A How-To Guide on Cramming for Finals

So here you are, last couple of weeks of school. You’re so close to summer and having the freedom to do whatever you want. Just one hurdle remains - finals. If you were anything like me, you were barely cruising by in your math class, hardly learning the topics enough for the unit tests and then forgetting them immediately afterwards. Starting from scratch for a final is definitely not ideal, but with a little effort you can still score well. Using the methods discussed below, I was able to score an 84 on my calc 2 final exam, with almost zero previous knowledge.

Step 1: Collecting all materials

The first step for any type of studying, is to collect all the materials you have for that class. At the bare minimum you should have your textbook. Other important items include previous exams, homeworks, study guides, notes and previous lecture recordings. Making sure to have all of these items in one place since not only does it save time, it allows you to study more effectively and efficiently.

Step 2: Creating a plan

The ability to utilize your time as effectively as possible is key. The first step is to determine how much time you have and what you need to learn. For example, I had one week and a semester's worth of content to learn. Then I determined how much time I had per day. I dedicated about 2 hours a day to studying and an hour to rewatching lectures. For most finals, you won't have to entirely relearn the entire semester. The best way to save time is to ask your instructor on which topics are covered on the test. For my calc final I had around 8 broad topics that I specifically studied. Since you won't have much time, you really don’t have time to learn topics that won't be on the test. Focusing on the topics that are on the test won’t help you to actually learn the topic, but will allow you to pass the test. When creating your study plan, make sure you plan every minute of your study time for something. For example, preparing for a calc exam, dedicate an hour to polar coordinates, an hour to series’, and an hour to integration techniques. This way, if you are struggling with a topic and get stuck, you have reason to move on since you know what to do next. Make sure you account for breaks in your plan. Studies show that you are studying the most effectively when taking a short break (5-15 minutes) every hour, and then a longer break (~30 minutes) every 2 to 4 hours. During these breaks do whatever you want, maybe go to the gym, play video games, sleep, etc. Anything that will take your mind off studying and give your mind a break.

Step 3: Study guides

Study guides are one of the most effective ways to study, since they efficiently put all the information you need into a concise form that can be easily digested. The first step is to gather all your notes and organize them. If you don't have notes, many classes (especially AP) have notes that you can find online by other students, one place to find them is https://bit.ly/3voInO1 or “Paul's online math notes” are a great resource for math classes. The next step is to find practice questions, which can be taken directly from your textbook, previous homeworks/exams and changing numbers/units, or searching the internet for questions. When creating your study guide, it is key to writing out by hand. Research conducted by Pam Mueller (Phd Social Psychology) and Daniel Oppenheimer (Phd Psychology) demonstrates that students who write out their notes actually learn more, rather than writing on a computer. They hypothesize that writing by hand requires different types of cognitive processing than typing on a laptop. While writing down, the brain actually analyzes what it is writing down, allowing it to understand what it is actually being written.

Step 4: Right before exam

Make sure you get enough sleep the night before the exam. Cramming without sleep is extremely ineffective and will make taking the exam that much harder. Eat a breakfast that is filling so you won't be hungry during the exam and no matter how tempting it is, don't try to learn any new topics. Re-looking over your notes is fine, but when you try to learn a new topic, it may get jumbled with other topics and will confuse you even more. Focus on what you do know, and make sure you know it well.

Cramming for an exam is definitely not the best way to get a good score, but following the steps above, you’ll do fine. If you already have something that works for you, stick to that, these are just some guidelines to help you succeed.