As a student, I know what’s like to have to study last minute. It involves the high stakes of a prison escape. The tension is insane. The time ticking by only aggravates your anxiety. Not to worry. Many a student has attempted this slippery game of chance, and has actually emerged victorious.
This post is going to be short and to the point. However, you might find a gold mine in these other study posts, so don’t be afraid to read all you can on:
- How to Increase Motivation to Study
- 10 Study Hacks for Students to Help you Study Every Day
- How to Study Even When You Don’t Feel Like It
- Self Care Tips for When You Feel Overwhelmed
- How to Stop Wasting Time and Be More Productive
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10 Strategies to Study Last Minute
We are short on time. Jump into these no nonsense tips to get you that last minute studying that you desperately need right now.
1 | Sort out your time for last minute studying
The first step to figuring out how to study last minute is to organize yourself. Sort out the time. What are you going to do in these next eight hours? Will you give yourself a lovely splash of sleep before the test, or are we talking all-nighter? Give yourself a mental map of what’s going to go down.
2 | Mind maps
Mind maps are going to help you with last minute revision. This is the time where the brain needs unconventional methods to study. Connect points to each other. Connect stuff that don’t even have anything in common. Make up something stupid and funny to help you remember what follows what for questions that need you to give orderly answers.
3 | Flash cards
For my history exams, I’m going to be honest: I usually can’t remember all the facts and figures. Repeating them in my head while visualizing something I wasn’t around for is quite difficult. That’s why I switched to flash cards. Seeing facts on a card has this lasting effect on me. There are even apps for creating digital flash cards, and they have the same, if not more power over the traditional handmade flash cards.
4 | Rote repetition
For last minute studying, there is literally no time to have fun and understand concepts. That’s why you’re going to have to hammer stuff into your brain. Don’t think—just repeat over and over again until you can remember the content with your eyes closed.
5 | Pick and choose your last minute studying
If you’re studying last minute, chances are you’re going to have to pick your battles. You don’t have the time to study everything. Sometimes you just have to drop some topics and focus on the ones that you have a chance at passing.
6 | Mnemonics
Mnemonics help with last minute studying. This is where you take the first letters of a list and make up a funny or stupid word that’s going to help you remember the points. How do I remember the colors of the rainbow even now at my big age? ROYGBV. Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Violet. Remember, there is no time to study!
7 | Past exam questions
Past exam questions are a life saver for the lazy (and smart) student. If you don’t have the time to study entire textbooks full of content, you’re going to have to answer past exam questions. Flip through your books for the answers, and fill out those questions. You won’t know everything, but you will know how to answer those specific questions.
8 | Rewrite your notes
Here is another way to figure out how to study last minute. Don’t think. Just begin writing your notes again over and over again. It should be a condensed version of your notes. It could be as little as a word or two, as long you know that you can expand it in the exam or test.
9 | Repeat your math
How do you study last minute for math? That’s easy: you do what you must. Repeat the solutions to the problems over and over again. I don’t care if you think you got it in the first try. Keep repeating those solutions.
10 | Understand the content
You do have the chance to understand the content that you are studying. You might not want to waste time understanding things that you didn’t get in the first place. However, this study tip might get you a few points in your exam or test. Try to fully understand what you’re working with. You might not even really get it, but you will understand your version of the whole thing. If you truly believe that you understood a topic, it doesn’t matter that you didn’t really get it. It will give you the confidence you need.
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