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About QUEST Study Skills

Why QUEST Study Skills?

Life as a student isn't easy

Being a student is demanding. Because of resources available to us, there is more pressure to deliver work faster, and at a higher quality level. There is also so much more competition now than ever before. We need to know how to study efficiently. Some of us may unintentionally be wasting time studying in a way that doesn’t help information stick. We therefore need to know how our brain learns, how to gather the skills to manage time, and be motivated to keep going.

For us to handle life as a student, it’s important to have tools and habits to support daily life, so we can succeed academically and enjoy the process too 🩵

How does QUEST Study Skills help me?

Study SMARTLY, with a plan and a strategy, and learn what is needed stress free, naturally and in less time.

Sounds like a cliche, but it's 100% true. It’s not HOW MANY hours we study, but HOW we study that will make the difference in our academic performance. Studying is a unique and personal experience. It's not a one-way-fits-all. We need to know which method and strategy works best for our brain, the subject and our goal.

As a student we thrive when we have structure and strategies that make sense personally, not just more worksheets or vague advice.

What is QUEST Study Skills?

QUEST Study Skills is a simple framework for how to study and succeed in our studies.

There’s plenty of information out there about how to succeed in school. We're literally inundated with information. Just ask AI. But we don’t need more information. We need a way to organise and make sense of it, especially in a world of online classes, social distractions, academic pressure and too much tech.

When there is information overload and overwhelm, a system is needed for us to handle all of it. QUEST is a no-fuss study method to follow throughout the term leading up to tests and exams.

QUEST gives students a simple, repeatable method that we can rely on to:

  • Stay calm and in control of our workload

  • Build habits that we can actually stick with

  • Learn what works for us personally (not just what works for others)

The QUEST Method

 

QUEST is a no-fuss, practical framework for how to study throughout the term, enhancing understanding, memory and recall leading up to tests and exams:

"Q-U-E-S-T" an acronym for how to study.

  • QUESTION what needs to be learned. i.e. Take control of what you need to learn.
  • UNDERSTAND information easily with a proper system.
  • ESTABLISH your study strategy from the start and follow it.
  • STUDY actively using your strategy. 
  • TEST & EVALUATE how you went to improve for next time.

This framework helps you create a flow that you can use week by week, and term by term. It’s flexible, intuitive, and easy to start applying straight away on all your subjects.

Success Stories from students :)

 

I learned new techniques that I may apply within my school work and assignments

"I found the course to be enjoyable overall and have learned new techniques that I may apply within my school work and assignments. I believe the study skills methods were impressive because they were taught step by step which allowed us to access a deeper understanding. The most helpful part was probably the part where we learnt about how we should tackle certain problems and the tips we could use."  

Angela, Year 10

 

 

I finally know how to manage myself properly

"It's great! I've learned a lot and now I finally know how to manage myself properly... Quest Study Skills did help me a lot, especially in the part where we should manage our time well so that things can be completed orderly; and also test taking strategies and how I should be preparing by the beginning of term." 

Andy, Year 11

 

 

I have gained a lot of knowledge from these lessons

"I find this course very useful. Personally, I think it will improve my study skills and also my time management. Denise has made this class / course enjoyable and fun than I expected. I have gained a lot of knowledge from these lessons." 

Nicole, Year 10

 

 

My grades have changed from C-D to A-B

"I usually get bad grades but after doing the study skills I have noticed that my grades have changed from C - D to A - B. I manage my time and I don't need to stress over not finishing my assignments on time. I understand things so much more. :) Thanks." 

Jasmine, Year 10

 

Who created QUEST Study Skills?

QUEST Study Skills was created by Denise Qvist, a study coach, educator, illustrator, and tech innovator who has been supporting students since 2011.

Studying was not always easy for Denise, and that's a big part of why she does this work. She knows what it feels like when study feels overwhelming, and when nothing seems to work. That experience shaped her approach, and it's why helping students find a calmer, more confident way to study matters so much to her.

Denise's first study skills class was a small group of sixteen students. Over many years, working with students from different backgrounds and across every level from secondary to postgraduate, that course grew into the personalised system QUEST Study Skills is today. Her focus has always been on how learning is designed, not just what's delivered. She uses visual learning, simple explanations, and hand-drawn infographics to make study strategies easier to understand and apply, helping students build confidence and gain habits they can actually rely on.

That focus on how learning works runs through Denise's whole career. She began teaching after completing her TESOL qualification through Trinity College London, following earlier studies in Business at Bentley University and International Business at Griffith University. She spent years teaching English to speakers of other languages, including exam preparation for IELTS, and designed curriculum both for her own classroom and for the language school as a whole. She also tutored secondary students one-on-one in essay writing, and later designed online English learning programs. Wanting to improve the learning experience more deeply, she went on to study UX Design at RMIT. From there, her interest in program design led her into postgraduate education, partnering with faculty at universities across Australia, including RMIT, UNSW, UTS, JCU and SCU, through her work with Keypath Education, to help shape programs that met both academic learning objectives and the learning experiences of online students. She's now studying the emerging field of educational neuroscience with Central Queensland University. This background, spanning the classroom, curriculum design, and higher education, has shaped how she designs lessons, using science-informed research as the foundation for the clear, student-friendly style QUEST Study Skills is known for.

For more than a decade, Denise has been exploring the science behind learning and productivity, with one goal and that is showing students how to learn. She believes that when young people build capability and confidence early, they carry those skills into the rest of their lives. Many students who use the QUEST Study Skills system feel more organised and more in control of their study. Parents also notice their child becoming more confident and settled.