Sometimes, no matter how hard you study, you will find certain terms extremely difficult to memorize. When all other methods fail, you can create a last-minute cram sheet. The night before an exam, take a single (oversize) index card and write down any terms, facts, phrases or formulas that you can't remember, along with very brief definitions or explanations. Include especially any difficult terms likely to show up on the exam.

Take this card with you and arrive at the exam room at least a few minutes early, so you can study the card before the examination begins. (Sit at a desk in the exam room and study the card, if this is allowed.)

Continue to look at the card until you are asked to put away your notes. As soon as you receive your copy of the exam, before you even look at a single question, write down everything you remember from the card, in the margins of the examination booklet.

Because you just looked at the card, the information on it should still be fresh in your short-term memory, which means that it should be easy for you to recall. You should be able to remember most of the information for at least several minutes.

The cram card is a particularly effective tool for math and science exams. You can write the formulas on the card and read them over right before the exam. At the start, you can then write the formulas somewhere in the exam book and refer back to them. You won't have to struggle to remember them every time you have to answer a question.

For more information contact The Learning Skills Specialist at
(610) 660-1846