The best study methods for exams are practice testing (quizzing yourself instead of rereading) and distributed practice (spreading your study over days and weeks instead of cramming). A large review of ten learning techniques, published in 2013 by Dunlosky and colleagues, rated these two as having the highest overall utility, while highlighting, rereading and summarization were rated low. Add a few supporting methods such as past papers, the Feynman technique and short Pomodoro sessions, and you have a complete system for school, board and college exams.
Most students do the opposite. They reread notes, highlight whole pages and cram the night before, because it feels productive. This guide shows what to do instead: ten methods with simple steps, a table to compare them, how to pick the right one for your exam type, a sample weekly plan with the hours worked out, and the study habits that quietly waste your time. If your marks matter for your overall average, it also links to the pages that show how a single exam moves your grades.
Study Methods for Exams at a Glance
| Method | What you do | Best for | Evidence |
| Active recall (practice testing) | Close the book and quiz yourself, with flashcards or questions | Almost every subject | Highest utility rating, Dunlosky et al. 2013 |
| Spaced repetition (distributed practice) | Review the same topic on several days, not in one sitting | Memory-heavy subjects | Highest utility rating, Dunlosky et al. 2013 |
| Past paper practice | Solve old papers under timed conditions | Board, school and college exams | Retrieval practice applied to the real format |
| Feynman technique | Explain a topic in plain words and fix the gaps | Concepts, theory, science | Based on the elaboration strategy from the Learning Scientists |
| Interleaving | Mix topics in one session instead of one chapter at a time | Maths, problem-solving subjects | One of the Learning Scientists’ six strategies |
| Pomodoro technique | Study in short timed blocks with breaks | Focus and avoiding burnout | Time-management method, not a memory technique |
| Mind maps and diagrams | Draw how ideas connect | Visual topics, processes | Dual coding, a Learning Scientists strategy |
| Cornell notes | Split each page into cues, notes and a summary | Lecture-heavy courses | A note-taking method, widely taught by colleges |
| Study groups | Quiz each other with prepared questions | Discussion and problem-solving subjects | Retrieval practice with peers, per the Learning Scientists |
| Elaboration and concrete examples | Explain in depth and add your own examples | Abstract concepts and definitions | Two of the Learning Scientists’ six strategies |
The first two rows matter most. Everything else is a way to apply them or to protect your focus while you do.
Table of Contents
Active vs Passive Study: The Idea Behind the Best Revision Techniques
Most revision techniques fall into two groups. Passive learning means reading, rereading, highlighting or listening to a lecture again, which builds familiarity with the material. Active learning means self-testing, answering practice questions, explaining a concept or solving problems, which forces your brain to retrieve information from long-term memory. Retrieval practice and distributed practice are the two active methods that the Dunlosky review rated highest.
Memory also fades without review, a pattern often called the forgetting curve, which is the reason spacing your revision across days and weeks improves retention. Self-testing also builds metacognition, which simply means knowing how well you actually know something. When you close your notes and cannot answer, you have found a gap, and that is exactly what good exam preparation should do before the exam does. Keep these ideas in mind and the study skills and time management advice below will make more sense.
The 10 Best Study Methods for Exams, Explained
1. Active Recall (Practice Testing)
Active recall means pulling information out of your memory instead of looking at it again. The Dunlosky review gave practice testing its highest utility rating, and it is the single most useful habit to build.
How to do it:
- Study a topic once from your notes or textbook.
- Close everything and write down everything you remember, or answer questions about it from memory.
- Open your notes and mark what you missed.
- Turn the missed parts into flashcards or short questions and repeat.
The Learning Scientists add one rule that makes it work: put your notes away while you test yourself, so you can see what you have really mastered. If you reread and the page looks familiar, that is recognition, not recall, and the exam asks for recall. Flashcard apps such as Anki and Quizlet can help, and a blank sheet of paper works just as well.
