1
Organize yourself. Before you start walking the road to success in the exam, you'll be a lot more productive (and a lot less distracted) if you get organized. Before you sink into the couch and are past the point of no return, think about the following:
Make a schedule. Your life is probably jam packed with hobbies, social obligations, and a whole bunch of stuff you'd rather be doing. So make a schedule and stick to it.
Get all your papers. Even those assignments you completed a long time ago may come in handy. It's vital to have the most important thing of them all - your syllabus.
Get everything you could possible need. From paper clips to highlighters to extra pillows, get it now.
Have water, something healthy, and something not so healthy (recent studies say dark chocolate increases cognitive function!:). If you're feeling sluggish, have some caffeine. Don't feel bad about the extra large latte -- caffeine (at least in moderate amounts) can totally up your game.
2
Specify your study schedule. So you manned up and set aside a 2 hour chunk this Thursday for studying history. Awesome -- that's step 1. Now actually make it useful! Devote this Thursday to the Seven Years' War. Monday you can read about the French Revolution and next Wednesday you'll make it all the way to Napoleon and his delusions of grandeur. Have specific goals in mind -- whether it be by concepts, time, or number of pages or chapters. It'll seem infinitely more doable.
If you have more than one exam to take, be sure to balance them out as need be. You don't need to study the same amount -- concentrate on the harder one. You can use the other subject for a break from the other if you're really strapped for time.
3
Make your notes less drab and dull. The great thing about studying is that you can do it however you want to. So take that naptime of a lecture you were victim of and turn it into something enjoyable. Something that you'll remember.
Use highlighters to highlight important information. Use one color for main concepts, one color for vocabulary, and another color for dates, etc. When you go over your notes, they'll be that much easier to skim.
Make your own charts, graphs, and diagrams from the information. Pictures are so much easier to look at and to recall when you're sitting at that desk at test time. 40% of all carbon emissions come from the agricultural industry? Sounds like time for a pie chart.
It may actually benefit you to rewrite your notes. Studies show that exposing yourself to the information in different ways (that is, instead of just reading it, you're writing it, too) makes it stick in your mind longer.But don't rewrite them all -- stick to a loose outline.
4
Mix it up. In one study session, all the science is pointing to studying different concepts in different places. Turns out that when your brain is bored with reading about photosynthesis while sitting in your bedroom that it'll actually do you good to go to the cafe and start reading up on Punnett squares. Here's the gist:
Study in different places. Turns out our brains make associations between our surroundings and what's going on. The more associations you have, the stronger the connection.
Study different concepts. You wouldn't expect a basketball player to work on his lay-ups for three hours straight, right? Same goes for students. If you do division problem after division problem, your brain is going to go on autopilot. Work on different concepts to keep your brain from turning to mush.
5
Take breaks. It's not slacking -- it's you supercharging. It's science you can blame -- it says that breaks help your brain get back into the game and replenish your attentional deficits.So take a 5 or 10 minute break every hour. It'll help -- not hinder -- your memory and focus.
If you really want to get serious, take that break to do some jumping jacks or go for a quick jog. Getting your blood pumping gets your brain pumping. Also, if you can sneak off to the gym for a bit, even better. It turns out that exercise can increase work stamina.
