How to cram for exam (or a test)

You have been lazy all semester(or year ) long and now exams are due in one week. You start to fidget and regret over your complacency.

Regret no more because I can help you to pass the exam. Go thru the tips mentioned below which will let you know how to cram for exams. Some of them will work for you, some wont. Good luck!

1. Try to think of topics that your professor holds dear

Its not really difficult. Give yourself just 10 to 15 minutes and think of all the instances in which your professor mentioned a topic again and again. As professors are human beings too they also tend to have some likes and dislikes regarding topics. Once you come up with some topics, start preparing for them. Give them maximum time. Talk to seniors or those students who have already taken the course. They can also tell you about professor's prefrences.

2. Grab notes from some nerd

Yes, some of them have really nice notes they have prepared thru the semester. I have found so many good notes myself (and many other have used mine). You search for them and its possible that you will find some really nicely-written ones, so lucid, that you understand all the points without reading you textbook. Some of those students might not lend you your notes so you might have to convince them to give you the notes.

Locate someone similar to this guy and ask for notes!

3. Use mnemonics

Dont waste your time looking up the meaning of this word. By mnemonics I only mean that you associate pictures or a funny or interesting sentence with the things you are trying to learn or memorize. Remember there is no time for you to pore the books. All you need to do is to memorize the important parts. And this technique is easier than you can imagine.

Let me illustrate here:

Its a very simple example and maybe you already know it. In that case I am refreshing your memory so that you can make your own mnemonics.

A traingle looks like this:


Now you know that cosine of theta = Base / Hypotenuse.

A very easy mnemonic to remember it is with a simple sentence: "She has Curly Brown Hair."

The above tips will not only help you to prepare for your exam they will come in handy while you are cramming for a test.

Now stand up and get busy!