2. Spaced Repetition (Distributed Practice)
Spaced repetition means coming back to the same material over several days and weeks instead of in one long session. It earned the other top rating in the Dunlosky review, and it is the direct opposite of cramming.
A simple schedule you can copy: review a topic on the day you learn it, again 3 days later, again a week later, and once more two weeks later. Each review is a quick recall session, not a rereading, and it gives your long-term memory a reason to keep the topic. The Learning Scientists suggest spreading study across the week, month and semester, and revisiting older material alongside new topics, so each week should include a short review of earlier chapters.
3. Past Paper Practice
Past papers are active recall in the exact format of your exam. Print an old paper or a sample paper, set a timer for the real exam length, and answer without notes. Then mark yourself honestly against the answer key or mark scheme.
Two things happen. You find the gaps in your knowledge, and you learn to manage time, which is a skill that many students only discover on exam day. Keep a short list of the questions you got wrong and redo them three days later. For board and school exams, check the syllabus and the marking pattern first so you practise the right question types. Our guide on how to write a board exam copy shows how to turn what you know into marks once you are in the exam hall.
Keep an error log. Checking only your score does not tell you why you lost marks. After each paper, note every wrong answer with the reason, then redo those questions a few days later. The University of Ottawa’s exam tips make the same point: getting answers wrong on a practice test is useful, because correcting them helps you avoid repeating the errors. A simple log looks like this:
| Question or topic | Why I lost the mark | Correct approach |
| Q4, compound interest | Used the simple interest formula | Use the compounding formula, check the number of periods |
| Q9, causes of the war | Ran out of time | Write the key point first, then add detail if time remains |
| Q12, algebra | Careless sign error | Recheck signs on the last line |
Before your next paper, read the log first. Patterns show up quickly, and they are usually more useful than your score.
4. The Feynman Technique
The Feynman technique is a way to test whether you really understand something. Pick a concept, explain it in simple words as if teaching a younger student, and notice where you stumble. Those stumbles are the gaps.
- Write the topic at the top of a blank page.
- Explain it in plain language, without looking at your notes.
- Mark the places where you got stuck or used vague words.
- Go back to your notes, fix those parts, and explain it again.
This matches the Learning Scientists’ elaboration strategy, which asks you to explain everything you know about a topic in detail and connect it to other lectures and chapters. It works best for theory, science and any subject where the “why” matters.
5. Interleaving
Interleaving means mixing different topics or problem types in one session instead of finishing one chapter before moving on. For example, in a maths revision session, you might do two algebra questions, two geometry questions and two probability questions, then repeat. The Learning Scientists note that this forces harder recall and helps you see connections between topics. It feels slower and messier than studying one chapter at a time, which is exactly why many students avoid it.
One honest caveat: the Dunlosky review gave interleaved practice a low rating because there was not enough evidence at the time, so treat it as a useful add-on for problem-solving subjects rather than a replacement for recall and spacing.
6. The Pomodoro Technique
The Pomodoro technique is a focus method, not a memory method. You set a timer for 25 minutes of study, take a 5-minute break, and after three more rounds take a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes, as described by Nelson Mandela University’s study guide. It helps most when you keep drifting to your phone or struggle with procrastination. Pair it with a quiet study environment and keep your phone out of reach to cut distractions. Use the 25-minute blocks for the active methods above, such as one block of flashcards and one block of a timed past-paper section.
7. Mind Maps and Diagrams
Pairing words with visuals is called dual coding in the Learning Scientists list. Draw a mind map from memory, with the topic in the centre and branches for the main ideas, then check it against your notes. Drawing from memory turns the map into active recall. Copying a map from your textbook does not.
8. Cornell Notes
Cornell notes are a page layout that builds review into your note-taking. According to SUNY Schenectady’s guide, you split a letter-sized page into a 2.5-inch cue column on the left, a 6-inch note area on the right and a 2-inch summary at the bottom. You record notes during class, reduce them to short cues afterwards, then cover the notes and recite the material from the cues. Spending at least 10 minutes a week reviewing all your notes keeps the spacing going.
