I am a procrastinator of epic proportions. I literally put things off ’til the last minute. When I go out with my buddies, they usually tell me to be there 15 minutes earlier than everyone else; and even then I’m usually late.

I’m such a procrastinator, I have it down to a science. On an Anthropology exam last semester, I studied a total of three and a half hours for a test that covered 5 chapters. And having ADD, I wasn’t the greatest at paying attention in class either. I showed up to class most days half awake, taking notes every once in a while, so I barely knew any of the stuff. I should mention all 3.5 hours of studying were onthe day of the test.

I should also mention that I got a 103% on this test, while the class average was a C. The girl next to me failed it.

Yep, that’s how I roll.

Cram smartly

Cramming isn’t such a bad thing; if you do it right. Of course the best option is the traditional one: study frequently, read the chapters of your textbook every week like you’re supposed to, and take copious amounts of notes. But comon, we’re in college right? Who has time for studying that often when there’s beer pong to be played?

This post contains a guide on how to ace your exams with just a few hours of study time. Assuming you’re a halfway decent student, you can use the tips I list below to help you out when you’re in a jam with limited time to study. Note: Cramming does require some ass-busting! I don’t cheat. Anyhow, my methods will get you a better grade than any cheat method could.

Damage Control

When you’re short on time, you can’t afford to read every word of every chapter in your textbook. You had weeks to thoroughly memorize all the material and you didn’t do it. Don’t waste time trying to do this now.

You’re in damage control mode. You must learn how to pick out the important bits of information and remember them the first time, because there won’t be a second time.

Be focused, organized, and efficient.

Sit down with your book, notes, etc, and tell yourself you’re going to study for X amount of hours. Turn off the TV, turn off the music, and close your door. No distractions.

A little bit of coffee helps me to stay clear minded during my cram sessions, but don’t blast yourself into oblivion on caffeine or other stimulants. This is college, not Requiem for a Dream.

Study using a top-down, non-linear approach.

As opposed to a bottom-up approach, top-down means you want to start with the most general concepts first and then work your way down to the more specific stuff. Then you can go back through again, if you have time, and cover the rest.

When you have a solid grasp of the general concepts, it makes it easier to figure out answers without explicitly memorizing the info, and you’re better able to bluff on the questions you don’t know.

Learn the art of BS

Testing is a lot like poker. You have to bluff your way to an A. The truth is, when you’re being tested, you just have to appear to know the material. This is why the top-down approach will get you a better grade, especially on short answer and essay exams. Specific facts or statistics may appear once or twice on your exam, but general over-arching key points could be applicable to many questions.

Plus, most instructors want you to do well on their exams. No instructor wants to have to explain why half their students fail their class every semester. If you at least appear to know what you’re talking about, you’re giving your instructor a reason to give you points.

Look for patterns of information.

If the same fact, stat, or theory keeps popping up throughout your notes or textbook, you might want to remember it! Duh.

My anthropology final last semester was over meso-american civilizations. I had a hell of a time remembering the individual features of each civilization, so I committed myself to memorizing 5 or 6 aspects most of them had in common. On the exam, I ended up repeating the same list of 5 aspects on like, 4 separate questions; but I got the points and an A on the exam.

Study FOR the test.

This one is important! This skill could become one of the best weapons in your arsenal.

*You can’t study the same way for every course. Instructors all write their tests in different ways.*

The first step is the only preparation you’ll need to make in advance. But this bit of knowledge is a golden rule for every class you’ll ever take in college. You must learn how your professor writes their exams. I’ve had professors who gave very organized lectures every day. I diligently took notes over every lecture, only to find on that fateful test day that nothing they talked about was on the test! If you’ve had this happen, you know how frustrating it can be. After getting burned a couple of times, I learned there was a difference between memorizing a lecture and acing a test.

Your first test of the semester should always be the one you study the most for; i.e. the right way. After that initial test, you should be able to pin down where the teacher gets their questions from and the type of info you will be expected to know.

I’ve found this skill to be infinitely useful. It allows me to study more efficiently, and dramatically cuts down the amount of time I spend studying for each test. I’m not 100% accurate, but after the first text I can usually figure out what I’ll need to know and what I’d be wasting my time trying to memorize.

A couple different styles of test writing I’ve identified:

- Test bank style: In this style, the professor uses the test bank of multiple choice and matching questions that the textbook manufacturer provided. Most kids are thrilled about multiple choice questions, but the truth is, multiple choice questions can suck much worse than short answer or essay questions. The test bank questions can be frustrating because they’re usually poorly written with inaccuracies and typos.

On the other hand, these tests can be the easiest to study for, because the questions will usually be word for word out of your book. Scanning the book, especially the bold face words and definitions, is the main objective here.

Always check out the website for your text. Many textbooks now have practice quizzes online to help you study. Don’t be surprised if they seem very similar to the questions on your exams!

- Straight outta the book style: The instructor writes the questions, but still bases them on material straight from the book. These questions are usually easier to understand than the test bank bank style, because the instructor can tailor them to the specific wording and examples they used in lecture. And they’re still based on your text, so you can brush up in case you, uh, you know, missed a few days or didn’t take notes.

- Straight from the Power Point style: Who doesn’t use Power Point these days? In this style, the teacher writes the test themselves (this is a good thing), and bases all the questions off their Power Point. Many of my professors provide their Power Points online now, so you can use them later.

