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

Summary

This video offers strategies for last-minute exam preparation, emphasizing multi-sensory learning through watching videos with transcriptions and note-taking. It suggests starting with practice questions to grasp key points and understanding question structures. The video concludes with advice against procrastination, recommending early revision and organization to reduce stress and improve retention for future exams.

Takeaways

• 📚 **Multi-sensory Learning**: Engage multiple senses to enhance memory retention. Watching videos, reading transcripts, and taking notes simultaneously can help information stick.
• 🎥 **Video Studying**: Utilize educational videos as a condensed summary of topics, which can be more efficient than reading textbooks, especially when time is limited.
• 🔍 **Active Note-Taking**: While watching videos, actively take notes to reinforce learning and avoid distractions like unrelated content or评论区争论.
• 📝 **Answers First**: Start with practice questions from the textbook's summary section to learn more effectively, as they often reflect the types of questions that appear on exams.
• 📖 **Chapter Summaries**: Prioritize textbook chapter summaries and related questions as they can indicate what will be on the exam and help tailor your study to the test.
• 🧠 **Understanding Answer Structure**: By working through practice questions and reviewing answers, you can learn the structure of model answers, which is crucial for exam success.
• 📈 **Past Papers**: Actively consolidating learning through past paper questions is one of the best ways to prepare for exams, as it simulates the actual test environment.
• 🔑 **Question Understanding**: Focus on understanding what the exam questions are asking for and how to structure your responses, as this is key to answering effectively.
• 🗓️ **Proactive Planning**: To avoid last-minute cramming, plan and schedule your study time well in advance of exams to allow for proper information processing and reduced stress.
• 🔄 **Addressing Procrastination**: Reflect on why you procrastinate and take steps to address the root cause, whether it's boredom, poor time management, or lack of motivation.

Q & A

What is the first study technique mentioned in the transcript for effective learning?

The first study technique mentioned is multi-sensory learning, which involves using multiple senses to remember and learn information better.

Why is watching videos with transcription and taking notes suggested as an effective study method?

Watching videos with transcription and taking notes is suggested because it engages both auditory and visual senses, and writing notes actively consolidates the knowledge.

What is the significance of the 'fluff' mentioned in the context of textbooks?

The 'fluff' refers to the non-essential information in textbooks that may not be directly relevant to exams, suggesting that focusing on summaries and practice questions can be more efficient for exam preparation.

Why is the 'answers first' approach recommended when studying for an exam?

The 'answers first' approach is recommended because it allows students to learn more effectively by focusing on the types of questions and answers that are likely to appear on the exam, rather than getting lost in less relevant textbook content.

How does doing practice questions at the end of textbook chapters help in exam preparation?

Doing practice questions at the end of textbook chapters helps in exam preparation by familiarizing students with the types of questions that may be asked and by reinforcing the key points covered in the chapter.

What is the importance of understanding the answer structure when preparing for exams?

Understanding the answer structure is important because it provides a solid understanding of how to construct responses that are likely to score well on exams, as well as a better grasp of the types of questions being asked.

Why is it suggested to avoid distractions like watching unrelated videos or engaging in comment sections while studying?

It is suggested to avoid distractions like watching unrelated videos or engaging in comment sections to maintain focus and ensure that the study session is productive and efficient.

What is the main drawback of cramming for an exam mentioned in the transcript?

The main drawback of cramming for an exam is that it does not allow time for information to be processed and stored in long-term memory, which can lead to stress, anxiety, and poor sleep.

How can students change their study habits to avoid last-minute cramming?

Students can change their study habits by identifying the reasons for procrastination, such as boredom, poor time management, or lack of organization, and then taking steps to address these issues, like marking exam dates in a calendar and improving organization.

What is the advice given for students who consistently struggle with procrastination and last-minute studying?

The advice for students who struggle with procrastination is to reflect on the causes of their procrastination and to seek out additional resources or strategies, possibly in the form of other videos or guides, to help overcome these issues.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Effective Study Techniques for Last-Minute Exam Prep

This paragraph discusses strategies for studying effectively when faced with an imminent exam deadline. The speaker suggests multi-sensory learning, which involves engaging multiple senses to enhance memory retention. They recommend watching educational YouTube videos with transcriptions and taking notes to activate both auditory and visual senses, as well as reinforcing knowledge through writing. The speaker also advises against distractions and emphasizes the importance of focusing on the video content. Additionally, they introduce the concept of 'answering first,' which involves doing practice questions from the textbook's summary section before fully exploring the topic. This approach is said to be more efficient because it targets the information most likely to appear on exams, which often focuses on specific topics rather than comprehensive coverage of the textbook material.

