how to STUDY for an EXAM in 2 DAYS after FALLING BEHIND in class | my 6-DAY CATCH UP & STUDY PLAN

Summary

In this video, Nathan, a second-year Pharmacy student, shares his six-day study plan for catching up on missed lectures and preparing for weekly exams. He advises prioritizing lecture notes, using digital flashcards like Anki for efficient learning, and focusing on critical content. Nathan also recommends using past papers for problem-based courses and creating essay plans for essay-based exams. He encourages viewers to be confident in their ability to learn and study effectively even with tight deadlines.

Takeaways

• 📚 **Six-Day Study Plan**: Nathan shares his study plan for catching up and preparing for exams within a week.
• 🕒 **Time Management**: Allocate four days for catching up on missed content and two days for studying before the exam.
• 📈 **Efficiency**: Prioritize lecture notes over additional readings or videos to focus on core concepts.
• 📋 **Flashcards**: Utilize flashcards, especially digital ones like Anki, for quick and effective learning.
• 🔄 **Spaced Repetition**: Use Anki's spaced repetition feature to enhance memory retention.
• 📝 **Active Learning**: Create flashcards while reading lecture slides to reinforce learning.
• 📐 **Problem-Based Learning**: For subjects like math, focus on practice problems after understanding the theory.
• 📖 **Summarize and Note-Taking**: For literature, read summaries and focus on themes, characters, and quotes.
• 📉 **Prioritization**: In case of limited time, concentrate on the most critical topics in the lecture slides.
• 📝 **Essay Planning**: For essay-based exams, create plans for potential essay questions to streamline writing during the exam.
• 💪 **Confidence**: Despite the cramming, trust the process and the techniques used to prepare for the exam.

Q & A

What is Nathan's academic background?

Nathan is a second-year Pharmacy student studying at the University of Waterloo.

How often does Nathan have exams?

Nathan has exams every single week on Monday mornings.

What is the duration of Nathan's exams?

The exams are 2 hours long.

What system did Nathan develop to cope with his weekly exams?

Nathan developed a six-day study plan to catch up on missed lectures and study for his exams.

How many days does Nathan allocate for catching up on content?

Nathan allocates four days, from Tuesday to Friday, for catching up on content.

What does Nathan prioritize when he is running low on time?

When running low on time, Nathan prioritizes lecture notes over readings, case studies, and extra videos.

What tool does Nathan recommend for content-based courses?

Nathan recommends using flashcards, either digital like Anki or physical flashcards, for content-based courses.

What is the name of the online learning community Nathan mentions?

Nathan mentions Skillshare, an online learning community.

What is the name of the Anki tutorial class Nathan recommends?

Nathan recommends the class 'Learn Anything with Flashcards: The Ultimate Guide to Anki' by Ali Abdal.

How does Nathan use Anki differently due to time constraints?

Nathan uses Anki unconventionally by adapting the space repetition technique to his tight schedule.

What technique does Nathan use to make flashcards quickly?

Nathan uses image occlusion, where he covers up something and tests himself, to make flashcards quickly.

What does Nathan suggest for problem-based or essay-based courses?

For problem-based courses, Nathan suggests doing practice problems, and for essay-based courses, he suggests reading summaries online and making notes on important themes, characters, and quotes.

How does Nathan approach the weekend before an exam?

Nathan spends the weekend quizzing himself with flashcards for content-based courses or doing past papers and making essay plans for problem-based or essay-based courses.

What is Nathan's advice for students who feel unprepared before an exam?

Nathan advises students to be confident, as they have saturated their brains with knowledge through the techniques he shared.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Six-Day Study Plan for Catching Up and Exam Prep

Nathan, a second-year Pharmacy student, shares his six-day study plan designed for students who are behind on coursework or facing a heavy curriculum. The plan involves catching up on missed lectures and content from Tuesday to Friday, then studying for the upcoming exam on the weekend. Nathan emphasizes the importance of efficiency, prioritizing lecture notes over supplementary materials, and using digital flashcards for content-based courses. He also recommends using Anki, a flashcard program employing spaced repetition, to enhance learning. Nathan suggests making flashcards actively while going through lecture slides to reinforce understanding and retention.

