Study prepared? Almost (4)
I believe the answer is:
read
'study' is the definition.
('read' can be a synonym of 'study')
'prepared? almost' is the wordplay.
'prepared?' becomes 'ready' ('ready' is associated in meaning with 'prepared').
'almost' means to remove the last letter (most of the word but not all of it).
'ready' with its final letter taken away is 'READ'.
(Other definitions for read that I've seen before include "what follows 18 [OMASUM] in a 17 [RUMINANT]" , "See - peruse - understand" , "Check, emend (proof)" , "Absorbed (written text)" , "Perused" .)