Welcome to LearnLawBetter.
Do you have an exam coming up soon that you aren’t prepared for?
Looking for some ideas to help you on that exam?
In this episode I will provide you with 12 cramming tips to help you over the finish
line.
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Hi, this is Beau Baez, and today I want to help you on an exam that you haven’t spent
time preparing for during the semester.
For those who know this channel, you know that cramming is not my preferred study method.
But you’re here, so lets figure out how to help you get through this exam.
One, blame.
Don’t blame yourself for not being prepared.
That’s not going to help you now and it will keep you from focusing on what’s important,
which is doing the best you can on the exam.
Recognize that you’re human and that this can happen to any of us.
Write down a commitment to not let this happen to you again, and then start studying.
Two, planning.
Determine how much time you have and decide how to allocate the time you have left, including
time for meals, study breaks, and sleep.
Time is not on your side, so you have to use the time you have wisely.
Three, selectivity.
Look at what was covered in the course and determine the most important parts that are
likely going to be on the test.
You need to learn those portions of the course well, so focus your time on those topics.
It’s too late to learn everything at this point—the goal is for you not to flunk the
course.
Four, repetition.
The key to cramming is repetition, so keep studying the topics that you've identified.
Do it over and over and over again.
Next semester though, use the “Deep Learning with Elaborative Interrogation” technique
beginning during the first week of class so you don’t have to cram.
Five, study aids.
If you have them, then use them.
As I’ve mentioned before, you should use study aids for long term retention.
But you are in cramming mode, so use any outlines you can find rather than to create
one out of scratch right now.
Six, practice exams.
If you have a day or two, take a practice exam.
Don’t go into to the exam not knowing what to expect.
Its too late to take more than one or two, but you need to have some familiarity with
the type of exam you are about to take.
Seven, distractions.
Find someplace to study without distractions.
This means leaving your apartment and finding a place where you can hole up for a few days.
Someplace without distractions.
For you that might be a coffee shop or the library.
For me, I would go to the public library, since I could find a desk and not worry about
friends coming around.
Also, turn off your phone. If you have to, leave it back in your apartment.
Its just too easy to stop and surf the Internet for a few minutes.
Eight, time management.
I recommend the pomodoro technique, which is a technique where you study for 25 minutes and then
you take a 5 minute break.
You do four of these sessions, and at the end of the 4th session you take a longer 30 minute
break.
NIne, caffeine.
Normally you should not take stimulants to stay awake, but you're in cramming mode.
So drink some coffee or sodas, and nibble on something to keep you from falling asleep.
Think almonds, not candy bars.
Ten, study out of order.
Most students review their notes in the order that they wrote them.
The brain doesn’t work well this way, so randomly start at different places, read for
a bit, then jump over here, jump over there to help the brain learn the material at a deeper level.
Eleven, study out loud.
Talk, whisper, sing, or yell.
By vocalizing, you will remember the material better, giving your brain three ways of
learning: the eyes to read, the mouth speaks, and the ears hear.
Twelve, sleep.
You need at least six hours of sleep before the exam.
Studies have demonstrated that people who don’t get enough sleep perform poorly on
exams.
So now, get working, get off YouTube, and after the exam come up with a plan for next
semester to avoid cramming.
If you have additional tips, please leave them in the comments section.
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