University Surival Guide: Last Minute Study Tips for Exams

If you're a university student in Australia, chances are you only have a week left till Swot Vac (exam revision "vacation"). So you haven't been really studying this semester because life, Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest just got in the way. That's okay. We've all been there or are there. As part of my University Survival Guide, I've put together some last minute study tips (also known cramming tips) for you. I do not encourage you to keep doing this. My next post will be on tips for studying consistently and I will explain why then. But for now, on with the cramming!

You'll be getting a week of Swot Vac and two weeks of exam period (may vary between universities). Let's run with a bad case scenario: you have 5 exams to study for and they are not evenly spaced out. The pink week represents Swot Vac and the blue weeks represent exam period.

Here's how I'd study for these 5 papers.

What I do is start with the last paper and work my way to the first paper before working my way back to the last paper. On days where I put two subjects, I'd do them in that order. For example, for the 11/6, I would study subject B in the morning and early afternoon and then study subject A in the late afternoon and evening. I made 7/6 to 10/6 flexible because it depends on how difficult your subjects are. So you may choose to study the difficult subject for more days.

This is how I study. It may or may not work for you. It is a just ROUGH GUIDE. I cannot guarantee you a pass or flying colours with this method, after all you are cramming. It's up to you to do the studying.

Other tips

• Get enough sleep every night. Your brain will process things when you sleep and you'll remember things better. 
• If you have difficulty remembering something, write it out. You'll remember it better.
• This is optional: you can wear a perfume/fragrant essential oil (such as lavender) while studying and then wear that same perfume again on the day you sit for the exam. The scent will stimulate your memory. Assign a scent for each subject. 
• Take small breaks, it'll keep you sane. Don't do anything that will keep you occupied for hours (such as playing computer games). Have a snack, do some stretches instead or relax your eyes by standing outdoors and looking around for a couple of minutes. 

That's all I can think of for now. Good luck! 

Do you have any last minute studying tips? Do share.