In this article, you will find 10 tips for preparing for an exam in 24 hours. What to study, what to discard, how to organize yourself, and how to control nerves.
The 10 tips include gathering information about the exam, making a list of key topics, and finding extra time to study. Additionally, study calmly, manage your study time, use plenty of mnemonic techniques, and stay optimistic throughout the process by getting enough sleep and drinking coffee for a little extra energy.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. I recommend reading the entire article to increase your chances of passing.
The desperation of not understanding anything about the exam and having no time to prepare for it
There’s no time left. You have less than a day to take the exam, and you haven’t studied anything yet. Is it possible to pull off the miracle of passing?
Without knowing which subject you’ll be taking or what topics you need to study, I’d say your chances are slim. However, in a Stoic way, a last-minute effort is better than resigning to do nothing.
Others might judge you and say it’s wrong to study at the last minute. They would even criticize this article for giving you hope and making bad recommendations. They would expect me to give you a sermon about how wrong it is to cram at the last minute.
But I’m not going to do that because I don’t know your situation. I don’t know why you’ve ended up here, 24 hours before the exam, without having studied anything. Maybe it wasn’t even your fault.
If you really procrastinated or didn’t want to study, and now you’re suffering, then that’s your lesson, which you’ll be learning (or not).
Either way, making a final study effort is something commendable. So, let’s see what the best approach is for preparing for an exam in 24 hours.
Tips for Preparing for an Exam in 24 Hours
1. Gather Information About the Exam
In order to pass under these conditions, it’s essential to clearly understand what will be tested. You’ll go into the exam with specific concepts, not broad ones. Therefore, you need to know what will be asked or what kind of problems you’ll have to solve.
I recommend reading the article about questions to ask before taking an exam.
2. Make a List of Key Topics
Take note of the key topics that will be covered on the exam. Then, assign priorities to them. It’s best to create a sort of ranking of topics. Start studying the most important one, and then proceed in order with the rest.
Since you don’t have enough time, there’s a chance you won’t be able to study topics that fall further down the ranking.
3. Get More Time to Study
“Where from!?” you might be asking. From any activity you need to do where you can have your notes nearby. For example, during meal times.
Of course, you should also suspend other activities or obligations to prioritize studying during the hours leading up to the exam.
4. Study Calmly
When preparing for an exam in a short time, you need to stay as calm as possible. Being rushed won’t make you memorize faster or understand concepts by just reading them. You need to study with a sense of calm.
Remember, in any case, you’re already in a tight spot academically, so why stress yourself out even more?
5. Control the Study Time for Each Topic
When you create a list of key topics, you may find that there are many, and each requires different levels of depth.
In that case, you can set a time limit for studying each one. I’ve already explained how to create a study plan in another article. I recommend reviewing it before you start studying.
If you haven’t created a syllabus during the course, you should do it now, but in a quicker and more summarized way.
6. Stay Optimistic and Don’t Despair
You must maintain a positive attitude at all times. Don’t keep checking the clock or thinking that you’re going to fail. Look at the glass half full, and focus on the time you still have left to gain knowledge.
7. Make the Most of Mnemonic Devices for Memorization
I’ve already told you about mnemonic devices. They help you memorize more easily. Highlighting the first letter of each word in a definition you need to remember can help you memorize it. For example, the PEMDAS acronym.
PEMDAS is an acronym that represents the order of operations in mathematics: Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication and Division (from left to right), and Addition and Subtraction (from left to right).
Using the initials of each word might not form a new word. But instead of remembering the whole definition, you can memorize those odd words and then, during the exam, take some time to reconstruct the definition.
8. Sleep and rest well
You might think you need to stay up all night, but don’t be mistaken because the most important thing is to arrive at the exam as alert as possible.
Burning yourself out studying isn’t advisable. You have to consider that you’re at a disadvantage because you won’t be fully prepared, so you’ll need your reasoning abilities at their best to possibly figure out something that isn’t in your knowledge.
I recommend the article: Is it worth studying until exhaustion for exams?
9. Drink coffee
Preparing for an exam in a short time is easier with coffee as your inseparable companion.
Don’t get confused. It’s not for staying up all night. As we mentioned in the previous point, you should rest as much as possible. But the stimulating properties of coffee can help you during the day.
As I always say in this space, don’t overdo it with coffee. Check out the article: Are You Drinking Too Much Coffee While Studying? Here’s When It’s Too Much.
10. Avoid any stupid drug cocktails
No vitamins, no aspirin, no medications mixed with energy drinks. These are all nonsense that will get you nowhere, except to the emergency room for an overdose. Be very careful with this. Your health comes before any exam.
The miracle is possible
And that’s it for the tips on preparing for an exam in a short time. The last thing you need to do is walk into the exam with confidence, hoping for the best. Even if you feel underprepared, there’s always a chance to pass.
If you don’t pass, well, at least you tried and even learned some topics for the next opportunity.
Also, if you really didn’t study because you were overconfident or just lazy, then the whole process of last-minute studying will have taught you a valuable lesson.
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