Plan review sessions beginning at least a week in advance of each exam. Ideally, you’ll do several mini-reviews well in advance, gradually increase the time in which you study, rather than trying to cram everything into one mega session the night before the test.

Listen carefully, because teachers often give hints like “The most important thing about this topic is. . . “. Or they may just place emphasis on certain words and issues. This is the real key to testing well. The more you absorb the information early on, the less studying you’ll need to do.

Review your notes daily, right after class. This will help reinforce the information you just learned.

If you absolutely must listen to music, find instrumental music so that the words in the music don’t interfere with your studying. Listen to background sounds from nature in order to keep your brain active and prevent other noises to distract you. There are several free background noise generators available online. Listening to Mozart or classical music won’t make you smarter or keep information in your brain, but it may make your brain more receptive to receiving information.

Don’t simply copy your notes over and over again. This tends to lean towards memorizing the exact wording of your notes instead of the actual concepts. Instead, read and think about the contents of your notes (such as think of examples), and then re-word them.

It can also help to say the answers to your questions out loud, as if you were trying to explain it to someone else.

Always study when you have the chance, even if it is only for 15 or 20 minutes. These short study periods add up fast! Study in chunks of 25 minutes using the Pomodoro Technique. After that make a break of 5 minutes; repeat the process 3x, then make a longer pause of 30-45 minutes.

Whatever you do, don’t just re-read the same set of notes over and over again. In order to actually learn, you need to take an active role in knowledge creation as well as information review. Try finding the “big picture” among what you’ve taken down or reorganizing your notes by theme or date.

Asking teachers for help conveys your commitment to the material and can be helpful in the future as well as with your exams. Always remember to ask your teacher if you do not know what she is talking about or if you need more information. The teacher will probably be glad to help. There are often resources at schools and colleges that can help you cope with stress, answer study-related questions, give you study tips and other forms of guidance. Ask your teacher or visit your school’s website to learn how to use these resources. Your teacher might let you record your classes if you struggle to focus. You can review the recordings when you study for your exams. [6] X Expert Source Alexander Ruiz, M. Ed. Educational Consultant Expert Interview. 18 June 2020.

If you have trouble bringing yourself to study, instead of long uninterrupted sessions, chunk your work into 20 minute periods, taking a 10-minute break at the end of every period. Make sure that you structure the chunks logically so that you’re not breaking up concepts across chunks, as this may make it more difficult to remember concepts in their entirety.

If you ask for help from others, don’t joke around. Concentrate on what you are doing.

If you have time before your exam and find that you’re not understanding material, ask if your teacher will go over it with you.

Don’t consume caffeine or any other stimulating substance within 5-6 hours prior to sleeping. (However, if a doctor prescribed you a stimulant to take at a specific time, take it at that time regardless of when you fall asleep, and ask your doctor before changing anything. ) Such substances reduce the efficiency of sleep, meaning that even with sufficient sleep time, you may not feel well rested upon waking.