How to Successfully Cram for an Exam.

             Have you ever waited until the last minute to study? Have you ever been so preoccupied that you simply forgot to study? With all of our commitments, classes, work obligations, extra curricular activities, and social lives it is not hard to forget you have some kind of exam to study for. If and when you do forget though, do not stress out because you can always cram. If you care enough and if you are willing to make the effort, you can still pass the exam. In order to have a marginally successful night of cramming there are a few rules that will help: get organized, be repetitious, and relax. .

             The first rule of cramming is to get organized. Choose your material carefully and study in depth. The more you have managed to miss, the more selective you will have to be in organizing your cram session. For example, if you are studying for a psychology exam that covers two chapters then study by chapter. Try to recall the material your teacher placed strong emphasis on during discussion and focus your cramming mainly on that material. By picking out the key points in each section of the chapter, you are more able to get a grasp on the basic ideas of the chapter. Only after you have learned the material in the first chapter do you move onto the next section of material. By organizing, you are making the cram session easier on yourself. You are giving yourself certain steps to go by, knowing only to move on to new material after you have learned the first. So in order to be a successful crammer, you have to be organized.

             The second rule in successful cramming is to use repetition. Repetition will make the learning process easier on you by "drilling" the material into your head. For example, your exam has several important vocabulary terms on it. Not many people can simply look at a word and learn it. By repeating the word and its definition, you are able to obtain the material better.