05:00

📈 Adapting Study Techniques for Different Course Types

The script differentiates study strategies based on course types. For problem-based or essay-based courses like math, the focus is on reading lecture slides, taking notes, and practicing problems. For English, it's about reading lecture summaries and noting themes, characters, and quotes. By day four, students should have caught up on all content. Over the weekend, content-based courses require intensive flashcard review, while problem-based courses involve working on past papers and essay planning. The goal is to anticipate exam questions and ensure comprehensive preparation. Nathan encourages confidence, highlighting that despite the cramming, the techniques used are effective for absorbing and recalling information during exams.

10:01

🎓 Encouragement and Study Tips

In the final paragraph, Nathan offers encouragement and motivation, asserting that it's possible to prepare for an exam within a week using the right methods. He invites viewers to share their exam preparation experiences and requests feedback on whether they would like to see more study tips and vlogs. Nathan also promotes his Instagram for daily content and signs off with a positive note, assuring viewers of their potential to do well on their exams.

Keywords

💡Pharmacy student

A pharmacy student is an individual enrolled in a university program focused on the study of pharmaceutical sciences. This includes learning about medication, drug interactions, and patient counseling. In the video, Nathan identifies himself as a second-year pharmacy student, indicating his academic status and the context for his study strategies.

💡Exam

An exam is a formal test of a student's ability to understand a subject, which often involves answering questions or solving problems. In the video, Nathan mentions having exams every Monday, which is a key part of his academic routine and the driving force behind his study plan.

💡Study plan

A study plan is a structured approach to learning that outlines the steps a student will take to prepare for exams or complete coursework. Nathan shares his six-day study plan, which is designed to help him catch up on missed lectures and study efficiently.

💡Flashcards

Flashcards are a study tool consisting of a set of cards, typically index cards, where each card contains a question or a term on one side and the answer or definition on the other. Nathan suggests using flashcards, either digital or physical, as an effective way to learn and memorize information quickly, especially for content-based courses.

💡Spaced repetition

Spaced repetition is a learning technique that involves reviewing information at increasing intervals over time, which is proven to enhance long-term memory retention. Nathan mentions using Anki, a flashcard program that employs spaced repetition, to study efficiently.

💡Procrastination

Procrastination is the act of delaying or postponing tasks or actions. Nathan's study plan is particularly aimed at students who may have procrastinated, helping them to catch up quickly and be prepared for exams despite falling behind.

💡Active recall

Active recall is a learning technique where students actively attempt to remember information without looking at the material, which is known to improve memory and understanding. Nathan suggests making flashcards while reading lecture slides as a form of active recall.

💡Content-based course

A content-based course is a type of academic course that focuses on the acquisition of factual knowledge or specific content areas. Nathan differentiates his study approach for content-based courses, emphasizing the use of flashcards for memorization.

💡Problem-based course

A problem-based course is designed around the presentation and resolution of complex problems, often requiring critical thinking and application of knowledge. Nathan discusses adapting his study plan for problem-based courses, such as math, by doing practice problems.

💡Skillshare

Skillshare is an online learning community offering classes on various topics. Nathan mentions Skillshare in the context of a sponsored video, where he recommends a specific class on using Anki for effective learning.

💡Efficiency

Efficiency refers to the ability to achieve a desired outcome without wasting materials, time, or energy. Nathan's study plan emphasizes efficiency, showing students how to maximize their study time and quickly catch up on missed material.

Highlights

Nathan shares his six-day study plan for catching up and preparing for exams.

Nathan's plan involves catching up on missed lectures and content in 4 days and studying in 2 days.

He emphasizes the importance of prioritizing what to study when time is limited.

Lecture notes are suggested as the primary study material over readings and extra materials.

Flashcards are recommended for content-based courses like biology or humanities.

Digital flashcards like Anki are preferred for their efficiency over physical flashcards.

Anki uses spaced repetition to help with recall, which is beneficial for time-crunched studying.

Nathan explains his process of creating Anki flashcards during study vlogs.

Skillshare is mentioned as a resource for learning how to use Anki effectively.

The technique of making flashcards while reading lecture slides is introduced for active learning.

For problem-based courses like math, practice problems are emphasized over lecture slides.

For essay-based courses, reading summaries and making essay plans are suggested.

By day four, Nathan advises finishing all content learning and catching up.

Flashcard quizzes are the main study method for the weekend leading up to the exam.