9. Study Groups
Study groups work when they are used for quizzing, not chatting. The Learning Scientists list quizzing each other in a study group as one way to practise retrieval. Before the session, each person picks one or two topics and brings five questions. Take turns asking them without revealing the answer straight away, then discuss the questions that caused the most trouble. A group session should add to your own revision, not replace it, because on exam day you answer alone.
10. Elaboration and Concrete Examples
Elaboration means explaining a topic in as much detail as you can and connecting it to other chapters, lectures, courses or things you already know. Concrete examples mean finding or creating an easy-to-picture example for abstract ideas such as definitions and general concepts. Both come from the Learning Scientists’ list of six strategies, and both build comprehension, not just memory.
- Pick one concept and ask “how” and “why” questions about it.
- Answer from memory, then check your notes.
- Link the idea to another chapter or to something you already understand.
- Write your own real-life example, and confirm it with your teacher or textbook.
For example, if you are studying opportunity cost in economics, write your own example: choosing a revision session over a shift at a part-time job. If you can explain the idea and give your own example without notes, you understand it well enough for application questions. The Feynman technique asks you to explain simply. Elaboration asks you to go deeper and connect the dots, so the two work well together.
Combine the Methods
The Learning Scientists point out that these strategies can and should be used together, and that spacing only decides when you study, so it pairs with any of the others. A good session might be a Pomodoro block of recall, a Feynman explanation of what you missed, and a quick mixed question set. For example: draw the water cycle on a blank page, explain each arrow aloud, and redo the exercise three days later. They add that research testing combinations is still limited, so treat this as a strong approach, not a proven formula.
Which Study Method Should You Use for Your Type of Exam?
The two core methods, recall and spacing, work for every exam. What changes is the method you put on top of them. This table is my suggested pairing based on how each exam type is usually tested, not an official rule.
| Exam type | Start with | Add this |
| Board and school exams (written answers) | Past papers and active recall | Feynman explanations for theory chapters |
| Maths and problem-solving exams | Past papers | Interleaving, so you practise choosing the right method |
| Multiple-choice and entrance exams | Flashcards and timed mock tests | Spaced review of the questions you got wrong |
| Essay and theory subjects | Feynman technique | Cornell notes and recalling the structure of an answer |
| Science with diagrams or processes | Active recall | Mind maps and diagrams drawn from memory |
| Language and vocabulary | Flashcards on a spaced schedule | Short daily sessions, not one long weekend session |
If you only have time for one thing, make it past papers plus a short spaced review of every mistake. That combination tests you in the exam format and brings your weak topics back before you forget them.
A Sample Weekly Study Plan (With the Hours Worked Out)
A plan only helps if the hours are realistic. Here is a sample for a student with four subjects and three weeks before the exams. It is an example to adapt, not an official schedule.
| Day | Time | What you do |
| Monday to Friday | 2 hours each day | Hour 1: recall on one weak topic, closed notes. Hour 2: a mixed question set or one timed section of a past paper. |
| Saturday | 3 hours | One full timed past paper, then mark it and list every mistake. |
| Sunday | 1 hour | Spaced review: redo the mistakes from earlier in the week. |
The hours add up like this:
- Weekly hours = (5 days × 2 hours) + 3 hours + 1 hour = 14 hours
- Hours per subject per week = 14 ÷ 4 subjects = 3.5 hours
- Total over three weeks = 14 × 3 = 42 hours, or 10.5 hours per subject
Two adjustments make it better. Give more hours to the subject where your mock paper scores are lowest instead of splitting everything evenly, and keep the Sunday review even when you feel behind, because that is where spacing happens.
If you are in college, first check how much each exam is worth. The Semester Grade Calculator shows how a final exam moves your course grade, and the guide to what a credit hour is explains why a 4-credit course deserves more of your week than a 1-credit one. If your results are already below where you want them, how to raise your GPA walks through what to prioritise first, and the Target CGPA Planner tells you what score you need in the coming exams.
