Most students sit down, open their notes, and start reading. That's the wrong move. Here's the system that actually works. Step 1️⃣ — Figure out what's on the exam This sounds obvious but most students skip it. Before you study anything, get clear on what's actually being tested. Ask your teacher what units are covered, what types of questions to expect, and where the marks are weighted. Then build your study plan around that — not around everything you covered all semester. Don't study what isn't on the exam! Step 2️⃣ — Master topics first, then interleave Start by studying one unit at a time in isolation. This is called blocked practice — your brain is primed to use specific concepts because you know exactly which unit you're in. Master the techniques in that unit before moving on. Once you've worked through each unit, switch to interleaving — mixing questions from across all units randomly. This is harder, but that's the point. An exam doesn't tell you which chapter you're in. Interleaving trains you to figure that out on your own, which is exactly what separates students who studied from students who prepared. Step 3️⃣ — Focus on what you don't know Time is limited. There's no point reviewing material you already have down cold. Be ruthless about this: - Struggling with a topic? Spend more time there - Confident on a topic? Review it briefly and move on - A topic carries more exam weight? Prioritize it If you review your notes and genuinely don't understand something — get help immediately. Don't sit on confusion for days. Find a different resource, watch a different explanation, or book a tutoring session. You don't have time to wait it out. Step 4️⃣ — Test yourself constantly The single biggest mistake students make is passive studying. Reading your notes is not studying. Looking at a worked example and nodding along is not studying. Your brain needs to be forced to retrieve information, not just recognize it. The research is clear on this. Students who test themselves consistently outperform students who re-read their notes — even when the re-readers spend more time studying.

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You know how much time to spend on each exam. Now let's talk about when.📅 If you missed the last post, we covered how to rank your courses and divide your study time based on what's actually at stake. This builds on that. Start two weeks out — before you even open a textbook A couple of weeks before exams, get organized. Make sure you have all your notes, know your current grades, and have a rough study plan in place. Sorting out your notes beforehand sounds boring — but missing notes mid-study session is one of the biggest time wasters there is. Handle it early. The three keys: start early, study often, take real breaks Start early The earlier you start, the more chances you have to study, ask questions, and actually understand the material. You'll still have regular classes and probably unit tests during this time — do your best to manage the day-to-day while gradually ramping up exam prep. Early momentum beats last-minute panic every time. Study often Don't cram everything into one sitting. Spaced repetition is one of the most well-researched study techniques out there — one hour a day for five days beats five hours in one day. Every time. Spreading your sessions out also means the material has time to consolidate between reviews, so it actually sticks. Take real breaks Starting early and spacing out sessions makes this easier. Use short breaks — a 25-minute Pomodoro followed by a 5-minute break — and longer breaks like a full night's sleep. When you take a short break, actually leave your desk. Get a snack, stretch, play an instrument. A break that's still mentally draining isn't a break. Bonus: study a little before bed Your brain keeps processing while you sleep. A short review session right before bed can prime your brain to consolidate what you studied overnight. It doesn't need to be long — even 15–20 minutes makes a difference. Now you have a system: prioritize your exams, divide your time, and space out your studying. Next post: what to actually do when you sit down to study.

Exam schedules are brutal. Six exams in six days. Two exams in one day. A random week off in the middle. I've seen it all — and I can tell you, none of it is fun.😠 But here's the thing - studying for exams isn't just about working hard. 💡 It's about being strategic. How much time to spend on each class, what to study, and when. In a perfect world you'd have unlimited time to master everything. But that's not how this works — you have to pick and choose. So let's talk about how to decide where to spend your time. Step 1 — Figure out what you actually need on each exam Look at your current grade and how much the exam is worth (15%, 30%, 50%, etc.). You can calculate exactly what score you need to hit your target grade in the course. Ask your teacher to walk you through it — or drop a comment below and I'll put together a calculator for this. Step 2 — Rate how difficult each course is for you personally A tough course where you need a high exam score deserves more time than an easy course where you just need to pass. These are not equal — don't treat them that way. Step 3 — Rank your courses by priority Put them in order: - Top: hard courses where you need to do really well on the exam - Bottom: easier courses where you just need a decent result - Middle: everything else — this is where the judgment call happens Step 4 — Divide your time accordingly If you have 10 hours to study across four courses, you might split it 4 / 3 / 2 / 1 — most time to your hardest, highest-stakes course, least time to the one you've already got under control. That's how you figure out **how much time** to spend on each exam. In the next post I'll break down **when to study** for each course — and after that, **what to actually study** when you sit down. Follow so you don't miss it. Drop a comment: how many exams are you writing this semester? 👇

The fastest way to study is: 1 - try a question 2 - check if its right 3 - if not, figure out what you did wrong 4 - try again Seems so simple but students often miss step 3 and 4!! This factoring calculator for high school students randomly generates practice problems, hides the answer, then shows the step by step solution so you can check your work. Give it a try! https://app.myhomeworkrewards.com/lessons/Gr10/Math/Polynomials/sum_product_factoring.php Happy studying, Gabe