I thought this was a fairly normal thing to do, until I talked to some people who thought I was crazy. 

I guess being a Muslim, and having to follow a schedule ever single day (the 5 daily prayers) has something to do with it. For real! Prayer has helped me to self discipline myself in terms of what I should do and when I should do it. Keep in mind, your schedule cannot be 'Study from 7AM to Midnight', because you will never be able to stick to such a schedule. Make it realistic, reward yourself, and take breaks!

Start by creating an exam schedule for the entire week/month. For each day, write down the chapters for each course that you want to accomplish. My rule to divide up chapters for each course is as follows: If you have 10 chapters to study, and 5 days until the exam, study 2 chapters a day. Once you have this monthly schedule, you won't have to cram, and you'll know the minimum amount of studying you should get done each day. Once you have this, create a schedule every morning for the day. This should start from the moment you wake up to the time you wish to sleep at. In it, include the hours you will spend studying (with what you intend on studying from the weekly/monthly schedule), breaks, and meal times. This is a simple and effective way to keep your mind at ease, and not have to cram the night before the exam. I always get asked how I continue to make time to eat, sleep and everything in between, while staying on top of studying. Well, this right here is the answer to that!

2) DON'T CRAM

This goes hand-in-hand with what I stated above, scheduling. You've probably heard this a million times before, but cramming does nothing for you. It only leads to stress, and 

studying + stress = burnout. 

Try to plan out your time so that you start studying far in advance. Make your study load heavier early in the exam season because you will get tired of studying! Having fewer chapters to study closer to the exam date will be a huge weight lifted off your back! Make the day before the exam a review day! Don't spend that day studying the entire course! Remember, it's not about studying hard, it's about studying smart. 

3) PRACTICE QUESTIONS & FLASHCARDS

The more times we see something, the better our brain is at remembering it. This is why cramming will not help. You want to study in advance and review everything you've studied already each day. Seeing a definition or concept multiple times will help you remember it way better than if you cram. To do this, flashcards are a great way to go! Flashcards made by hand can work really well, but may take a lot more time if your notes are typed out. I love Quizlet, it's a great way for you to not only make flashcards, but turn those flashcards into multiple choice questions, true and false questions, games and more. It's a great method that I like to use when it comes to formulas and terms - things I need to memorize.


Also, use the resources given to you! Textbooks have a bunch of review questions and you can find so many online! Use these resources so that you can learn to apply what you've studied. Knowing a term is one thing, but comparing that term with similar terms, or knowing how to set it apart from similar terms is what will help you succeed. Nowadays, teachers/professors are no longer testing students on memorization. There's a lot more case questions and such, that require the student to know more than just the definition of words.

O my Lord! Increase me in knowledge.

O my Lord! Expand me my breast; ease my task for me; and remove the impediment from my speech, so they may understand what I say.

I really hope these little tips help you plan out your finals week (or month) a little better, and I really hope you all succeed! Just remember, try your hardest and don't lose hope, one low mark doesn't ruin your life. Good Luck!