1. Choose your study space wisely
Your studying takes high priority now, so you have to make sure that you study with no distractions. If you can’t have a nice, organised room, at least ensure that you have a nice, organised desk or study area. Use noise-cancelling headphones, if that helps; I usually play white noise to get rid of mental distractions.
2. Even now, it’s okay to take breaks
You’re probably thinking that, since it’s the last stretch, you don’t need to take any breaks, as you’ve been skimping on your studying anyway. While it’s good that you’re motivated to study (at the very least), you should also remember that your body and mind can only take so much, and knowing that you’re cramming also puts your body in alert mode. Study until you feel too tired to study more, and then take a break for a while. You don’t need to have a set time for when you take breaks. If you’ve been studying effectively, then taking breaks will feel a lot better.
3. Get at least six hours of sleep every day
I know, I know, most health experts say that eight hours of sleep is the ideal amount you need each night. However, you’re a student, and you probably don’t listen to health experts much, so forget that for a bit and try to get six hours instead. I’d say that six hours is the minimum amount you need to function properly, which is the bare minimum when it comes to studying. Any less and you’ll be a walking zombie, and any more will mean that you’re going to be skipping your studying. So, get those six hours in!
4. Practise, practise, practise!
If you haven’t had time to do practice tests, then now is the time to do that. You should be spending your time practising problems anyway, and not just reading about theorems (if your class demands that you do so). If you really want to gauge your skill level for a class, then go into a practice test blindly, and your brain will recognise the connections you still need to make between the concepts.
5. Know how the exam is graded
If you know how the points are distributed, then you can do the mental math and figure out which question nets you the points, and which combination of questions nets you a pass. If you’re low on time and don’t know what to study, then you can sort of minimise the time you study and maximise the points you get by studying the more important concepts, getting good at them, and not prioritising the other concepts. If you have time to spare and feel confident in your abilities, then you can go back to those specific, more obscure subjects. We call this strategy min-maxing.
6. Do everything you can to retain the information
Identify recurring patterns, write down your thoughts and key ideas on paper, and use every trick at your disposal: association, rhymes, mnemonics, the whole ten miles. Try teaching your friends or inanimate objects, and vocalise your thoughts when you’re trying to make something stick. Retaining information is when you realise what connects to what, so make sure you practise active recall!
7. Don’t do an all-nighter…
Unless you really, really have to. Doing an all-nighter while you’re cramming for tests is a recipe for disaster, and you’ll do your body a favour by skipping them altogether. I wrote a separate article for all-nighters, so if you ever find yourself in that predicament, do check it out. However, as long as you study effectively, get at least two to three practice tests done, and retain what you’ve learned, then there’s no use in having an all-nighter. Just remember: sometimes, cramming is inevitable – but all-nighters aren’t.
