So you’ve been hanging around, not studying, waiting to crack the spine of your geology/economics/women’s studies book for weeks. Exams and midterms aren’t even close yet! It’s a good excuse, but what happens when you’ve got 24-48 to cram half a semester’s worth of material into your cerebrum? You do it properly.

First, make a list. Like the site suggests, put things you are clueless about at the top and start there. This reminds me of a technique I used at one point to cram more effectively. I would go through my material and assign a “priority number” to each major section of each major subject. Start at 1, low numbers meant I didn’t know anything — 5 meant “just look over it.”

After assembling that list, I would go back through and do the same thing based on the amount of time I had available to study. Again, low numbers meant less than 24 hours and high numbers meant the exam was later in the week.

So, armed with these lists, I would tally up the points for each class. Those exams with low numbers meant I had to get on them immediately! Coffee and sleep deprivation included. One test and 24 hours later, cross out the exam and move on to the next lowest “priority” number.

Get a good place to study!

That’s an important tip which can make or break your cram session. And no, libraries are not the best place to do this. Chances are everyone and their roommate are trying to find an empty table to cram just like you. Pull favors to find an empty apartment or call a relative if you live near family members. Heck, I used to study in my car when things got messy.

This only breaks the ice, and the website includes a section on study techniques to kick it up a notch. Ideally, students should avoid cramming for midterms and exams altogether. But what kind of college experience would that be?

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