FocusFlow LabStart with the numbers
A week sounds like a lot until you count it. Five study days at five hours is 25 hours, shared between every exam you have. Put your exam dates and daily hours into the exam countdown to see your real total before you plan anything.
Then check what each exam is worth to you. The final grade calculator shows the score you need on each final for the grade you want. An exam where you need 60% to keep an A gets less time than one where you need 85% to pass.
Day 7: sort everything
- List every exam, its date and the topics it covers. Use the syllabus or review sheet, not memory.
- Mark each topic: know it, shaky, or haven’t learned it.
- Find past papers or practice questions for every exam. These decide what you study.
- Put your exams into the study schedule maker to split your hours across subjects.
Days 6 to 4: learn by recall
Work through the shaky and unlearned topics, biggest first. For each one, read it once, close your notes, and write down what you remember. Then check and fill the gaps. This is slower than re-reading, but it’s the part that sticks.
Switch subjects during the day instead of spending a whole day on one. Mixing topics feels harder, but it helps you tell similar problems apart on the exam.
Work in focus blocks with short breaks. The focus timer runs 25, 45 or 50 minute blocks.
Days 3 and 2: practise like the exam
- Do past papers or practice sets under time pressure, with your notes closed.
- Mark them straight away. For every mistake, write down why: didn’t know it, misread it, or ran out of time.
- Spend the rest of the day on the mistakes, not on what you already got right.
Day 1: review and rest
No new topics. Go through your mistake list, recall the main formulas and points from memory, and stop early. Sleep matters more than one more hour of studying: memory consolidates while you sleep, and a tired brain loses marks on easy questions.
If you have two exams close together
Study for the first exam in the morning and the second in the afternoon until the first is done, then switch fully to the second. The guide to studying for multiple exams covers this in more detail.
Sources: Cepeda, N. J., Pashler, H., Vul, E., Wixted, J. T., & Rohrer, D. (2006). Distributed practice in verbal recall tasks: A review and quantitative synthesis. Psychological Bulletin, 132(3).
Rohrer, D., & Taylor, K. (2007). The shuffling of mathematics problems improves learning. Instructional Science, 35(6).