LAST-MINUTE EXAM HACKS… WHEN YOU’VE PROCRASTINATED
By Matt DiMaio
You did it to yourself again, didn’t you?
Your exam is fast approaching. You waited until the last minute to begin studying, and now you’re starting to panic.
Perhaps you kept putting it off. Perhaps work, family, or life simply got in the way.
Either way, the clock is ticking.
This is a common problem for students returning to school. It also happens to adults preparing for licensing exams, professional certifications, promotions, and upgraded credentials.
So, let’s forget the guilt. Blaming yourself will not help you remember a single answer.
What you need now is a practical rescue plan.
You may not have enough time to learn everything. But you probably have enough time to learn the most important things, provided you use that time wisely.
- STOP AND FIGURE OUT WHERE YOU ARE
When people realize they are running out of time, they often jump into action haphazardly.
They open a textbook, reread a chapter, highlight a few sentences, watch a video, check their phone, and then jump to something else.
That feels like studying, but it is mostly panic disguised as activity.
Before you begin, make a quick assessment of what you already know and what needs your immediate attention.
Skim your syllabus, course outline, study guide, or exam objectives. Identify the major subjects that will be covered.
Then ask yourself specifically where you are weakest.
Don’t say, “I’m weak at everything.”
That gives you nowhere to go.
Instead, ask:
- Is it the underlying theory I don’t understand?
- Is it the vocabulary and definitions?
- Is it the formulas?
- Is it the sequence of steps?
- Is it recognizing how and when to apply what I know?
The better you can diagnose the problem, the faster you can begin correcting it.
I know there’s a tendency to avoid this step, but completing this quick assessment gives you a very specific map of where to begin.
- TAKE A PRACTICE EXAM AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
One of the very best ways to discover what you know is to take a practice exam.
Look for sample questions provided by your instructor, school, licensing organization, textbook publisher, or certification program. You may also be able to obtain reliable practice materials from former students or colleagues who have already passed the exam.
Don’t wait until you feel prepared.
Take the practice exam first.
The purpose is not to predict your final score. It’s to reveal where your time will produce the greatest improvement.
When you finish, sort the questions into three groups:
- I knew this.
- I almost knew this.
- I had no idea.
Begin with the “almost knew” group.
Why?
Because those are often the fastest points to recover. A small amount of review may turn partial knowledge into a correct answer.
Next, look for patterns in the questions you missed. If several mistakes came from the same topic, that topic deserves immediate attention.
- STUDY ACCORDING TO VALUE, NOT CHAPTER ORDER
When time is short, you cannot treat every topic equally.
Find out which information is most likely to appear and which topics represent the largest portion of your grade or score.
Concentrate on those first.
Suppose one topic represents 30 percent of the exam while another represents only 5 percent. Unless the smaller topic is extremely easy to master, spending most of your limited time on it would be a poor bargain.
Think like an emergency-room doctor. Treat the biggest problems first.
Create a simple checklist containing:
- The most heavily tested topics
- The concepts you almost understand
- Important formulas, definitions, and procedures
- Common mistakes you must avoid
Having a specific plan reduces stress because you no longer need to keep deciding what to do next.
- PUT AWAY THE GIANT TEXTBOOK
With the exam almost upon you, this is probably not the time to reread hundreds of pages.
Use condensed materials whenever possible:
- Your own notes
- The instructor’s study guide
- Chapter summaries
- Flashcards
- Charts and diagrams
- Lists of key terms
- Practice questions with explanations
Your goal is to reduce large amounts of information into manageable pieces.
However, don’t merely reread those summaries. Turn them into questions.
For example, instead of repeatedly reading: “The mitochondria produce energy for the cell,”
cover the answer and ask: “What part of the cell produces energy?”
That small change transforms passive exposure into active recall.
And active recall is one of the most powerful ways to strengthen memory.
- TURN YOUR NOTES INTO FLASHCARDS
Index cards can be remarkably effective when used correctly.
Write a question, term, formula, or problem on the front. Put the answer or explanation on the back.
Then quiz yourself.
Place the cards you answer correctly near the back of the deck. Put the ones you miss closer to the front or middle so you will encounter them again sooner.
Do not simply flip over a card and think, “Yes, that looks familiar.”
Familiarity can fool you… and it often does.
Say the answer out loud or write it down before checking the back of the card.
Recognition means the answer looks familiar when you see it. Recall means you can produce the answer without being shown.
Even on a multiple-choice exam, being able to recall the information gives you a much stronger advantage than mere familiarity.
- GET THE INFORMATION OUT OF YOU
Most students think studying means putting information into their minds.
Reading. Watching. Listening. Highlighting.