How to Study for Exams When You Have Limited Time
If your exam is only days away, stop trying to cover everything. Find your weakest topics, test yourself on them, and fix your mistakes. Here is the order that works:
- Find the weak spots. Go through your syllabus, answer a few questions from each topic, and mark the ones you cannot explain or solve with confidence.
- Spend your time on active work. Use flashcards, practice questions and short explanations from memory, not rereading. When you get something wrong, check the material, then test yourself again.
- Set a time limit for each task. If one concept is eating your time, note it and come back after covering the other essential topics.
- Plan three to five tasks a day. For example: review two weak topics, finish one set of practice questions, check yesterday’s mistakes and read your formula or definition list before stopping.
- Protect your sleep. More on this below.
Sample Plan If You Only Have One Day
This is a suggested plan for a day with about six hours of real study. It is not a promise of results, and it only works for topics you have seen before.
| Block | Time | What you do |
| 1. Triage | 1 hour | Rank your topics by weakness and marks, and try 10 quick questions to confirm |
| 2. Recall | 2 hours | Four Pomodoro rounds (25 minutes study and 5 minutes break) on your weakest topics, closed notes |
| 3. Paper | 1.5 hours | One timed section of a past paper or sample paper |
| 4. Fix | 1 hour | Mark it, write the error log and redo the mistakes |
| 5. Last review | 30 minutes | Quick recall of formulas, definitions and your error log |
Hours add up as 1 + 2 + 1.5 + 1 + 0.5 = 6 hours, and the recall block is 4 × 30 minutes = 2 hours.
Why You Should Not Skip Sleep
An all-night session feels like extra study time, but it costs you more than it gives. Durham College’s well-being centre explains that during sleep the brain organises and stores what you learned that day, and that cramming at the last minute can be counterproductive, because recall, concentration and alertness fall when you are sleep-deprived. The University of Ottawa’s exam tips also list a good night’s sleep before an exam as the first tip. Sleep consistency matters across the whole week before the exam, not only the last night, so a steady routine beats a heroic one-night effort.
Study Habits That Feel Productive but Waste Your Time
The same review that praised practice testing and distributed practice gave a low utility rating to summarization, highlighting and underlining, and rereading, three of the most common student strategies. The Kent State summary of the study also notes that some students rely on last-minute cramming. Here is what to swap them for.
| Common habit | Why it disappoints | Do this instead |
| Rereading notes again and again | The page looks familiar, so you feel you know it, but you are only recognising it | Close the notes and write what you remember |
| Highlighting whole pages | It feels active but asks nothing of your memory | Turn each highlighted line into a question and answer it |
| Copying or summarising the textbook | Often becomes passive copying | Explain the topic aloud in your own words (Feynman) |
| Cramming the night before | Everything is crowded into one sitting | Spread short sessions across days, with a review on day 3 and day 7 |
| Studying one chapter for hours | Feels smooth, but you never practise switching topics | Mix topics in a session (interleaving) |
| Studying without a timer or plan | Easy to drift and hard to know what is done | Pomodoro blocks and a weekly plan |
Sources: Association for Psychological Science and Kent State University on the Dunlosky review. The “do this instead” column is practical advice built on that review and on the Learning Scientists’ strategies.
This does not mean you should never reread. A quick read to get the first understanding of a new topic is fine. The mistake is treating rereading as the main method instead of the first step.
Example: How One Student Changed Methods (Illustrative)
Here is an example to show how the pieces fit together; the numbers are made up for illustration. Arjun is preparing for his final exams. For the first week he rereads and highlights his notes for about 2 hours a day and then takes a timed practice paper on Saturday. He scores 58 out of 100 and is surprised, because the notes felt familiar.
In week two he keeps the same 14 hours but changes how he uses them. Each weekday he spends an hour closing the notes and writing down what he remembers, and an hour on mixed questions. On Saturday he does another timed paper and writes down every mistake, and on Sunday he redoes those mistakes. The next paper still has gaps, but the gaps are now visible and listed, so he knows exactly where to spend the next week. The hours did not change. The method did, and that is the point: the same time gives you more when it is spent on recall, not rereading.
