How to Study for Exams on a Time Crunch

 1. Make a plan: break down the material into small chunks

Before anything else, figure out how much you need to study and how much time you have left.

It can feel overwhelming when you have to cram a great deal of material in less than a day of studying. There’s no other way around this than acknowledging the stress but not letting it throw you off your game. 

Breaking down your tasks into small sections helps a lot! Then, allot a specified amount of time to cover each section so that you’re able to be in control of your schedule at your own pace without missing anything. 

The secret to not feeling discouraged when cramming for the exams is to take on large tasks in small pieces, allowing you to feel in control and see your progress. 

2. Put away distractions

Turning off distractions isn’t just putting your phone on silent mode and turning off notifications. We all know that social media is our worst enemy whenever we’re attempting to be productive. 

To prevent getting distracted while studying, turn off your phone and put it somewhere out of reach for the time being. You can warn friends and classmates ahead of time that you need to focus on the upcoming exams during this time. 

When you’re studying on a time crunch, you simply don’t have time to scroll through your social media news feed even just for a minute. A minute of scrolling can suck you right in, and before you know it, you’ve wasted an hour of study time. 

3. Plan your study time well

To maximise your study time, bring everything you think you’ll need while studying to your study area. 

You’ll definitely go hungry while studying, so you might want to eat before going to your study area or bring a pack of lunch with you. That way, you won’t waste time preparing a meal or looking for something to eat in the middle of studying.

If you’re burning the midnight oil, grab a cup of coffee before sitting down because you’ll get tired the more hours you spend studying instead of sleeping. 

Finally, bring every piece of material with you, such as books, notebooks, pens, reviewers, and even old exam papers. This is to prevent your mind from wandering about what you might be missing. 

The more focused you are on your current task, the faster and smoother the process will be, which means extra time for rest or sleep!

4. Don’t forget to take a break

Even though you’re on a time crunch, this doesn’t mean that you can operate like a robot. 

Refusing to take a break from studying increases your chances of experiencing burnout. When this happens, all the sleep loss and time spent on studying will go to waste because you don’t have the energy to retain information. 

Taking 15-minute breaks every hour of studying can actually help increase your level of focus. Use this quick break wisely to make healthy choices like grabbing a nutritious snack, stretching,  or taking a walk outside.

 5. Use old test papers

As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. Something that can help with your last-minute study sessions is your old test papers. 

Your old exams and quizzes often contain the questions that will appear on the final tests, so redoing your previous papers can help you put your current knowledge to the test. 

Needless to say, these documents are worth holding on to and will come in handy for future exams. Revisiting these papers can help you gauge the general difficulty of the test material and give you ideas of what may appear on the final exams. 

Even if your past papers are bleeding red, they’re still helpful when doing last-minute preparations for the final exams.