The art of cramming for an exam is what countless students master within their first year of college. They panic and put all of their study time into one night, the night before the exam. I know! I have been there! For years, cramming was my go-to study method. Well… not really a method at all… just a way to get through the next exam and onto the next task I was behind on. It took me a couple years to actually learn how to study for an exam and actually learn from the studying process.
The trick to studying is simple: don’t do it in one night. It is honestly that simple. Okay hang on, it really isn’t simple at all, but studying over multiple days and weeks is the first step in finding yourself with better grades, easier study sessions, and, actually, much less stress.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy for more information.
So, what more is there to, not only learning how to study for an exam but to always feeling ready for your next test AND acing it? Here are my secrets:
Supplies:
Well, any good study session needs some great office supplies, right? Here is a list of supplies I use when studying that I have found incredibly helpful! I may be a huge nerd for liking office supplies but whatever. I’ll go into how I use most of them below too!
- The Olden Chapters Student Printable Planner: This is a printable student planner that includes over 50 incredibly useful planning pages, including monthly and weekly calendars, study plans, budget sheets, assignment trackers and so much more. It is perfect to add the front of your binder!
- Zebra Mildliners: My go-to highlighters! They have two ends, a fat and skinny side, and the colors are a lot lighter than most highlighters.
- Flashcards: I go through about 500 flashcards a semester, maybe more. But my major requires quite a bit of memorization. These are such a great deal!
- Pilot Juice Up Pens: I’ll be honest, I go through quite a few phases of pens. Currently obsessing over these babies! You can get them in a small 6-pack or the glorious 22-pack!
- Free Study Printable: I’ll go over this later, but I use one of these per exam!
- Staples Better Binder: In my guide to notetaking, I talk about how I prefer a binder system and why. These binders have gone through a lot and are still holding up wonderfully!
First, don’t fall behind in class.
Before we get into my fool-proof system for studying for an exam, we need to cover the basics. Falling behind in class creates extra work, time, and energy that is unnecessary.
This isn’t just the art of turning in your homework and other assignments on time. This truly means staying up to date with all of your current readings (yes, you should always do you class readings! If not fully read the chapters, at least skim them!), look at the lecture topics before you go into class, doing your homework well in advance, and making sure you are reading your notes once a day.
Doing these tasks can seem tedious and time-consuming to most students, but they actually will save you mountains of time studying and catching up to understand your assignments (in the long run). If you’re having troubles staying motivated to study, I’ve got you!
Related: How to Take College Notes You’ll Actually Use
How to Study for an Exam
I have used this system for over two years now and plan on using it for the rest of my time in college. I also used this for my licensing exam and have found it not only fool-proof but efficient, simple, and easy to organize.
Pin this post for later!
Step One: Fill out a Study Plan
For each exam, I create a full study plan. This entails each and every task that is needed to be completed before exam time. The way I organized it is by creating a table. Along one side, I have all of the sections, chapters, or lecture topics that will be covered, and on the other, I have all of the tasks that I need to complete that relate to each section. To make this easier for you, I have created a free printable that you can use! This will cut your work in half. All you need to do is fill out all of the lecture topics and additional tasks you need to do!
Related: 17 Surprising Ways to Avoid College Burnout
Download Your Free Study Printable!
Step Two: Schedule out your Study Tasks
As a rule of thumb, I like to schedule out my study sessions over seven days, leaving the night before the exam for comprehensive review and rest. Using the study plan, I will usually assign each night one to two sections of tasks and study time. This gives me ample time for studying and breaks.
Related: 24 Amazing Stress Management Techniques to Try Right Now!
Step Three: ATTACK!
You now know each and every task that is needed to be done to conquer that exam. Now is the time to begin each of the tasks on the study plan according to your schedule! To be more clear, let’s go over each task that I have added to the printable, so you are a bit more clear on what you should be doing.
Related: The Ultimate College Freshman Survival Guide
How to use the free printable
The following tasks are listed on the printable. Below I have gone through each one to explain what is needed to be done!
1. Review Notes
Review your notes is a great starting point for studying each section. Read your notes ONLY for that section, create flashcards for important facts that you are unsure about and move on. You can always go back to review a topic or equation later. Be sure to also highlight any important information you would like to remember when reviewing your notes one final time. I have been obsessing over these Zebra Mildliner highlighters lately!
Related: How to Take College Notes You’ll Actually Use
2. Review Lecture Slides
In a similar fashion, pull up your class lecture slides (if relevant) and read through them once.
Related: The Ultimate Finals Week Survival Guide: 55 Secrets for Success
3. Create Practice Questions
Now, return back to your notes and lecture slides. Combine these with your syllabus and, if given, your study guide from our professor and create a list of questions you think will be on the exam. This is a great exercise that forces you to critically think about what is truly being taught and what you need to understand for this section. Answer these questions and create flashcards with them. In addition, write them all out on separate sheets of paper.
Looking to boost your grades? Check out my Ultimate Student Study and Class Workbook Bundle!
4. Review Textbook Pages
Using the assigned reading for this section, skim the appropriate pages. You should have already read these (remember, don’t fall behind) so this is just a time to review additional information that can help you understand important topics. Also, use this time to fully read the summary or accompanying textbook questions at the end of the chapter. Create flashcards from important topics you are unsure about and add to your practice questions you’ve been writing out.
Pin this post for later!
5. Review Quizzes or Other Tests
If you have had any quizzes or exams, you should review all of these questions and make sure you have them down. For example, if you’re studying for finals, you will want to review all of your previous exams. Add any questions you’re hesitant about to your flashcards and to your list of questions and answers write-up.
Related: 10 Study Motivation Techniques that Actually Work!
6. Review Labs and other Assignments
This one is a no-brainer, just review any relevant assignments, essays, and labs for this exam. Add any bits of information you still need to review to your flashcard pile and question write-up.
Related: The Ultimate Guide to Writing an A+ College Essay
7. Run through All Flashcards using the Leitner Method
At the end of each lecture section, review ALL of your flashcards. I highly recommend using the Leitner Method. It is the most efficient way to run through your cards.
8. Create a Mind Map
The last task you should complete at the end of each section review is sketching out a quick mind-map. Mind-maps are the best way to visually connect in-class material to other sections and to the real world. The reason it is such a powerful study technique is that it forces your brain to use both hemispheres: your creative and analytical side of your brain. You can make it as detailed as you want. The more detail, the more challenging and more useful, but make sure to stick to short phrases or words, as opposed to sentences. This will allow you to quickly review it later.
Final Review:
After you have completed all of the given tasks for each section, you should review your notes one last time. Then, go through your written test questions, quickly review your flashcards, and pull all of your mind maps together. If you feel like you need one last refresher, create one full mind map for all of the exam material.
Further Reading:
You might be interested in check out these related blog posts:
- 63 Insane Study Tips You’ve Never Heard of
- Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Know About Online Classes
- The Ultimate Student Planner
Wow! That is a lot! Right? But once you get into it, it really doesn’t feel that way. Sometimes, it will take me less than 30 minutes to review an entire section because I find that I know the material well. However, this is a long process. But! I promise! If you follow these steps or incorporate some of them into your study routine, you will see results! Happy studying!
Download your free study printable!
Looking for more college tips? Check out this post to learn what 23 easy tasks to get done before each semester in order to succeed!
Comments are closed.