How to Cram For an Exam – 3 Ways to Make Your Cramming Session Worthwhile
It’s Sunday night and you remember that you have a very important test tomorrow. The bad news is that you haven’t studied at all. How should you approach the test? Is there a way to salvage your grade? The answer is yes and I’m going to show you how. This technique has worked for me several times through college.
1. Forget The Book
The first thing you need to do is throw your textbook in the trash. Not really, but what I’m trying to say is, if you haven’t started reading yet, there is no reason to start now. You’re better off going over your class notes or using Google to find the information you need. If your professor has given you a review, quickly Google the key terms and copy and paste the information into a word document. Once you have this completed, print it out and turn off your computer.
2. Only Study What You Don’t Already Know
While you’re going though the key terms, leave off any that you are sure that you already know. There is no use studying material that you already know. Instead, focus on the key terms that you don’t know. You can make a great study guide by just including the subject matter that is confusing or the topics you need more help with. The next step is to study this information correctly.
3. Flash Cards?
If you have used flash cards and are comfortable using this method I recommend making no more than 20 flash cards of only the most difficult information. Go over these cards twice, then put them in your backpack. (You will go over them 3 more times the next morning before the test.)
After you’ve gone over the 20 most difficult issues, pull out a sheet of paper and practice writing what might be on the exam. This is good for short answerer or essay questions. Don’t ever assume that the essay is going to be over something you already know. Make an outline of some possible scenarios then get a good nights rest.
Wake up at least 3 hours before the exam and pull out your note cards. Go over these 3 times then pull out your Wikipedia list and go over that 3 times. On your way to class, go over the notes cards one more time. If everything goes according to plan, you could pull off a decent grade.