Those activities can help, but learning becomes much stronger when you practice getting the information back out.
- Quiz yourself out loud.
- Explain a concept to an imaginary student.
- Teach it to a study partner.
- Recreate a diagram from memory.
Write everything you know about a topic on a blank sheet of paper. Then compare your explanation with your study materials and fill in what you missed.
You can even pretend that someone has asked, “What does this mean, and why is it important?”
If you can explain the answer clearly in simple language, you probably understand it.
If you become confused halfway through your explanation, you have just discovered exactly what you need to review.
Get the information to come OUT of you as often and in as many ways as possible. That’s how you determine how much of the content you truly understand and retain.
- USE MORE THAN ONE WAY TO REMEMBER
Whenever possible, involve several forms of learning.
Read the information.
Say it aloud.
Write it in your own words.
Turn it into a question.
Draw a rough diagram.
Create a simple mental picture.
Connect it to something you already know.
You do not need to be an artist. A crude sketch that makes sense to you can be more memorable than a beautiful illustration created by someone else.
The act of reorganizing and recreating information forces you to think about it. That makes the material far more memorable than simply staring at the same page again.
- WORK IN SHORT, FOCUSED ROUNDS
Do not sit down and declare, “I’m going to study for the next eight hours.”
That sounds impressive, but it often produces eight hours of inconsistent concentration.
Instead, work in short, focused intervals.
Try studying for 25 minutes and then taking a five-minute break. During those 25 minutes, remove distractions and concentrate on one specific target.
Not “study chemistry.” That is too vague.
A better target would be: “For the next 25 minutes, I will learn the five stages of this process and practice recalling them in order.”
One task. One target. One time period.
After several focused rounds, take a longer break. Stand up. Walk around. Get some fresh air. Play a musical instrument. Talk with a friend. Or take a short nap if you need one.
You’ll be impressed with how taking a short break, and even a nap, after studying helps you to retain information.
Breaks are not necessarily wasted time. Your brain needs opportunities to process and organize what you have been learning.
- PROTECT YOUR BRAIN
When people are cramming, sleep is often the first thing they sacrifice.
That can be a costly mistake.
You need sleep to think clearly, maintain attention, and retrieve what you studied. Staying awake all night may give you more study time, but it can leave you unable to use what you learned.
Get a reasonable amount of sleep. Stay hydrated. Eat satisfying foods that provide steady energy, including protein, vegetables, fruit, and other foods that work well for you.
Avoid filling yourself with alcohol, excessive sugar, or anything likely to leave you foggy and sluggish.
Your brain is part of your body. If you mistreat the body, the brain usually sends you the bill.
- HAVE A PLAN FOR TAKING THE EXAM
Passing an exam depends on two things:
How well you know the material and how effectively you take the test.
Read the directions carefully. Notice how much time you have and how many questions you must complete.
Don’t allow one difficult question to steal time from five easier ones.
Answer the questions you can handle confidently. Mark the difficult ones and return to them later if the exam format permits it.
For multiple-choice questions, eliminate answers you know are wrong before choosing among the remaining possibilities.
Pay attention to words such as:
– Always – Never – Except – Most likely – Least likely – Best – First
A single word can completely change what the question is asking.
And unless you uncover a clear reason that your original answer was wrong, be cautious about changing it simply because you feel nervous.
In future articles, I’ll share specific, powerful, test-taking strategies designed to help you earn higher scores.
DON’T WASTE ENERGY BEATING YOURSELF UP
Is beginning your test preparation earlier better?
Of course it is.
But repeatedly telling yourself, “I should have started sooner,” will not improve your score.
Use that lesson to prepare differently next time. For now, deal with the situation in front of you.
You may not be able to master the entire course at the last minute. But you can identify the most valuable material, strengthen what you almost know, practice retrieving it, and walk into the exam with a strategy.
Remember, it is not only how much time you have.
It is how effectively you use the time that remains.
Stay focused. Stay positive. And give it your best effort.
You likely know more than you think you do.
And with the right strategy, you may be able to prove it.
Matt DiMaio is an author, educator, speaker, and Rapid Learning Specialist who has spent more than four decades teaching people how to learn faster, remember more and improve their personal effectiveness. He is the creator of the Be Smarter Faster YouTube channel and author of The 48-Hour Author, along with several books on learning, memory, and personal development. Matt@TheTampaPost.com
Websites:
YouTube – www.YouTube.com/BeSmarterFaster
My 5 Books – www.Amazon.com/author/mattdimaio
NO Cost/LOW Cost training & courses – www.tinyurl.com/TGDMatt
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/therealmattdimaio
#ExamPreparation #StudyTips #ProfessionalCertification #RapidLearning #MattDiMaio
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