FAQs About Study Methods for Exams
What is the best study method for exams?
Practice testing (active recall) combined with spaced practice. Dunlosky and colleagues rated both as having the highest utility among ten techniques, while rereading, highlighting and summarization rated low.
What is the difference between active recall and spaced repetition?
Active recall is how you study: you test yourself from memory. Spaced repetition is when you study: you repeat the recall on different days. The best results come from using both together.
How many hours should I study per day for exams?
There is no single official number, because it depends on your subjects and how close the exam is. The sample plan above uses 2 hours on weekdays, 3 hours on Saturday and 1 hour on Sunday, which comes to 14 hours a week. Adjust it based on how your practice paper scores change.
How should I study the night before an exam?
Do a light recall session on your weak topics and your list of past mistakes, prepare what you need for the exam, and stop.
Is cramming effective?
Spreading study over days works better than one big session. The Dunlosky review rated distributed practice as highly useful. If you are short on time, still split your study into short sessions with a review instead of one long block.
Does the Pomodoro technique work for exams?
It helps you stay focused, but it is not a memory method. A common version is 25 minutes of study, a 5-minute break, and a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes after four rounds. Use the blocks for recall and past papers.
Are past papers enough to prepare for an exam?
They are one of the best tools, because they test you in the real format and show your gaps. Use them together with a review of every mistake, and check your syllabus so no topic is missed.
Can I combine different study methods?
Yes. The Learning Scientists say strategies can and should be used together, for example recall with explanation and a sketch, repeated on a schedule. They also note that research on combinations is still limited.
How do I start studying if I feel overwhelmed?
List every topic, mark the weakest ones, and begin with a single 25-minute block on one topic. Then follow the weekly plan above. If your marks are also affecting your grades, see how to raise your GPA for what to prioritise.
How can I prepare for an exam in one day?
Rank your topics by weakness and marks, spend most of your time on recall and practice questions for the weakest ones, then fix your mistakes. The one-day plan above uses about six hours and leaves time for sleep.
Is reading notes enough to prepare for an exam?
Reading helps you understand a topic the first time, but rereading received a low utility rating in the Dunlosky review. Combine reading with self-testing, practice questions and regular review so you can check what you can actually recall.
Conclusion: Start With Recall, Space It Out, Then Add the Rest
The best study methods for exams are not the ones that look the most impressive. They are the ones that make you retrieve information from memory and come back to it over time. Start with active recall and spaced repetition, test yourself with past papers, and keep an error log so every mistake tells you what to fix next. Use the other methods, such as the Feynman technique, interleaving, Pomodoro blocks, mind maps, Cornell notes, study groups and elaboration, when they suit your subject and your exam type.
You do not need all ten at once. Pick two or three, build a realistic weekly plan, protect your sleep and check your progress with a practice paper each week. Once your exams are done, the Cumulative GPA Calculator shows how the results change your overall average, and a steady routine like this one is also the easiest way to raise your GPA over a full semester. To present your answers well on the day, read our guide to exam paper presentation format.
Sources
- Association for Psychological Science, Which Study Strategies Make the Grade? (Dunlosky et al., 2013)
- Kent State University, All Study Strategies Not Created Equal
- Ontario Tech University, Six Strategies for Effective Learning (Learning Scientists)
- Learning Scientists, Combining Effective Learning Strategies
- SUNY Schenectady, The Cornell Note-Taking System
- Nelson Mandela University, Study Methods to Unlock Exam Success
- Durham College, Sleep and Learning
- University of Ottawa, 17 Tips for Exam Success
Related Calculators
- Semester Grade Calculator: see how your final exam changes your course grade.
- Target CGPA Planner: find the score you need in upcoming exams.
- Cumulative GPA Calculator: check how a result changes your overall average.