The Ultimate Guide To The Study Cram

We’ve all been there. Tomorrow’s the day of the big exam and you have 10 weeks of content to catch up on in one night. Get your books out, because it’s time to cram.

In a perfect world, we’d all avoid cramming like the plague. Not only is it stressful af, but it also isn’t as effective as small amounts of regular study over time. But if exam time is nigh, and your other exams and assignments have left you with no time to prepare, sometimes a good old cram is the only option.

So to make the most of the sitch, here are some essentials for a good cram session.
 

Flashcards

Flashcards are honestly one of the best ways to remember key points in exams. Think about it this way, if you hear a song enough, it’ll be stuck in your head forever. Same goes with these double-sided little pieces of paper. 

Start by going through your notes and finding the key info you think you’ll need for the exam (the syllabus is a great way to find out what will be important). Then cut up a couple pieces of paper, and write the question on one side and the answer on the other. Next, go through the cards question-up and try and answer it, then flip it over to see if you were right. Then rinse and repeat until you can answer them all correctly. This also works with remembering quotes and language techniques for essays or formulas for maths and science.
 

Avoid social media

Staying on task when you’re studying is already tough. Add in the stress of the exam being the next day and it becomes straight-up overwhelming. This is why it’s more important than ever to eliminate any distractions around you. Move your phone out of your study area or turn it off completely so there won’t be any temptation to go for a little scroll. 

If you’re as phone addicted as I am, it could even be worth downloading an app that locks you out of certain apps and setting it up so you can’t go on Insta or TikTok when you’re meant to be studying.
 

Be your own teacher

One of the best ways to learn is by explaining things to yourself. After you’ve read through a bunch of notes and tested yourself with flashcards, try and give yourself a short lesson on the subject you’re studying. This will make it obvious where the holes in your knowledge are so you’re not wasting your time revising things you already know. If you have a friend who’s also in need of a last min study sesh, meet up and explain things to each other. Better yet, split the content and teach each other what you read.
 

Give yourself breaks

Make sure you schedule breaks for yourself. Set a timer for 25 mins, then spend 5 minutes doing something else, whether that’s making tea or watching a few minutes of Masterchef with your parents. It’ll help you stay focused knowing you have a break around the corner and you’ll be more productive in the long run.

Put on an album

Creating the right vibes is the most important part of a cram session, obviously, so candles and music are a great addition. Towards the end of high school and uni, I actually started to really enjoy cram sessions because I got into the habit of putting on a record quietly in the background while I hit the books. 

Just make sure it is playing quietly so it’s background music and it isn’t distracting you. If you have a record or CD player, that’s also ideal so you aren’t going on your phone to change the music. But if not, playing it through a laptop is the next best thing.
 

Get enough sleep

If you’re cramming the night before a big exam, it’s better to prioritise your sleep than to study for as many hours as possible. If you have 10 hours before you have to start getting ready for your exam the next day, spend 2 hours studying and 8 hours sleeping. If you don’t get enough sleep, all the work you’ve done will be pointless because you won’t remember anything if you’re running on a couple hours of rest. 
 

In an ideal world, you’ll have plenty of time to prepare for your next period of exams, but sometimes it’s hard to keep on top of everything, and a cram is needed. So if that’s you, give these tips a go.