Do you ever feel like your grades aren't improving despite studying every day?
You open your reference books. You take notes. You spend a decent amount of time at your desk.
Yet, when your scores don't go up, you might think, "Maybe I'm just not smart enough" or "I need to work harder."
However, the reason grades don't improve isn't necessarily a lack of effort. Rather, there's a possibility that the design before you even started working was flawed.
Today, I want to introduce the study methods of Gento Kono.
Gento Kono passed the University of Tokyo's Natural Sciences III (Medicine) on his first try and graduated from the Faculty of Medicine. While still a student, he passed the Bar Exam, the National Medical License Examination, and the Certified Public Accountant Examination, becoming famous for conquering Japan's three most difficult national qualifications.
Currently, he serves as the CEO of Stardy Inc., the head of the online prep school "Kono Juku," and runs an educational YouTube channel with over 1.7 million subscribers.
Hearing this, you might think, "In the end, he can do it because he's a genius."
Certainly, Kono's achievements aren't easily imitated. However, the essence of his study method isn't special talent; it's the design that connects effort to results.
People whose studying doesn't yield results don't lack effort. They lack the design before starting that effort.
In this article, I will explain Gento Kono's study method divided into five parts.
1. Plan by Working Backward from the Goal
When you start studying, do you open a reference book first?
Many people start with the materials right in front of them. They read from page one, look up what they don't understand, and solve problems.
Of course, that's not bad in itself. However, if you start studying without looking at the goal, you won't know where to spend your time.
You might spend too much time on parts that rarely appear on the exam. You might postpone truly important sections. Your to-do list grows, and you lose sight of priorities.
The key to Gento Kono's study method is working backward from the goal.
First, look at past exam questions before starting serious study. This is to check the scope, exam date, target score, and question trends.
Next, understand your current position. By looking at or solving past questions, you can see what you lack.
Is it a lack of knowledge? Is your understanding shallow? Do you lack experience in problem-solving?
Once you see that, decide what needs to be done. Identify the necessary problem sets, lectures, and study hours, and break them down into monthly, weekly, and daily tasks.
Of course, plans will inevitably deviate. That's why it's important to periodically review and correct your progress.
Backward study methods aren't about cramming your schedule. They are methods for discarding study tasks you don't need to do.
To get results in limited time, you need priorities, not just volume of effort.
2. Don't Aim for Perfection Initially; Complete One Full Cycle First
Have you ever felt uncomfortable moving forward while leaving things you don't understand behind?
People who are prone to giving up on their studies often try to understand everything perfectly from the start.
They look up every unknown word. They reread pages they don't understand over and over. They summarize everything neatly in notebooks. They don't move on until they've memorized it all.
At first glance, this looks like diligent, serious studying.
However, if you aim for perfection from the start, time passes without you seeing the big picture. Then, you feel miserable thinking, "I'm working so hard, but I'm not making any progress."
In Gento Kono's study method, it is considered vital to complete one full cycle of the material first.
This is because if you don't see the whole picture, you won't know what's important.
Studying has a "trunk" and "leaves." The important parts frequently asked in exams are the "trunk." Detailed exceptions and supplementary knowledge are the "leaves."
If you try to pick up every leaf from the start, you lose sight of the essential trunk.
The purpose of the first cycle isn't to memorize perfectly. It's to grasp the big picture and identify where you need to understand deeply.
The first cycle isn't for memorizing. It's for finding where you should learn deeply.
Even if there are parts you don't understand, keep going. After seeing the whole, return to the important parts.
Just by changing this order, the burden of studying becomes much lighter.
3. Use Past Papers as "Input Material" Rather Than a "Test of Ability"
Are you saving past papers for the very end because you're afraid of getting a low score?
Many people think of past papers as "finishing materials."
You finish the reference books. You solve the problem sets. Finally, you check your ability with past papers.
This flow seems natural.
However, in Gento Kono's study method, past papers are used from an early stage. Past papers aren't just for measuring ability; they are materials that tell you what you should study.
It's natural not to be able to solve them at first. The score doesn't matter. What matters is knowing the exam trends and your current standing.
Which fields appear often? How are questions phrased? Can they be solved with just knowledge, or is thinking power required? Where do I lack understanding?
You won't know this information without looking at past papers.
