Study for an English Exam at the Last Minute

You've done it again. It's the night before your English exam, and you have neglected to study. You've got a long night ahead of you, but if you work hard, you do have time to review some of your materials to prepare for your exam.

Steps

Making a Plan

1. Use a study guide or your syllabus. If you're teacher gave you a study guide, great, you can use it to guide your studying. If not, you'll need to use a syllabus. A syllabus is helpful because it gives you an overview of what you studied. If you don't have a syllabus, you'll need to make your own outline.
2. Make an outline of major ideas. If you have a syllabus, use it to map out what you studied. If you don't, think about the major ideas or works you've studied in the testing period, whether that it is major grammar ideas, such as parallelism, or major works of literature, such as Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre.
   • You can create a visual diagram by creating boxes of major ideas and then showing how they are connected with lines to help you visualize what you need to study.
   • However, you can also just create a list of the major ideas with space underneath each one to add sub-ideas. For instance, your list for the study period might include Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, and Mary Elizabeth Braddon's Lady Audley's Secret, along with poetry by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Underneath those headings, you might list main themes, characters, and ideas.
3. Map out your time. Once you know what you need to study, write out a short list of how long you can spend on each area. Base this list on how long you have to study. For instance, if you have 6 hours to study, and you have 18 topics, then you can only spend about 20 minutes studying each topic.
4. Focus on what you don't know. Once you've made a list of major topics, decide which ones you know the best. Maybe you're great at parallelism, but you're having trouble with gerunds. Alternatively, maybe you have Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet down cold, but you're having trouble remembering the details of Aphra Behn's The Rover. Focus your attention on what you don't remember, not what you do.
   • It's better to review everything at least once if possible. However, if you just don't have enough time, stick to what you don't know.
   • If you do have time to review everything, note what you need to focus on as you study.
5. Know what kind of test is ahead. If you're teacher or professor is big on facts and figures, you may have a section of multiple-choice or short answer questions. You may see this type of exam if your English class is a grammar class. However, literature exams are often based around essay questions. The professor or teacher will expect you to know the heart of the material.
   • One way to judge what the test will be like is to use past exams and quizzes. Do a quick review to see what kind of questions she likes to pull out.
   • Once you know what kind of questions she likes, use that to plan for your exam.
6. Remove distractions. Put your phone away. Turn off your computer if possible. If not, try using an app that disables the internet or certain sites for a period of time to help remove distractions. Turn the television off. Clear your workspace so that only your notes and what you need to study for the test are on it.
7. Listen to Mozart. This type of music, which has 60 beats per minute, activates both sides of your brain. Because it increases your brain activity, it helps you retain information. Try turning it on low to listen to while you're studying.

