing your own practice questions, flashcards, teaching a partner and copy, cover, check. Part 3 has a card sheet you can cover and check.
This page cannot promise that. The strategies are described the way the cited university learning centers teach them, and how well they work depends on you and your courses. Use what helps and drop what does not.
No. Everything stays in your browser until you leave the page. Copy the text into your own document or print before you close the tab. The only thing you can send from this page is the email address for the bonus, if you choose to enter it.
Yes. All five worksheets need no sign-up. An email unlocks three blank printable sheets, which open on this page right away and stay open on this browser.