While last-minute study should always be limited to extreme circumstances, there are several techniques that can help you prepare for an exam and lessen the stress of last-minute exam preparation.
The Basics
Remember these to help you begin and plan a productive study session, even if you are studying at the last minute:
- Select your study area carefully, and try to keep distractions like technology and loud noises to a limit.
- Consider the materials you might need before you start studying. Flag posts, sticky notes, notebooks, or paper sheets are a few examples.
- Every hour, take a five-minute pause to allow your brain to rest and absorb information.
- Don’t miss any meals, and get at least six hours of sleep. Remember to set your alarm.
Identify Key Concepts
Now that you are all set, you will need to strategically choose which parts of the material to concentrate on. Learn about the likely topics that will be covered in the exams. Find out what was covered in any classes you missed by asking your classmates for their notes. The process of identifying important subjects may vary according on the course:
Social Sciences and Humanities:
- Pick the main ideas, subtopics, examples, and key illustrations.
- Note down key ideas on a piece of paper.
- Try to write the key points to memory.
- Make use of every trick you know: mnemonics, lists, rhymes, and word association.
STEM:
- The majority of your time should be spent actually practicing problems.
- Concentrate on the course’s main points and write down important formulas on paper.
- Avoid becoming distracted by extremely specific concepts or questions.
Refer to Your Notes and Course Summaries
Go over your notes, homework, and tests, but only scan the material. Setting priorities for your study time is best done this manner. To help you recall, understand, and retain the material, go over the course structure if you have course notes. To help you remember the main ideas in the material, you can also read chapter summaries. Once the main concepts have been stored in memory, choose which supporting information to focus on.
- Don’t try to know everything. Pay attention to what seems possible, and it will score you the most points.
- Read just the course items that were highlighted, or skim the text if there is one. If there are numerous information sources, attempt to scan them for key concepts or overviews.
- Spend some time going over what you’ve discussed.
