91福利

Exam season offers a chance to trade traditional studying for what delivers results.

Learning strategist and professor Deena Kara Shaffer is helping students move beyond late night stress and last-minute cramming with evidence-based strategies. 

Shaffer鈥檚 approach centres on working smarter, not harder. 

鈥淢ost students have never been explicitly taught how to study,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e been taught what to learn, but not the mechanics of learning itself.鈥�

Check out the study guide below for practical tips and strategies that you can carry with you into exam season.

What 鈥渟tudy smarter, not harder鈥� actually looks like

Studying longer doesn鈥檛 always mean learning more. Studying smarter starts with one key shift: moving from input to output.

鈥淩e-reading is input. Exams are output,鈥� Shaffer says. 鈥淵ou have to practise the output.鈥�

That means:

• Test yourself instead of rewriting notes
• Space out study sessions over time
• Match your study method to the exam format
• Study during your peak energy hours
• Teaching a friend, family member, pet, or even potted plant instead of flipping through lecture slide decks
• Practise applying concepts, not just memorizing them
• Organizing knowledge so it connects, not just accumulates

鈥淩ecognition is easy,鈥� she adds. 鈥淩etrieval is harder 鈥� and that鈥檚 what exams measure.鈥�

It can feel less comfortable than re-reading notes, but it鈥檚 far more effective. 

The 3鈥�2鈥�1 method

One of Shaffer鈥檚 most practical strategies is the 3鈥�2鈥�1 method, which helps students avoid last-minute cramming.

Try starting: 

• 3 weeks before exams
• 2 weeks before tests
• 1 week before quizzes

But this doesn鈥檛 mean studying for hours every day.

The key is to study in short, consistent intervals 鈥� about 25 to 45 minutes at a time 鈥� rather than in long, exhausting sessions.

鈥淟ittle, often, spaced out, and started sooner,鈥� Shaffer advises. While less intuitive than rewriting notes or doing a lot of studying all at once, true consolidation happens through practice questions, and during the intervals between study periods.

Starting earlier also gives students something cramming can鈥檛: time. 

Shaffer says the spacing effect is well-documented: material reviewed across multiple sessions sticks far better than material reviewed in one long block.

鈥淪tarting early means you discover gaps with time to fix them. Starting late means you discover them at the worst possible moment.鈥�

Building a study schedule that actually works

A good study plan doesn鈥檛 start with colour-coded perfection. A common mistake students make is building schedules based on ideal conditions like perfect focus, uninterrupted time and unlimited energy.

Shaffer recommends working within a schedule that鈥檚 realistic:

• Start with exam dates and work backwards
• Block out non-negotiables like work shifts and family responsibilities
• Then find small, realistic study windows in between 

鈥淎 schedule built around your real life will always outperform an ideal schedule you can鈥檛 follow,鈥� she says.

鈥淟ook for the small windows between constraints 鈥� those are far more realistic.鈥�

An effective schedule is flexible, not rigid. It includes buffer time. It accounts for unpredictability.

And importantly, it includes rest.

Rethinking productivity, and prioritizing rest

In high-pressure moments like exam season, it can be tempting to push harder.

Instead, Shaffer promotes what she calls non-toxic productivity, where well-being is necessary and integrated into  the study process.

鈥淩est isn鈥檛 something you earn after work, it鈥檚 part of the work,鈥� says Shaffer.

Sleep, in particular, plays a major role.

鈥淢emory consolidation happens during sleep,鈥� she explains. 鈥淲ithout it, the brain鈥檚 ability to encode and retrieve information is genuinely impaired.鈥�

More hours doesn鈥檛 always mean more learning. In fact, the opposite is often true. 

Sleep, rest and movement aren鈥檛 extras, they鈥檙e essential learning strategies. Make sure to prioritize rest 鈥� without that, you may spend more time studying but will retain far less. 

Study with your chronotype, not against it

Not all students learn best at the same time of day.

Your chronotype is your body鈥檚 natural rhythm of energy and alertness. It plays a major role in how effectively you can study.

鈥淪tudents often blame themselves for not focusing,鈥� Shaffer says. 鈥淏ut they鈥檙e working against their own biology.鈥�

Shaffer recommends scheduling your hardest thinking during your peak hours, and save lighter tasks for when your energy dips. 鈥淪tudying with your chronotype, not against it, is one of the highest-leverage things a student can do.鈥�

Using AI as a study partner 鈥� not a shortcut

AI can be a valuable tool, but only when used as a study partner, not a substitute for your own thinking. 

鈥淭he rule of thumb is simple,鈥� Shaffer says. 鈥淚f AI is doing the cognitive heavy lifting, you鈥檙e not building the memory.鈥�

Shaffer recommends using AI to:

• Generate practice questions and mock exams
• Test your understanding: attempt to answer questions yourself first, then check
• Get feedback on written responses
• Ask AI to explain concepts in a different way when something isn't clicking, rather than having it just summarise for you.

鈥淓ngage with it interactively,鈥� she says. 鈥淭ry to answer first, then check your thinking.鈥�

If you鈥檙e overwhelmed, start small

For students who don鈥檛 know where to begin, Shaffer recommends one simple step: start small.

Write everything down. Get it out of your head and onto paper. Then choose one task and work on it for 20 minutes.

鈥淲e can鈥檛 think ourselves out of overwhelm,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e have to externalize it, move through it, and then build a compassionate plan.鈥�

Even a small amount of structure can make a difference.

Final takeaways

Exam success isn鈥檛 about pushing harder, it鈥檚 about working smarter.

鈥淵ou may not have been taught how to study,鈥� Shaffer says. 鈥淏ut that鈥檚 a skill that can be learned.鈥�

And with the right strategies in place, exam season doesn鈥檛 have to feel like survival.