Planning Your Time : Studying for Exams

Time management is the key to getting difficult or long projects finished. Many students write to me to discuss how they will best manage their time leading up to an examination. I have even had a monthly check-in with students. This helps to keep students on track when they are thinking about all the material they have to cover before the exams. I will do this for any student who asks, but first I ask the all-important question "How much time do you really have available to cover all the materials before the exam?"

Students want short cuts to getting through exams. This is natural; we all want short cuts. However, I always tell students writing exams for University of Leicester that these are comprehensive exams, that is, all the material in the text books is meant to be covered in detail. Making assumptions about what material might or might not be on any exam is not a good idea. This is because any of the material in the text might very well be covered by the exam. Knowing this, how do you plan for your studying and allow enough time to cover everything in the textbook?

First, you need to know exactly how much time you have to study each week. You should also split this time into several chunks. For example, four hours studying time on a Sunday is not as useful as four hours split out over several days. This is called 'distributed practice'. You should allow two hours of studying for every in-class hour as well; this is called the 'two-for-one rule'. Good study practice allows for 15 minute breaks every hour. Moreover, it is important to study thematically - placing similar ideas together.

Other ideas that help in studying are:
Chunking - Placing similar ideas together
Mnemonics - A way to develop acronyms to aid memory
Selecting Main Ideas - Selecting out the main ideas as an aid to memory
Defining Hierarchies - Placing ideas in a hierarchy so that major ideas are broken down into groups and subgroups of ideas
Integrating - Integrating the ideas into the subject as a whole

If you don't have enough time to study, a common problem for students who are working, you will need to find the time to study. You should also choose a time of peak efficiency for you, that is, a time when you are attentive and learn well, not when you are tired and forgetful. Speaking to employers is helpful, especially if they are invested in seeing you complete your degree and use your new skills at your job. Families can also be brought in to support your work. Lastly, you must use positive self talk to help give you that needed boost when you're working.

Looking over a timetable of the week will help you understand when you have study time. You should use this to help plan out your studying over several months. Good luck and good studying until next time.

KB