how to STUDY for an exam THE NIGHT BEFORE (and still get all As)

Summary

In this video, Salim, a medical student with 7 years of experience, shares six essential tips for efficient exam preparation. He emphasizes working backwards by summarizing key points, focusing on intensity rather than time, and utilizing multisensory learning. He advises replicating exam conditions during study sessions to reduce stress and using real exam questions to improve application skills. Salim also discusses dealing with sleeplessness before exams, suggesting studying briefly to feel productive. Lastly, he recommends avoiding high-carb breakfasts on exam day to maintain energy levels.

Takeaways

• 📚 Start studying by focusing on the key concepts and summaries found at the end of textbook chapters.
• 📝 Create a document to track key points and concepts, and use active recall to review them regularly.
• ⏱️ Prioritize study intensity over study time by applying Parkinson’s Law: study intensely for 1-2 hour blocks per topic.
• 🎥 Use multisensory learning techniques, such as watching videos, to reinforce learning and retain key details.
• 🧘‍♂️ Minimize exam stress by simulating exam conditions during your study sessions: no breaks, no distractions.
• ❌ Avoid creating your own questions close to the exam; instead, use real exam questions or questions from other sources to practice.
• 📝 Keep track of wrong answers in a document to review and practice active recall on those mistakes.
• 😴 Don't stress if you can’t sleep the night before the exam – get up, study briefly, then try sleeping again.
• 🍳 Avoid high-carb breakfasts on exam day to prevent feeling tired during the exam.
• 💪 Learn how to maintain focus when feeling tired during exam season by using strategies to study effectively.

Q & A

What is the first study tip Salim suggests for dealing with a lot of content?

Salim suggests working backwards by looking at the end of a chapter in textbooks to find summaries of key points and copying them into a document for easy review.

How does Salim recommend using active recall to improve study efficiency?

Salim recommends testing oneself on the key concepts and definitions written down in the document, which helps retain more information than just skimming through content.

What mistake do students often make regarding study time, according to Salim?

Students often focus on the amount of time they study, like 10 hours a day, which can lead to surface-level work and lack of productivity.

How does Salim suggest focusing on study intensity instead of time?

Salim suggests applying Parkinson’s Law by studying in blocks of an hour or two for each subject or topic, and using a multisensory learning approach by watching videos on the topics being studied.

Why does Salim advise against using the Pomodoro Technique during exam season?

Salim advises against it because it can create a habit of taking breaks every 25 minutes, which may not be feasible during an exam and could increase stress.

What should students do to reduce exam stress according to Salim?

Students should make their study sessions mimic their exam conditions by hiding their phone, not playing music, setting a timer equal to the exam length, and not leaving their seat more than once.

Why does Salim suggest avoiding making your own questions when preparing for exams?

Salim suggests avoiding making your own questions because it's easy to deceive oneself into thinking one knows the answer even if the question wasn't done properly, due to the lack of a marking criteria.

What alternative does Salim propose instead of creating one's own exam questions?

Salim proposes practicing real exam questions or questions from other people to get a range of question styles and improve the ability to apply learned knowledge to different scenarios.

What is Salim's advice on sleep during exam season?

Salim agrees that getting a good amount of sleep is important, but if one can't sleep, they shouldn't force it. Instead, they should study until feeling tired to use the time productively.

What is Salim's tip for breakfast on the morning of an exam?

Salim advises avoiding a breakfast high in simple carbs as it can make people feel tired, which is not desirable during an exam.

How does Salim address the issue of feeling tired during exam season?

Salim addresses the issue of feeling tired by discussing strategies in another video on how to study even when tired to maintain focus during exam season.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Efficient Study Methods for Exam Preparation

Salim, a medical student with seven years of experience in both undergraduate and postgraduate studies, shares six study tips to ace exams. He emphasizes the importance of efficiency, as students often panic and skim content, leading to poor retention. His first tip is to start from the end of a textbook chapter, where key concepts are summarized, and actively recall these points by copying them into a document for regular review.

⏳ Time vs. Intensity: Focus on Productivity

Instead of focusing on the number of hours spent studying, Salim advises concentrating on study intensity. One method is using Parkinson’s Law, where students study in intense, focused blocks of an hour or two, covering important information. He also suggests a multisensory learning approach—watching videos to supplement textbooks—allowing for a more comprehensive understanding of topics.

😓 Minimizing Exam Day Stress

Stress is a common issue during exams, often worsened by ineffective study techniques like the Pomodoro Method, which doesn’t mirror real exam conditions. Salim suggests replicating the exam environment during study sessions—no breaks, no distractions like phones or music, and focusing for the full duration of the exam. This helps adapt mentally to the pressure and stress, ensuring better focus during the actual exam.

