Retrieval practice: test yourself, badly, on purpose
Close the notes and write down everything you can recall about a topic, then check what you missed. The struggle to recall is what strengthens memory, so the version that feels harder is usually the version that works.
- Turn headings into questions and answer them from memory
- Use flashcards for definitions, but write the cards yourself
- Do past papers under time pressure before you feel ready
Spacing: same total hours, spread out
Five one-hour sessions across a week beat one five-hour session, without adding any study time. Revisit a topic after a day, then after several days, then after a week.
Interleaving: mix problem types
Doing twenty problems of the same kind teaches you to execute a method. Mixing kinds teaches you to choose the method - which is what exams actually test, especially in math, statistics and physics.
Match the method to the exam format
- Multiple choice: broad coverage, fine distinctions, practice questions
- Essay exam: outline answers to likely prompts rather than memorising prose
- Problem-based: timed mixed problem sets, marking yourself against a solution key
- Open book: build a fast index of your notes; speed of retrieval is the constraint
The last 48 hours
- Review your own error log, not the whole syllabus
- One full timed practice attempt, then stop adding new material
- Sleep is part of the study plan - lost sleep costs more than the extra hour gains
- Prepare the logistics: room, time, permitted materials, ID
Key takeaways
- Retrieve rather than reread
- Spread the same hours across more days
- Mix problem types so you practise choosing methods
- In the final two days, review your errors instead of everything