Past papers and essay plans are recommended for problem-based and essay-based courses.

Nathan encourages confidence in the cramming technique despite the pressure.

He shares his success with the study plan and motivates viewers to try it.

The video concludes with Nathan wishing viewers good luck and inviting them to share their exam experiences.

Transcripts

hi friends it's Nathan a second year

Pharmacy student studying at the

University of watero Welcome to my

channel welcome back to my channel so I

have exams every single week Monday

mornings 9:00 a.m. 2hour long in

duration and because of this I had to

figure out a system on how I could learn

quickly and study even quicker so

without me even realizing I developed a

technique where I would catch up on all

the lectures that I missed and all the

content that I'm behind in in 4 days and

then study in 2 days days in time for my

exam on Monday morning and surprisingly

it's worked really well so I'm going to

share with you my six day study plan

this was not something that I really

thought too much about it it just kind

of was born out of necessity I had to

adapt and this is what came out of it so

if you're in a similar situation where

you've procrastinated and you're falling

behind or if your curriculum is just

grueling like mine then keep on

watching like I mentioned this is a six

day catchup study plan I'm going to set

the time frame as if we have an exam

Monday morning just cuz it's easier to

follow like that but you can just shift

it accordingly whenever your exam is so

from Tuesday to Friday those are our

four days to catch up and our weekends

uh those two days are for us to study

let's get

started assuming you have an exam on

Monday your next free day is going to be

Tuesday so that is your day one and from

day 1 to 4: or Tuesday to Friday you are

going to catch up and learn all the

content that you missed depending on how

far behind you are in class it may take

you four days it may take you 2 days the

lesser the number of days the better

however you're giving yourself a maximum

of 4 days to study that is what you're

capping it as no more than that and you

may be thinking that I'm crazy but it's

definitely doable I have studied one

month of material in 4 days so if I can

do it you can do it too you just have to

be really efficient and I'm going to

show you how to be efficient you have to

be prioritizing what you need to study

if you're running low on time forget

about the readings the case studies the

extra videos you have to watch forget

about all that and just focus on the

lecture notes because those are the main

Concepts that is what the professor or

teacher is going to be asking you for

majority of the questions on the

exam for a Content based course like

biology or Humanities you're going to be

using flashcards either anky Quizlet or

physical

flashcards I would discourage flash

cards unless you're able to make them

very quickly because they tend to take

significantly more time than digital

flash cards I've learned from experience

that flash cards are the most effective

way to learn especially on a time crunch

they're fast they're effective and

essentially you're able to get through a

lot of material in a very short amount

of time I use anky which is a free flash

guard program that uses space repetition

we are going to use it a little bit

unconventionally because we don't have

the luxury of time but the technique

still works great a lot of you have been

asking me how I make my my Ane cards

what my process is like because you guys

see it in every single study Vlog so let

me know in the comments if you want to

see that video but until then um I

recommend checking out an anky tutorial

on skillshare who has kindly sponsored

today's video skillshare is an online

learning community with thousands of

inspiring classes ranging from

productivity lifestyle Tech creativity

and so much more and from these classes

you can learn new skills develop your

passions and try something creative the

class is called learn anything with

flashcards The Ultimate Guide to anky by

Ali abdal who we all know and love the

class provides an extensive walkthrough

of anky and its features so that you can

maximize Act of recall and space

repetition anky can be challenging in

the very beginning because it's a very

unfamiliar program the idea behind it is

not very known however this tutorial

gave me everything I need to know and it

actually taught me how to use image

occlusion and image occlusion is what

you see I use in every single study blog

it's where you cover up something and

then you test yourself and that is

primarily how I'm able to make 70 flash

cards in an hour and study all 70 flash

cards effectively and fully in 2 hours

definitely check out the class Ali does

an amazing job at explaining as you can

tell skillshare is designed for Learning

and they're constantly coming out with

new premium classes you'll be able to

stay focused and run wild with whatever

you're passionate about the first 1,000

people to click the link in my

description will get a 1 Monon free

trial of skillshare Premium so that you

can take the YK class and any other

class CL that interest you as you're

reading through your lecture slides

you're going to be making flashcards now

the key is that you're going to be doing

both simultaneously so once you read a

lecture slide you're going to make a

flash card for it and then keep doing it

and keep doing it and the reason for

this is that reading through lecture

slides can be very passive however if

you're actively making flashcards on the

content you just read it's double

exposed you're hitting two birds with