📝 Practice Real Exam Questions

While creating your own questions can help, Salim discourages this practice close to exams. Self-made questions may lead to overconfidence. Instead, students should focus on real exam questions or those made by others to experience a range of question styles and apply learned concepts more effectively. Tracking incorrect answers and revisiting them for active recall can further improve understanding.

😴 Managing Sleep Before Exams

Getting sufficient sleep before exams is important, but if sleep becomes difficult, Salim suggests getting out of bed to study until feeling tired. This approach helps alleviate anxiety and uses the time productively. However, students should still aim for at least seven hours of sleep to ensure mental clarity on exam day. Additionally, avoiding simple carbs in breakfast can help prevent fatigue during the exam.

🕙 Studying When Feeling Tired

Fatigue during exam season, especially after long days at school or university, is a common challenge for students. Salim ends the video by directing viewers to another video where he offers tips on maintaining focus and productivity when feeling tired, helping them stay effective during exam preparation.

Keywords

💡Cramming

Cramming refers to the last-minute, intense study sessions that students often engage in before exams. In the video, the speaker acknowledges that when students cram, they face a large volume of content, which can overwhelm them and lead to ineffective memorization. The video suggests working backward by focusing on key points from summaries to make cramming more productive.

💡Active Recall

Active recall is a study method where students test themselves on the material instead of passively reading it. This technique improves memory retention. In the video, the speaker advises writing down key concepts from textbook summaries and regularly testing oneself on these points to retain more information effectively.

💡Parkinson's Law

Parkinson's Law states that 'work expands to fill the time available for its completion.' The speaker uses this principle to recommend studying in focused, time-constrained blocks (e.g., one to two hours). This forces the student to concentrate on essential material and increases productivity by creating a sense of urgency.

💡Multisensory Learning

Multisensory learning refers to using multiple senses (sight, sound, etc.) to understand and retain information. The speaker suggests supplementing textbook reading with videos to engage different senses, which helps in better understanding and remembering topics, as multisensory approaches involve more cognitive pathways.

💡Exam Simulation

Exam simulation is the process of creating study sessions that mimic actual exam conditions. The speaker emphasizes that students should replicate exam environments (e.g., no breaks, no phone distractions) while studying. This helps reduce stress during the actual exam, as students become mentally adapted to the pressures they will face.

💡Past Exam Questions

Past exam questions refer to practice questions from previous years' exams. The speaker advises using real or peer-sourced exam questions instead of self-made ones because these are more challenging and provide better exposure to different question styles. This practice also helps students gauge their knowledge more accurately.

💡Stress Management

Stress management is the ability to control one's level of stress, especially in high-pressure situations like exams. The speaker discusses minimizing stress by making study sessions similar to exam conditions and practicing focus without breaks. This mental conditioning helps in maintaining calm and focus during actual exams.

💡Sleep Strategy

Sleep strategy refers to managing sleep effectively during exam periods. While the speaker acknowledges the importance of getting enough sleep, they also suggest not stressing over sleeplessness. If sleep is difficult, students should study briefly until they feel tired rather than lying in bed anxious, which can help make better use of time.

💡High Simple Carbs

High simple carbs are foods that contain a lot of simple carbohydrates, which can cause energy spikes followed by crashes, leading to fatigue. The speaker warns against eating a high-carb breakfast on the morning of an exam because it can make students feel sluggish, which negatively affects their focus and performance.

💡Question Styles

Question styles refer to the different ways questions can be framed in exams. The speaker highlights the importance of practicing a variety of question types, as this enhances a student's ability to apply knowledge to various scenarios. By being exposed to different styles, students improve their adaptability in exams.

Highlights

Work backwards through textbooks by starting with chapter summaries to identify key points.

Copy key concepts into a document for easy review and active recall.

Test yourself on the key concepts and definitions you've written down.

Focus on study intensity rather than the amount of time spent studying.

Apply Parkinson's Law by studying in blocks to increase productivity.

Use a multisensory learning approach by incorporating videos into your study routine.

Minimize exam stress by simulating exam conditions during study sessions.

Avoid using study techniques like the Pomodoro Method that may not translate well to exam conditions.

Practice real exam questions to get a sense of the marking criteria and question styles.

Seek out past exam papers or subject-specific resources like quizlet for practice questions.

Track your wrong answers in a document to practice active recall and avoid repeating mistakes.

If you can't sleep before an exam, study until you feel tired rather than lying awake in bed.

Ensure you get at least 7 hours of sleep to maintain alertness during exams.