05:01

🔄 Addressing Procrastination and Improving Study Habits

The second paragraph addresses the issue of procrastination and how to avoid it for future exams. The speaker suggests reflecting on the reasons behind procrastination, such as boredom, poor time management, or lack of organization, and then planning ahead to avoid these pitfalls. They recommend marking exam dates on a calendar right away to stay organized and to be proactive in managing study time. The speaker also encourages viewers to find the root cause of their procrastination and to seek solutions, possibly by watching other videos that might offer advice on overcoming specific study challenges.

Keywords

💡Multi-sensory learning

Multi-sensory learning refers to engaging multiple senses—such as sight, hearing, and touch—to enhance memory and understanding. The video explains that when more senses are involved in learning, information is more likely to stick. An example from the script is watching a video with subtitles while taking notes, which engages both visual and auditory senses while actively processing the material through writing.

💡Procrastination

Procrastination is the act of delaying or postponing tasks, often resulting in increased stress as deadlines approach. In the video, procrastination is highlighted as a common problem that leads to stress and avoidance of studying, which can worsen the situation. The script talks about how viewers might find themselves watching YouTube videos instead of studying.

💡Active consolidation

Active consolidation is the process of reinforcing learned information through active engagement, such as practice or application. In the video, this is encouraged through note-taking and answering practice questions. The video stresses that engaging with the material, such as writing down notes or doing exercises, helps solidify knowledge more effectively than passive reading.

💡Practice questions

Practice questions are exercises at the end of textbook chapters or provided as exam preparation materials. They are emphasized in the video as a way to prepare for tests effectively, as they focus on common exam topics. The script suggests using these questions to target the types of content that will likely appear on the exam, thereby optimizing study efforts.

💡Cramming

Cramming refers to trying to learn a large amount of information in a short period, typically right before an exam. The video argues that cramming is not an effective long-term strategy because it doesn’t allow information to be processed and stored in long-term memory. This can lead to stress and anxiety, as well as the need to revisit the material later.

💡Fluff content

Fluff content refers to unnecessary or irrelevant information in textbooks or study materials that does not contribute directly to exam success. The video discusses how textbooks often include such content, which wastes time when students are cramming. It advises viewers to focus on condensed summaries and key questions instead of reading every word of a textbook.

💡Model answers

Model answers are well-structured, ideal responses to practice questions that serve as guides for students during exams. The video recommends creating model answers based on practice questions to help students learn the correct structure and content required in an exam setting. This is particularly useful for mastering the format and expectations of test questions.

💡Question-oriented learning

Question-oriented learning focuses on understanding and practicing how to answer specific types of exam questions, rather than just learning the content. The video explains that being familiar with the structure and demands of exam questions is as important as knowing the material itself, as exams often focus on specific formats or topics.

💡Time management

Time management refers to organizing and planning how to divide time between activities to maximize productivity. The video stresses the importance of marking exam dates in a calendar to avoid last-minute cramming and procrastination. Proper time management can help prevent the stress of trying to learn everything at once.

💡Motivation

Motivation is the internal drive that compels a person to take action and achieve goals. The video encourages viewers to reflect on why they procrastinated in the first place—whether due to boredom, poor time management, or lack of motivation. Addressing the root cause of procrastination can lead to better study habits and improve future exam preparation.

Highlights

Use multi-sensory learning to improve memory retention by engaging multiple senses.

Watching videos with transcriptions and taking notes can be an effective study method.

Utilize videos as summaries to quickly grasp textbook topics.

Stay focused while watching study videos to avoid distractions.

The act of writing notes helps consolidate knowledge.

Sometimes recalling a video segment during an exam can help find answers.

Doing practice questions before studying the entire topic can be more time-efficient.

Textbook summaries and practice questions can indicate what to expect on exams.

Focus on the questions in the textbook as they often reflect the exam's content.

Understanding and memorizing the answer structure is crucial for exam success.

Revising questions along with answers helps in knowing what the exam expects.

Procrastination leads to cramming, which is not effective for long-term memory.

Cramming can cause stress, anxiety, and poor sleep due to last-minute studying.

To avoid procrastination, identify the root cause and work on being more organized.

Planning and marking exam dates in advance can help with time management.

Finding motivation and managing time effectively are key to avoiding last-minute cramming.

