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How to Cram for a College Exam (The Right Way)
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Your exam is just a few days away, or even a few hours, and you haven’t started studying! Here are some tips that could mean the difference between passing and failing your exam.
Tip 1: Study by yourself
At this point, understanding new concepts is going to be very difficult. You should focus most of your time and effort on memorizing details and reinforcing what you already know, both of which you will be most productive doing on your own. You need to focus on what you know for the exam.
Tip 2: Apply what you know
Applying your knowledge is the true test of understanding. Rather than trying to read 800 pages of text in one night, try doing 20 or so problems. The process of figuring it out will teach you more in a shorter time frame than trying to start from scratch and learn everything.
Tip 3: Focus on newer material
Even if an exam is cumulative, study the newer material first. I know this may seem out of order, but a professor is much more likely to test you on newer topics, rather than topics that you may have already been tested in the midterm or quizzes. It can severely hurt your grade if you start cramming from the first day or class and don’t make it to the material covered towards the end of the semester.
Tip 4: Study general concepts that are applicable to many questions
Especially with multiple choice questions, comprehending general concepts will help you narrow down the answers on many different questions, rather than just studying one type of problem that may or may not be on the exam. So, focus on the information that is essential in answering a variety of questions (very helpful for partial credit). Once you know these, then move on to individual question material.
Tip 5: Make a cheat sheet
Not an actual cheat sheet, but one that will help you learn before the exam.
Condense all the material you need to know onto one or two sheets of paper, using key words and phrases that will resonate with you when taking the exam. For most students, the act of writing the material (even if you already have notes or slides that say the same thing) will help cement it into your memory and give you a mental referance. If you are a visual learner, make charts and diagrams to organize all the topics or organize the information into quadrants on the page for easier recall.
Tip 6: Formula for studying success
Spend the first half of your studying time collecting as much information as you can. Collect information from lecture notes, Powerpoint presentations, and especially previous assessments. The second half of your time should be spent reinforcing the information you collected, and making the cheat sheet mentioned in Tip 5. This formula will prevent you from having a bunch of information that simply washes over you rather than actually retaining it.
Don’t forget to hydrate (always drink water in combination with your energy drinks and coffee) and take stretch breaks. Good luck cramming!
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