Avoid high simple carb breakfasts on exam days to prevent feelings of tiredness.

Learn how to study effectively even when you're tired to maintain focus.

Transcripts

You don’t have time for study techniques like  the Pomodoro Method, because in your exam..

I’m Salim, I’m a med student, and I’ve also  done an undergrad and postgraduate degree.  

And from my 7 years at uni, I’ve figured out  the most efficient way to study in exam season.

So in no particular order I’ll go through 6  tips for how you should study to ace your exams.

So first, if you’re cramming for exams,  

there’s going to be a lot of content to get  through, so it’s hard to know where to start.

And because of this, students panic and  try to skim through as much as possible,  

but they won’t remember much of what they read.

So the best way to deal with a lot  of content, is to work backwards.

This is by looking at the end  of a chapter of your textbooks,  

because it has a summary of the key points  covering the core concepts of the topic.

Instead of highlighting those points,  copy them to a document so that you have  

a list with all of your topics and the key  concepts that you can easily look back on.

Whenever you go through new  topics and add to the document,  

test yourself on the key concepts  and definitions you wrote down.

This is active recall and it’s going to  help you retain a lot more information  

than just skimming through a load of content.

The next point deals with a mistake  students make where they focus on  

time - thinking that if they study 10  hours a day then that’s productive.

But this usually ends up as surface level  work where you aren’t being very productive.

So instead of focusing on time, focus on  intensity - and there’s two ways to do this.

The first is by applying Parkinson’s Law,  

making sure that you study in blocks of  an hour or two for each subject or topic.

This gives you pressure to  do intense, productive work,  

forcing you to focus on only the important  information before moving onto the next topic.

The second way to focus on intensity is to have  

a multisensory learning approach.  Because when you think of a topic,  

you don’t think of only words - you think of  what you saw, what you heard and what you read.

So watch videos on topics you’re studying, because  they're more condensed than your textbooks.

And they'll have the key details you need that you  

can add on to the document you make  from the first point of this video.

And now I have a question - do you  feel stressed when it’s exam day?

Your answer is probably an obvious yes,  

but chances are you aren’t  minimising the stress you have.

And when you’re stressed you can’t focus,  making you lose easy marks in the exam.

And what makes this worse is using  study techniques like the Pomodoro  

Method - because in your exam, you won’t stop  after 25 minutes to take a nice 5 minute break.

But because you got used to using these  techniques in your exam season study sessions,  

it’s difficult to not do your exam in  the same way, and that stresses you more.

So to reduce your exam stress, make  your study sessions like your exams.

Hide your phone, don’t play music or even white  noise in the background - set a timer that’s  

equal to how long your exam is, and don’t  leave your seat more than once in that time.

Copy your exam environment as much as possible  so that when you have your exam, you’d have  

mentally adapted to the stress of your exam  conditions and have focus for the entire exam.

Now something you might have heard from  other people and even from me is being  

told to make your own questions and  go through them for active recall.

But when it’s close to exams, I’d actually  tell you to avoid doing that if you can.

Because the thing is, when you  do questions you made yourself,  

it’s easy to think oh yeah I know this it’s fine,  even if you didn’t do the question properly.

And that’s partly because you don’t have a  marking criteria for questions you’ve made.

So what you should do, is practice real exam  questions, or questions from other people.

This isn’t just about the questions, it’s  also about getting a range of question styles,  

so that you improve your ability to apply  what you’ve learnt into different scenarios.

And if you don’t have access to past exam papers,  ask students a year above you for resources,  

or google your subject + quizlet and  chances are there’ll be questions for free.

And just like making a document for key concepts  as in the first point, have another document to  

track your wrong answers so that you can practice  active recall to go through the mistakes after.

Now one thing people say is to get a good  amount of sleep when your exams are coming up.

And I do agree with this, but at the same time,  if you can’t sleep, then I don’t think you should.

Because sometimes a day before an  exam I’d find it difficult to sleep,  

and staying in bed struggling  to sleep makes things worse.

So instead of being awake in bed doing  nothing and getting more anxious,  

I’d get back up and study until I feel tired.

This usually ends up as around 30 minutes,  

helping me to use that time productively  then fall asleep when I’m actually able to.

But obviously don’t overdo this and make  sure you sleep for at least 7 hours.

And a quick tip for the morning  of your exam is to avoid having  

a breakfast that’s too high in simple carbs.

Because it usually makes people feel tired,  which isn’t what you want when you do your exam.

And now, a problem most students  face in exam season is feeling tired,  

making it difficult to study,  especially after school or uni.

So in this video here, I talk about  how to study even when you’re tired,  

so that you can maintain focus during exam  season - so click the video to learn more.