A week isn’t as much time as you’d like, but it’s enough to prepare properly — if you spend it on work that builds exam performance rather than work that just feels productive. This plan assumes one exam and two to four hours of study a day. Scale it to fit your schedule.
Day 1: Map the exam
- Collect the syllabus, learning objectives, lecture slides and any past papers or practice questions.
- Find out the format. Is it multiple choice, short answer, essays or problems? How long is it, and what are you allowed to bring?
- List every topic that could come up, and rate each one green (confident), amber (shaky) or red (don’t know it yet).
- Try a short practice test, or a few questions from each topic, without your notes. It will feel uncomfortable, but it’s the fastest way to find out what you actually know.
Days 2–4: Work through your weak topics
Each day, pick two or three red or amber topics. For each one:
- Review the material briefly — your notes, the textbook section, or a short video if it helps.
- Close the notes and test yourself: write out what you remember, answer practice questions or work through problems.
- Check your answers and note your mistakes.
End each day with a few questions on a topic from a previous day. That builds in spaced review — returning to material after a gap — which helps it last until exam day. Our guide to active recall and spaced repetition explains why it works.
Day 5: Mixed practice
Answer questions from all your topics, mixed together, rather than one topic at a time. Real exams don’t label which topic each question comes from, and mixing them forces you to recognize what kind of problem you’re looking at.
Then go back to anything that’s still red.
Day 6: Full rehearsal
Do a full past paper, or a practice exam built from questions you haven’t seen, under exam conditions:
- Time yourself.
- No notes and no phone.
- Answer in the same format as the real thing. If the exam is handwritten, write by hand.
Mark it honestly, and spend the rest of the day on the gaps it reveals.
Day 7: Light review and rest
The day before the exam is for consolidating what you know, not learning new material.
- Do a short round of questions on your weakest topics.
- Go over summaries, formula sheets or flashcards.
- Get everything ready: ID, pens, calculator, water and directions to the exam room.
- Stop studying at a reasonable hour and get a full night’s sleep. Sleep helps lock in what you’ve learned — see why sleep is a study tool.
On exam day
- Eat something, and arrive early.
- Read the instructions and skim the whole paper before you start.
- Divide your time according to the marks available, and leave a few minutes at the end to check your work.
- If you get stuck, move on and come back later. A fresh look often helps.
If nerves tend to get in your way, our guide to managing test anxiety has practical strategies.
If you have less than a week
Compress the plan, but keep its shape: find out what you don’t know, spend most of your time answering questions, and sleep before the exam. Cutting sleep to cram is the trade most likely to backfire.
Frequently asked questions
Is one week enough time to study for an exam?
Often, yes, if you spend it on the right things: find out what you do not know on the first day, spend most of the week answering practice questions, revisit each topic more than once and sleep well before the exam.
How many hours a day should I study for an exam?
This plan assumes two to four hours a day for one exam. Focused practice questions do more than long hours of rereading, so scale the plan to your schedule and the number of exams you have.
What should I do the day before an exam?
Keep it light: a short round of questions on your weakest topics, a review of summaries or flashcards, getting your materials ready and a full night's sleep. Avoid trying to learn new material.
What if I have less than a week to study?
Compress the plan but keep its shape: find out what you do not know, spend most of your time answering questions and protect your sleep. Cutting sleep to cram is the trade most likely to backfire.