If there's a problem you can't solve, solve it while looking at textbooks. Then, instead of summarizing the unknown parts in a notebook, draw a line in the textbook.
Draw a line where the past paper asked a question. If the same area appears in another year, the lines overlap. Eventually, you'll see the places where lines overlap many times.
That is the "trunk" important for the exam.
Making a neat notebook makes you feel like you've studied. But what's truly necessary is increasing the knowledge you can use in the actual exam.
Past papers aren't the final test of strength. They are the map you should look at first.
Rather than walking without a map, it's faster to check the path to the goal first to reduce detours.
4. Don't Start New Things Right Before the Exam; Narrow Down the Review Scope
Have you ever increased your materials right before an exam to ease your anxiety?
"Maybe I should do this reference book too."
"I'm still worried about that field."
"It might be dangerous if I don't solve more problems."
The period right before an exam is a time when anxiety grows. That's why you want to expand your reach.
However, what's important right before the exam isn't increasing new information. It's making sure you can reliably use the content you've already learned.
In Gento Kono's study method, there is a concept of narrowing down the review scope with each cycle.
For example, in the first cycle, you use a yellow highlighter. In the second cycle, you use a red pen only for the important parts within that. In the next cycle, you use a blue pen only for the parts you haven't memorized yet.
By doing this, the scope you look at decreases every time you review.
First, look broadly. Next, look only at important parts. Finally, look only at what you haven't memorized yet.
If you create this state, you can review at high speed right before the exam.
What matters in the actual exam isn't increasing "information you've seen before." it's keeping knowledge that leads to points in a usable state.
Don't reach for new things because you're anxious. Because you're anxious, narrow down the review scope.
5. Prevent Knowledge Decay with Short-Term Goal Setting
Do you think "the more time I spend, the safer I am"?
Of course, difficult exams require a certain preparation period. It's not about the shorter the better.
However, the longer the study period, the easier it is for the knowledge you first memorized to slip away.
It's not easy to keep content memorized two years ago in a state where you can use it in the actual exam. The longer the period, the more the amount you have to review increases.
That's why, in Gento Kono's study method, the idea of setting goals in short periods and keeping learning compact is important.
Deciding to finish in a short period increases study density.
When people think "I still have time," they inevitably procrastinate. But when you decide to "finish in this period," you start thinking about what to do and what to discard.
The purpose of studying isn't to sit at a desk for a long time. It's to leave knowledge that can be used in the actual exam.
You aren't safe just because you study for a long time. The longer it gets, the more you forget.
The important thing isn't just continuing for a long time. It's dividing the period until the goal and keeping the necessary knowledge in a usable state until the actual day.
The Essence of Gento Kono's Study Method is "Study Design," Not "Intelligence"
Looking at Gento Kono's study methods, don't you think, "In the end, it's just how a smart person does it"?
Certainly, Kono's achievements aren't easily imitated. Results like the University of Tokyo's Med School, the Bar Exam, the Medical Exam, and the CPA Exam probably aren't reproducible by everyone.
However, the essence of the study methods introduced this time isn't just for special people.
When studying doesn't go well, people tend to think, "Maybe I'm just not smart."
But in reality, it might not be a problem of ability, but just that the way you're proceeding with your studies is off.
For those who are working hard but not seeing growth, before you try even harder, please ask yourself:
"Am I working backward from the goal?"
"Am I using past papers as my initial map?"
"Am I a perfectionist spending too much time on the first cycle?"
What changes grades isn't just the amount of effort. Results change significantly based on where you direct that effort.
If you're going to practice from today, start with these five:
- Clarify the goal of the exam or grades you're aiming for.
- Look at past papers first to check the scope and question trends.
- Understand whether what you lack is "knowledge" or "understanding."
- Don't make reference books or problem sets perfect from the start; do one full cycle first.
- Mark important spots while reviewing so you can reduce the scope to look back on right before the exam.
You don't need to do everything perfectly at once. Just "making a study plan after looking at past papers" is enough to start.
If you read this article and felt:
"I want to try this study method too"
"I misunderstood how to use past papers"
"I thought I'd try working backward from the goal first"
Please quote-post on X and let me know your thoughts.
I'd be especially happy if you wrote which To-do you'll practice for the exam or study you're currently working on.
Because your quote-post might become a hint for someone else struggling with their studies.
----> @edward_toeic
