STUDYHABITS INVENTORY

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Name: _____________________________________Date: _____________________

Classification: _______________________________Age: _____________________
Probable College Major: _________________________________________________
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DIRECTIONS
The following is a list of statements of habits and attitudes, which may affect use of
study time and consequent success in schoolwork and study. Keeping in mind that the
purpose of this inventory is to find out about your own study habits, attitudes, and skills,
consider each statement and then indicate how it applies to you. Please answer all
questions.
After each statement, you will find columns 1, 2, 3. Place a check mark in the column
which you feel best describes your study habits, attitudes, and skills. Remember this is
a survey of what you currently do. Check it in accordance with the following key:
Column 1. Rarely or never true in my case.
Column 2. Sometimes true in my case.
Column 3. Often or always true in my case.

* Adapted from C. Gilbert Wrenn

Assisted in the original edition by R.B. McKeown and in revision by Wilbur J. Humber.
* Permission to use material requested May 2005.
STANFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS, Publisher

1
1. I worry so much about doing well on tests that
it interferes with my studying.

2. I spend hours cramming the night before an

exam.
3. I lose a lot of points on essays and papers due
to grammar, punctuation, or spelling.
4. I read at the same speed whether the
selection is difficult or easy.
5. I doodle, daydream, or fall asleep in class.

3
4
5
6

6. I need to improve my reading speed.

7. I have done poorly on a test because I was
upset about the test when I took it.
8. I overlook the important points in the text when
I read.

9. I seem to get the wrong material into my class

notes.

10. My work gets turned in late because I dont

have enough time to finish it.

10

11. I dont take another look at my class notes for

days after they are taken.
12. I write my papers the night before they are
due.
13. I study enough for my test, but when I get
there my mind goes blank.

11
12
13

14. I feel unprepared for tests.

14

15. I get lost in the details of reading and have

trouble identifying the main ideas.

15

1. Rarely
or Never

2.
Sometimes

3. Often
or Always

Score

16. I get tired or distracted while studying for a

long period of time.
17. I need to reduce my anxiety about taking tests.
18. When I get to the end of a chapter, I can't
remember what I've just read.
19. I study with the radio or TV on.
20. I cant keep up with the professors lectures
while taking notes.
21. If I spend as much time on my social activities
as I want to, I don't have enough time left to
study, or when I study enough, I don't have
time for a social life.

16
17
18
19

20
21

22. I feel like I spend too much time on reading

compared to the rest of my homework.

22

23. I get way too nervous when my professors

announce a test date.

23

24. I dont understand what I read for class.

25. When my professors assign papers I feel so
overwhelmed that I can't get started.

24
25

26. I have a hard time organizing my thoughts into

a paper that makes sense.
27. I spend too much time studying for what I am
learning.
28. I lose a lot of points on tests even when I think
I know the material well.

26
27
28

29. My class notes are difficult to understand later.

30. I try to read the whole textbook the night
before an exam or reading statement.

29

31. I need to improve my concentration when I am

studying.

30
31

32. I study in a haphazard, disorganized way

shortly before the test.
#
1. Rarely
2.
3. Often or
Score
or Never Sometimes
Always

32

StudyHabits Inventory is intended to help you find out more

about how the following learning skills might apply to you:
Time Management
Concentration
Note Taking
Reading Comprehension
Test Preparation and Test-taking
Reading Speed
Writing Skills
Test Anxiety Management
If your rating for any statement is 3, or if your rating for at least three statements is 2 or 3, we
encourage you to find out more about that study skill.
Your Rating
(The rating scale is: 1= Rarely or never true 2= Sometimes true 3= Often or always true)

TIME MANAGEMENT
Question

Your Rating

2. I usually spend hours cramming the night before an

exam.
10. I need to improve my time management.
21. If I spend as much time on my social activities as I
want to, I dont have enough time left to study, or when I
study enough, I dont have time for a social life.
27. I spend too much time studying for what I am
learning.

CONCENTRATION
Question
5. I go to class, but I usually doodle, daydream, or fall
asleep.
16. I cant sit and study for long periods of time without
becoming tired or distracted.
19. I rarely try to study without the radio or TV turned on.
31. I need to improve my concentration when I am
studying.

Your Rating

NOTE TAKING
Question

Your Rating

9. I usually seem to get the wrong material into my class

notes.
11. I fail to review my class notes within 24 hours of the
time I took them.
20. I need to improve my note taking.
29. My class notes are sometimes difficult to understand
later.

READING COMPREHENSION
Question

Your Rating

8. I dont know how to pick out what is important in the

text.
15. I often find myself getting lost in the details of
reading, and I have trouble identifying the main ideas.
18. When I get to the end of a chapter, I cant remember
what Ive just read.
24. I need to improve my reading comprehension

TEST PREPARATION AND TEST TAKING

Question
13. I study enough for my test, but when I get there my
mind goes blank.
14. I need to improve how I am preparing for and taking
tests.
28. I lose a lot of points on tests even when I think I know
the material well.
32. I often study in a haphazard, disorganized way shortly
before the test.

Your Rating

READING SPEED
Question

Your Rating

4. I rarely change my reading speed in response to the

difficulty level of the selection or my familiarity with the
content.
6. I need to improve my reading speed.
22. I often wish that I could read faster.
30. I cant keep up with my reading assignments, and
then I have to cram the night before a test.

WRITING SKILLS
Question

Your Rating

3. I need to improve my writing skills.

12. I usually write my papers the night before they are
due.
25. When my professors assign papers I feel so
overwhelmed that I cant get started.
26. I cant seem to organize my thoughts into a paper that
makes sense.

TEST ANXIETY MANAGEMENT

Question
1. I worry so much about doing well on tests that it
interferes with my studying.
7. I have done poorly on a test because I was upset about
the test when I took it.
17. I need to reduce my anxiety about taking tests.
23. I get way too nervous when my professors announce a
test date.

Your Rating