Studying for the Test

1. Break the material into chunks. Don't try to cram it all in at once. If you try to study the same thing for 5 hours in a row, your brain is going to stop absorbing information. Instead, try switching subjects every 20 to 30 minutes. If you must focus on your English exam by itself, switch topics within the subject. For instance, try studying Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice for 20 minutes, then move on to Shakespeare's Othello.
2. Use your notes. If you've taken good notes in class, now is the time to use them. Often, your professor will bring up key points in class, so by studying what she said, you'll have an idea of what's on the exam.
3. Make new notes to help you review. You've already mapped out a main outline. Now, try to fill it in with more details. If you're studying novels, try filling in the main characters and their story arcs. Write out the main plot of the story in basic terms, as well as the main ideas. Use your resources to help you.
4. Make flashcards. If your class is more grammar-based or if you reviewed types of literary devices, try making flash cards. Write the term on the front, and then write the definition or explanation on the back. Use them to review the ideas, then quiz yourself by making yourself give the definition from the term on the front. Only check yourself after you've given an answer.
5. Make a timeline. If your class has followed a particular timeline in literature, try creating a visual timeline. Map out the books from the earliest to the latest, adding main ideas under each novel or poem. Use it to see what themes are common in the period you are studying.
6. Skim your textbooks. If your English class has a textbook besides novels, take the time to skim it. Don't read everything. Look at the major headings to help you remember major ideas.
7. Use summaries to help you remember. If you're having a hard time remembering every novel you read this year or semester, try using a summary website that provides synopsis of stories. Just be sure that the version you're reading about is the same version used in class, as sometimes translations can have different character names. The full summaries that go chapter by chapter can be too long for a review, but even the short summaries can help jog your memory.
8. Answer review questions. If your professor or teacher provided you with review questions, take the time to answer them. Not only will it help you review the material, but also, writing it down can help solidify it in your brain. Plus, it helps you think through difficult questions before you get to the exam.
   • For instance, maybe your teacher wants you to write on the use of words related to sight in Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man. If you don't want to answer it fully in review, at least make a list of the major ideas so you'll be ready when you take the test.
   • If your exam will be grammar-focused, try working through the problems the teacher gave you. Diagram a sentence, so you are sure you remember how to do it.
9. Know what type of learner you are. Maybe you learn best by hearing things; in that case, reading your notes out loud may help. Maybe you're a tactile learner. In that case, try writing down major ideas. If you're a visual leaner, try drawing maps of the novel's plot to help you remember the it.
10. Study with friends. Friends can be distracting if you get off topic, but friends can also help you retain information by encouraging it to come alive. If you're just reviewing facts and names about Thomas Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd, you may find yourself falling into monotony. However, if you take some time to discuss the plot and what you liked and didn't like about Hardy's novel, it will come alive, bringing back details you may have forgotten.
11. Take a break. You still need breaks, even if you are pressed for time. Your brain gets tired after so many hours, so take at least a 5 to 10 minute break every hour. Get up and move around. Stretch your legs. Go outside for a few minutes. Get a cup of tea. Just make sure to disengage your brain from what you're studying.

Preparing Your Body

1. Get some sleep. As tempting as it is to stay up all night, it's important to get as much sleep as possible before a test. Your brain will not function well if you haven't gotten enough sleep. Getting enough sleep will allow you to better recall the information you've already learned in the class, even if you weren't able to review that information or cram new information into your brain.
   • Don't forget to set your alarm. You don't want to miss your test.
   • If you have a hard time getting up, try putting your alarm clock or phone across the room so you have to get out of bed to turn off the alarm.
2. Eat normally. Although breakfast is important, you don't want to eat breakfast all of a sudden if that's not your normal routine, as it could upset your stomach. Additionally, don't change to a new food for breakfast that may make you need to leave your exam halfway through because your stomach is complaining. Keep it simple, and close to what your normally eat.
3. Calm yourself down. If you feel yourself getting stressed before tests, take a few minutes before class to calm yourself down. You can even do it after your teacher hands out the test, as that is when you're likely to be the most stressed.
   • Take a few minutes to breathe. Close your eyes for a few moments. Concentrate on your breathing. Count to seven as you breathe in, and then count to seven as you breathe out.
   • Look at your test. Tell yourself that you are going to do well. Remind yourself that you worked hard throughout the semester, and you're likely to remember what you need.

Tips

• In the future, try using a calendar to better plan out your study time.

Related Articles

• Avoid Getting Bored During a Test or Exam
• Ace the GMAT
• Be Qualified to Take a CNA State Exam
• Achieve Success in the UKCAT
• Be Safe and Effective when Cheating on a Test
• Achieve UMAT Success
• Study at the Last Minute

Sources and Citations

See also

• Pass Your Actuarial Exams
• Stop Underachieving in Exams
• Prepare for the Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Exam
• Pass a Job Assessment Test
• Check Your PSAT Score
• Study for the TOEIC Speaking Test
• Be Prepared for a Big Test
• Study For Exams
• Pass Final Exams
• Prepare for an Exam

Read more ...

What links here

• Study at the Last Minute