Start with retrieval, not rereading
Before you reopen your notes, try to recall the material from a blank page or a set of flashcards. It'll feel uncomfortable — that discomfort is the learning. Retrieving what you know (and finding what you don't) builds memory far faster than passively rereading, which mostly builds false confidence.
Space it across days
Work backward from the exam date and spread your sessions out. Five 30-minute sessions across a week beat one 2.5-hour cram, because each spaced review lands right as you're starting to forget — the point where reinforcement counts most.
A spaced-repetition app does this scheduling for you: it surfaces exactly what's due each day so you're always reviewing the right things at the right time.
Drill past papers under real conditions
Nothing predicts exam performance like practicing the exam. Do past papers and end-of-chapter problems timed, closed-book, no interruptions. This is retrieval practice in its highest-fidelity form, and it also trains pacing and exposes question styles.
Mark them honestly and treat every miss as a signal, not a failure.
Fix weak spots, don't re-study what you know
The biggest time-waster in exam prep is re-studying comfortable material because it feels good. Let your self-tests tell you where the gaps are, and spend your hours there. A spaced-repetition system does this automatically — cards you miss come back sooner, cards you know drift away.
The last few days
Don't cram new material the night before — you'll trade sleep (which consolidates memory) for a shallow, panicky review. Instead: a light pass over your weakest cards, one timed past paper, and a normal night's sleep. Showing up rested beats one more re-read.