This type of test can vary in difficulty depending on the teacher. But it doesn’t matter, because having the Power Point, you’ll know all the material anyway.

- Straight from the lecture style. This one sucks, but I haven’t had too many professors who didn’t also provide an outline along with their lectures.

The solution here is to show up and take notes. You should be doing that anyway; at least until you take the first exam. In your higher level classes, you’ll have more competent instructors. (at least they think they’re more competent ) And they’ll be more likely to subject you to their boring lectures every day. But keep this in mind: most instructors will still base their teaching off the textbook, because it’s easy. It gives them a structured teaching outline to follow for the semester.

So if you did decide to get the textbook, (and it’s not always a good idea), and you have trouble showing up to class, the text can be your friend.

Learn it the first time: Memorize for recall.

Have you ever read a page, only to get to the end of it and realize you can’t remember anything you just read? If the test is in a day or less, you can’t go back later on and reinforce what you read.

First of all: If rote memorization and repetition are you only tools of learning, you need to update your study methods, Beaver. This ain’t the 1950’s anymore. Repeating something over and over is the weakest way help you remember it for the exam. You’re not learning anything, you’re just memorizing a sentence.

Just “memorizing” something isn’t enough. We all know what it’s like to have something on the “tip of our tongues,” right? This phenomenon results from having a weak recall ability. Memory is all about recall. In order to remember anything, a “cue” must be triggered that creates a link to the memory in your brain.

Memory Cues

This “cue” can be anything. We all know how mnemonic devices work. I’m not a huge fan of them, but the important thing is finding what works for you.

Visual Learner, Auditory Learner, Tactile Learner…Who cares?

Similarly, I could go into how to figure out whether you’re a visual, auditory, or tactile learner, but that’s not important either, because you should be using all your senses when memorizing information. When studying, I talk out loud. I visualize the questions and answers in my head. I count on my fingers and make motions with my hands. Now you know why I told you to close your door.

Recall Recall Recall

Quizzing yourself is really a great study tool. But when you’re cramming, there’s not a whole lot of time to write up your own flash cards is there?

I use what I call “continuous self testing” to memorize stuff the first time around. Immediately after I read a key piece of information; say a definition or description of a theory, I immediately quiz myself on it by making up a question and answering it.

For example, you’re trying to remember this piece of information:

“Erikson’s first stage of psychosocial development is called “Trust vs Mistrust.”

Wrong way
You: “K. Gotta remember this! Erikson’s first stage was Trust vs Mistrust. Erikson’s first stage was Trust vs Mistrust. Erikson’s first stage was Trust vs Mistrust. Erikson’s first stage was Trust vs Mistrust.”

When this question pops up on your exam, you’ll have a hard time remembering it because you didn’t create a link to it in your brain. That sentence is still floating around in your mind somewhere, but without anyway to find it, you’re in trouble.

Right way
You: “Ok, now what was Erikson’s first stage called? Hmm…I just read it a second ago…I remember…Trust vs Mistrust!”

That’s it. It might sound silly until you actually do it, and realize how hard it is to really commit something to memory. Even doing this right after you’ve read something will create a much stronger memory that’s way easier to recall.

And this really makes sense when you think about it. You’re practicing for exactly what you’ll be doing a couple hours later for your test. Would you practice for a baseball game by repeating some mantra over and over again? “I will swing the bat and hit the ball. I will swing the bat and hit the ball…” No, you would practice by actually playing baseball.

Create Links and Elaborate

Train yourself to emphasize and notice connections in your mind. If you can do this on the fly, you’re golden.

Believe it or not, when you’re creating links and connections in your mind, you’re actually learning the material. Instead of memorizing new definitions word for word, try to link them back to knowledge that’s already firmly planted in your brain. Summarize it in your own words. This is called elaboration.

Example:

You: “Alright so Erik Erickson’s first stage applies to infants basically. The world is a completely new place to infants. The first thing they have to learn is how to develop trust in people and things. They’re basically helpless so they must figure out who can help them and who might be dangerous. Usually the first person they develop trust in is their mother. That’s why Erikson’s first stage is called ‘Trust vs Mistrust.’”

See? I linked it back to knowledge I already had about the world. I know infants are helpless. I know that infants will develop a strong bond with the person they see the most, usually their mother. Now when this question pops up on my test, I might not have the answer immediately available in my mind, but I’ll be able to work it out in my head, and arrive at the answer fairly quickly.

Another useful analogy is thinking of memories of your mind as directions to a party. You need a familiar place to start off at first. If your friend says his house is on Williams Street, it doesn’t help much if you don’t know where Williams street is. But if he says, “OK, you know the McDonald’s in town? Drive past that and take the first left, then blah blah blah…” You’ve connected this new location with one that’s already ingrained in your memory.

It’s important that you work it out for yourself. Your textooks and instructors will constantly elaborate on the topics you’re covering, but if their explanations don’t work for you, you won’t remember it. Create your own elaborations.

And last, but certainly not least:
Use the Study Guide!

If your teacher gave you a study guide, use it. As I stated earlier, believe it or not, most instructors want you to pass their class. A study guide is about as much as they can give you without giving you a copy of the test. Some instructors will go as far as putting questions from the test on the study guide.

Well, that’s all I have for now. If this guide helped you in any way (you lazy, procrastinating bum), feel free to post a comment, or send me a small monetary donation. Thanks!

Popularity: 57% [?]