Transcripts

so you're screwed you have the exam that

you need to study for but you've been

doing anything but that but now the

deadline is tomorrow and you decide that

it can't be pushed any further so you

sit down to study for it but you're

stressed about the deadline and so you

procrastinate but that makes you even

more stressed and now you're back here

watching YouTube videos when you need to

be studying but that's okay because this

is the only video that you need to watch

to know how to study for a test the day

4. the first two are things you can do

and the last one is something you can

change so make sure to stick around for

the whole video number one multi-sensory

learning we remember and learn things

best when multiple centers are involved

look back to some of your best memories

chances are that the smell of something

or the way something felt or something

you heard are all part of the memory

that's because the more senses there are

the more likelier you are to remember it

and I'm not saying to go and eat your

textbook stop being stupid but when

we're in a rush use lots of sensors at

once so that the information sticks and

so the way to do this is to watch videos

to study this might sound silly but

let's say you want to study a topic the

fastest way to learn is to watch a

YouTube video on it put on the

transcription and make notes as you go

along because when you watch videos it

uses both your auditory and visual

sensors and on top of that when you

write notes it's actively consolidating

that knowledge don't get distracted and

start watching another random video or

fighting someone in the comments though

just stick to that video and when you

need to pause and take notes do that and

the reason that this is so good is that

there are people out there who summarize

these topics so well in condensed

amounts of time because a lot of the

stuff in your textbook is fluff anyway

so when you watch these videos they're

acting as a summary point and when

you're writing these notes you'll

remember them but you have to promise

yourself that this won't become a

distraction actively take notes and

listen to what they're saying and I

don't know if this is weird or something

but when you're in an exam and a

question comes up sometimes for me I can

just replay that bit of video that I

watched and I could find myself finding

the answers and talking about answers

this leads on to the second Point

answers first this seems strange why

would you do answers first because

ideally you would make notes and learn

about the whole topic and then you would

do practice questions as I talk about in

this video however taking notes and

reading through the whole textbook takes

time and time is something that we don't

have right now because most of the time

textbooks at the end of the chapter have

a chapter summary and questions that you

can do this is the gold mine do these by

doing these questions you're actually

learning more because a lot of the

information in textbooks is fluff anyway

like we talked about and not necessarily

tailored towards tests anyway and if you

really want to learn a subject I would

recommend reading through the entire

textbook but if your sole purpose is to

study for an exam is to do the questions

but examples they all end up asking the

same types of questions they have a

preference for certain topics but they

don't question these so by doing the

questions you're making it so that

you're prepared for the exam not for the

topic think about that time where you

study really hard for this topic test

but most of the stuff that you learned

wasn't even in the test and it was all

just one topic and it might seem

unpredictable and random but it's not

the samurai section at the end of

textbooks is actually a good indicator

about what the questions are going to be

orientated around for example in this

textbook here's the summary and here are

the practice questions I would recommend

you read this summary first and then do

the questions because as I talk about in

most of my videos doing things and

actively consolidating your learning by

doing past paper questions is the best

way you can learn and the ones that you

don't know the answers to look at the

answers and write them down and there

you've got yourself a model answer that

you can learn and you can use in the

exam understanding and memorize the

answer structure this will give you a

solid understanding of of the answers

but also the questions because the thing

about exams is it's answering questions

when I just used to revise content I

wouldn't do as well as when I revised

the question being able to know what the

question wants and what I'm asking is

saying is very important because you and

I just saw that the sum of the masking

for some subjects are word specific and

you need to know how the monk scheme

works so revise questions as well as

answers and the third one what you can

change so you know how to revise for a

test a day before an exam that's great

if you take on what all these tips

you'll undoubtedly do very well however

when you have multiple exams or you have

a big series of important internal

examinations coming up this simply won't

cut it you know trust us all that you

procrastinated and you probably should

have done the revision before and

cramming is bad I talk about this a lot

but it doesn't allow time for the

information to be processed and stored

in long-term memory so inevitably you're

going to be ending up revising this

topic again when you have to revisit

this topic for the end of years it it

could lead to stress and anxiety and it

could lead to poor sleep because you're

trying to Crown things all at once and

it doesn't give you a chance to actually

apply the information so what you can

change is ask yourself why you ended up

procrastinating was it because you were

bored or you didn't manage your time

well enough or maybe you weren't

organized where you couldn't find

motivation so next time find out when

you have an exam and straight away

Market in your calendar that way you'll

always know when it is and tell yourself

you're trying to be more organized if

you found the cause of your crummy check

out my other videos because I might have

already made a video about it

all right

[Music]