How to Save Time Studying

We've all been there: the school term is rolling along nicely, everyting's fine, no surprises and BAM! A test is coming up, and you didn't see it coming. Sure, you had that handout at the beginning of the semester: the syllabus that said when each test was going to be. You're not an irresponsible person; anyone can get caught unawares. Studying isn't the only thing you do and it's not always easy to juggle everything in your life without dropping something every now and then.

But the big question is, "What Now?" The test is coming and you have but a few days. While I am not a big fan of cramming for an exam at the last minute, it has to be done every now and then (but not always). Over the years, I have found the following have worked saving wonders for me, from the time I crack the book open, until I write my name on the test paper:

1) Know the Test - The first rule of test-taking is supposed to be to give yourself plenty of time to study and get a few other noncurricular things in order. But if you get blindsided, you may have to temporarily sacrifice chore-time or family time (yet another reason I don't like cramming).
What kind of test does the teacher like to give? Is it a matching or ScanTron type test? Does the test usually need a blank test booklet or just a pencil? Either way, make sure you have the right information and materials.
If it's a test you easily forgot about, it's probably one of the smaller quizzes or chapter tests. Know which chapter or chapters are going to be covered. thisis something the teacher will be glad to tell you before the exam, so make sure to confirm early. So it's most likely based on identification, and not on broad, general concepts. Know definitions, names, dates, terms, fine differences between terms that might sound alike, formulae for different values. The list of terms and particulars should span one to three chapters at most. You can give yourself an afternoon or so to locate and get them down.

2) Read Backwards - I had always despaired trying to slog through a chapter, trying to mechanically pick up every little thing without knowing what's important, and not knowing where the reading material would lead. Here's a nifty trick: Go to the end of the chapter first. If the test is covers multiple chapters, do this for each chapter, and if possible, find a Unit Review in the textbook that covers the same chapters. Read the discussion questions, the mutiple-choice section, and the chapter summary. This very quickly tells you what the chapter is about, what parts of the topic the author (and the teacher!) thinks are important to think about, and what conclusions are going to be reached. This isn't mystery fiction, so it's actually not wrong to find out how it all ends first. By starting here you'll be given a heads-up on what to look out for while going over the chapter, and what to underline with a pencil (I hate highlighters) for future reference. More importantly, it probably zeroes in what's going to be on the test!

3) Skim correctly - Now that you know what items to watch out for, go over the chapter, searching for answers to those questions at the end of the chapter. This will ensure you quickly get a grasp of the material for the test. One place to rapidly glean concepts is in the margins and highlighted text-boxes. They usually contain definitions and explanations that encapsulate many essential ideas for the test.
WARNING: These will not be the only things in the test! If the chapter only has five or six highlights (which is plenty), it's still not enough for a twenty or thirty question multiple-choice exam. This is a common mistake I made frequently, and I was left to guess blindly at the remaining twenty or more questions!
Make sure that you learn the highlights, but try to answer all of the questions at the back of the chapter. Underline the correct answers you find, and if possible, write the page number next to the question so you can find it again.

4) Wing the essay - If the quiz has an essay portion, it shouldn't be a huge conceptual problem. More probably it is a simple comparison between ideas, or an explanation of a process, or just a description. An essay on a minor test (i.e. not a Final) usually doesn't take up more than a page to complete. Knowing the basic definitions and what the question is asking is half the battle in these cases. If you have studied as described above and got the parts of the chapter put together clearly in your mind, the question will seem like it needs simple answers lifted almost directly from the book.
I like to begin my essay answers with basic definitions of the terms used in the question. Not only does this fill up space by getting you writing and make you feel competent, it assures the profesor that you learned these concepts satisfactorily. Next, I begin to discuss what the book says about how these ideas, taken together, will work (this is usually found almost verbatim in the chapter. If not, trust me, you have enough info to make it up believably). Finally, the last sentence, the conclusion in an essay answer, almost always falls into some yes/no type of answer, as supported by what you have just written above it.

5) Show up Early, But Relax - Give yourself time to calm down before the test, perhaps five to ten minutes at least. Use this time to make sure you have the right pencil/ScanTron/test booklet for this test; if not, you can walk to the bookstore to get one, or borrow one from a friend. After that, you can scan the chapter, or your study notes to review-- or just reassure yourself that you have a grasp of the chapter, before taking the test.

6) Pick Up the Pieces - In cramming like this, you have to bring your life back in balance when you're done. Right after studying, quickly do the chore or errand you sacrificed to study for the test. You might not do the best job when you rush, but you stand a chance of getting everything done. Perhaps you may even want to do that right after the test when you are a little more relaxed.

A final suggestion-- Try not to do this again! By this I mean that tests are meant to be seen coming ahead of time, at least a week, and marked into a scheduler or organizing notebook of some type. The sacrifice you make in cramming (albeit in a systematic and intelligent manner like the one above) is that you can lose personal time you would otherwise have had, spending time with family, taking care of chores, and in some cases, personal care and hygeine. Like juggling, you are going to have to drop yet another thing to recover the first thing you overlooked. To properly take a test without cramming requires putting everything in order before the test happens. As my teachers liked to tell me, "Be prepared for last-minute emergencies, and they won't be."