one stone you're understanding it better

and essentially not only are you

learning the material but you're also

prepping to

study for a problem-based or essay based

course it's a little bit different so

for something like math you are going to

read your lecture slides and only make

notes if you don't have lecture slides

available for subject like math read

your lecture slides only take notes if

you're not given lecture slides and then

do practice problems for subject like

English you are going to read your

lecture slides and read summaries of

your text online Trust me you're going

to be able to find them there's no point

of rereading your actual text because

that's a waste of time just look for the

summaries online and you're going to

take notes on what is important for your

exam so don't take notes on plot because

that should be common knowledge at this

point it's either you know it or you

don't uh and they're probably not going

to ask you specific things on the plot

focus on themes characters quotes these

are the things that you will most likely

be required to write an essay on in the

exam and a bunch of other questions

will'll probably ask on these so that is

what you need to know not so much the

plot by day four or Friday you should be

scheduled to finish learning all the

content and catching up on everything by

the end of the day if you're starting to

panic and realize that there's no way

you can do that then you're going to

prioritize even more okay you are going

to at this point just focus on the key

key key critical things in your lecture

slides and hope that your able to make

connections and infer on the knowledge

that you haven't learned based on the

knowledge that you have learned there

tends to be connections and relations to

topics so hopefully if you understand

one content really well you can kind of

bridge off of that and craft a response

for something else that is what you got

to do at this point because you just got

to keep going you got to keep

going we reached the weekend so for a

content-based course you are going to

quiz yourself using flash cards for the

next 2 days that is the sole thing

you're going to be doing for the next 48

hours you're just going to go through

flash cards with anky if you're studying

a specific chapter and you're struggling

with a card you can actually choose to

see that card again a little later on

while you're studying the same set and

that's what I think is so effective

about it but essentially if you don't

use anky and you're using quiz or

fysical flash cards just make sure that

you're noting down what you're unsure of

and then going back to it again it's

really important that you are studying

your sets very effectively and 100%

because you're not going to go back to

these sets once you finished a chapter

once you finished a set of flash cards

that's done and you're not going to

revisit it so make sure you're giving it

your all when you're studying that

chapter for your problem based course or

essay based courses you're going to be

doing past papers and making essay plans

again those are the sole things you'll

be doing in the next 48 hours the main

idea of doing this is essentially

anticipating question questions by doing

enough physics problems you're going to

realize that they can only ask a

kinematics question in so many ways or

if you're studying Shakespeare you know

they're going to ask about themes so

make an essay plan on every single theme

I loved English and I've become a very

strong writer so let me know if you want

a video on how to write a perfect essay

because I have gotten hundreds in my

essays so if you want that let me know

in the comments

below and that brings us to the end of

the six day catchup study plan where we

caught up in 4 days and studied in 2

days all in time for our exam I've been

using this technique throughout the term

and I've been doing well so it's

definitely something to try especially

if you have high turnaround exams or if

you procrastinated and ended yourself up

in the situation you may feel a little

unprepared leading up to the exam

especially in those last two days

because you're going through so much

content so quickly but be confident in

yourself you have saturated your brain

in the past six days with knowledge that

you have learned understood memorized

practiced and planned and all these

little things that we've been doing

making the flashcards while reading the

active recall and making the essay

planned doing practice problems all

these add up so that when you're in the

exam it'll all just come flooding back

despite I guess cramming it you have

done everything in your power to prepare

for this exam so be confident walking

into that room show The Examiner that

you are that student you know they

always say you can't study for this in a

week yes you can yes you can if you have

the right methods and you have the

diligence and you have the motivation

yes you can so show them that you're

able to catch up effectively study

efficiently and ultimately Ace the exam

if you enjoyed the video please make

sure to give it a like as well as for

good luck I will be manifesting A's for

all of you let me know what exam you're

studying for in the comments and if you

want to see more study tips and Vlogs

make sure to subscribe and hit the Bell

icon so you get notified every time I

post a new video which is Tuesdays at

11:00 a.m. EDT if you want to see more

day-to-day content make sure to follow

me on Instagram at@ nathan. woo but

that's it for me and I'll see you

friends in the next video bye you'll do

great trust me you will

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