We have all been there, putting off studying for a midterm or final until the day before. When you finally sit down to study, you are surrounded with a mountain load of material waiting for your attention. Where do you start? The practice problems? Watch the missing lectures? The solution is simple. This article will go over the best method to study when you are in a time crunch, and what do with every minute of your time.
Finish the relevant lecture materials
To start off, make sure that you have completed all the relevant materials. If you have been to lecture, then you can skip this step. If you have catching up to do, then it is best to divide and conquer. Watch the lectures in two time speed (or if you cant absorb the material, 1.5 will do). The bottom line is that you have to finish watching the lecture in the lowest amount of time possible. It is not that important to absorb much material in this stage; however, it is important to get a good grasp of the topics and how the connect to each other.
Highlight hard lecture points to review
By going through and finishing all the lecture you will have a good idea on what the exam is about. You will also understand areas you are week in. List out these topics and be really critical in their admittance. You only have a certain amount of time, compare the topics and only list out the ones that you have the least confidence in. When you have the final list, devote a third of the remaining time to learning these topics.
Take frequent breaks
It is always important to take breaks even when in a time crunch like this. It allows your brain time to calm down and process the material you learned. One way to divide up your breaks is to take on each time you finish reviewing a challenging topic. By doing this, you can mentally prepare yourself for the next one. Be sure to stay hydrated during these breaks and finish any business that keeps you away from your workspace during your next study session. Hydration keeps your brain.
Practice problems
Active learning is by far the best method to retain information, however there are not many methods left in this short of a time frame. As such, it is best to keep things simple and make sure you know how to apply the knowledge you learned. When it comes time to review what you missed, make a list of the topics that you missed as well as why you missed it. When you have the second list, you know where to direct your efforts to, If you missed it because you read the question incorrectly, do not review this topic. Instead focus on the ones where you had absolutely no clue on how to approach the problem. You should ideally spend 1/4 of your time doing practice problem and another 1/4 reviewing the missed topics from the problem set.
Sleep before the exam
While it is tempting to pull an all-nighter before the exam, it is usually counterproductive. You will fail to retain more information and be more prone to making mistakes that could easily be avoided. If you have not completed the relevant material on time, wake up earlier and sleep after the exam. This strategy will enable you to both understand and retain the new information best and allow you sleep at the same time.