After making a grand total of 11 cheatsheets since starting university less than a year ago (I know, my uni is weird), I wanted to share some of my tips and tricks for making the most effective cheatsheet for your needs! Theyâre a hassle to make, but depending on how you make yours, it could either be an incredibly useful resource or just an extra sheet of paper on your desk.
(By âcheatsheetâ, I mean a typically printer paper-sized memory aid, usually handwritten, that is allowed to be brought into an exam.)
1. You donât need to write small, nor do you need to write a lot.
Some people go out of their way to buy 0.1mm pens to cram everything they can onto a cheatsheet. But okay, hear me out: unless you plan on using your cheatsheet to study (more on this later), what is the point of writing as much as you can? It is super difficult to find the exact piece of information that you need in the stressful environment of an exam, especially when youâve written in the equivalent of size 4 font and your page is cluttered with information you definitely know . And honestly, for most exams, itâs a waste of time trying to look at your cheatsheet. Just put down whatever youâll definitely need; the rest will only slow you down or overwhelm you.
2. Use colours, or at least find some way to keep it organized.
Once again, you need to spend as little time as possible looking at your cheatsheet in an exam. If the exam allows cheatsheets, the class probably has something else to up the difficulty level of exams. In my experience, itâs usually either application questions or a time crunch, sometimes both. So, make your cheatsheet efficient. Colour-code it so you know what to look for in order to find any given piece of information. Find some sort of format, so that you also know where exactly to look.
3. Donât wait until last minute to make it. If it comes to that point, just put down the major points and sleep.
There are so many reasons why you shouldnât do this. Just trust me, my lowest exam marks are from exams where I made a cheatsheet the night before. You shouldnât be staying up the night before your exam. Copying the textbook onto a sheet of printer paper isnât effective studying. Most importantly, your cheatsheet becomes so much more effective when youâve actually done practice exams with it. Or else, how would you know how well it actually functions and what else you should add?
4. It doesnât need to be perfect.
Please donât spend too much time on your cheatsheet. Obviously, interpret this advice based on practice exams and the scope of whatever course youâre taking, but donât get to a point where youâre relying on your âperfectâ cheatsheet to pass the exam. Instead, spend your time studying the material and question formats so that you almost donât need your cheatsheet. No matter how informative or detailed your cheatsheet is, it wonât matter if you donât have time to use it during the exam, or if you havenât done enough practice so you donât know how to format the cheatsheetâs information.
5. Donât worry about what everyone else is doing.
I think this goes without saying for practically anything, really. Just do you. If the prof says youâre allowed a single piece of printer paper, front and back, it doesnât mean that you need to fill that. Nor does it mean that you should be intimidated when you walk into the exam and see that youâre the only person who hasnât filled up your cheatsheet completely. Do whatever you need to succeed. If spending a few extra hours cramming information onto your cheatsheet wonât help you, then donât do that. If it will, then donât let me and my opinions stop you.
1. For the stuff that you actually donât know and isnât worthwhile to memorize
This is pretty obvious, but you should prioritize the stuff that you actually donât know and is too difficult to memorize. For example, the 20 amino acids for Biology.Â
Personally, I think that the most useful thing you can do with your cheatsheet is to add diagrams and charts. They are the easiest thing to find on your cheatsheet. Also, diagrams are able to sum up a whole list of details, so you donât need to worry about missing something. It is always useful to refer to your diagrams for inspiration!
What are the three points you need to include to describe a histogram? What steps does the prof want you to do to show autosomal dominance? If you are someone who often loses marks because of missing details or the way you format your answers, your cheatsheet can function as a checklist. Write down exactly what you need to address to get full marks on certain types of questions.
4. Personalized formula sheet
If you are anything like me (ie. I am so afraid of Math that I chose not to major in Biochemistry just so I donât have to do Calc III), then writing out some formulas in the way that you like them written might be useful, even if you are given a formula sheet. Itâs a comfort thing.
As a heads up, this is the only situation where I would condone writing as much as possible on your formula sheet. If youâre the type of person who studies by copying out your notes (ie. you memorize things by writing them out), then you might as well kill two birds with one stone and just copy your notes onto your cheatsheet. But, then again, your cheatsheet will probably be less functional during the exam, so do this at your own discretion.
Here are two of my own cheatsheets, to illustrate some of my points. The first one is for Biology, the second one is for Statistics.Â
I donât keep a consistent colour code, but generally, red is for categories or units, blue is for definitions or important terms, and blue underline is for things I commonly forget or refer to (ie. the 4 factors affecting membrane fluidity). The units follow the order that we learned them in class. Although I tend to write small and there is a lot more information than strictly necessary, I can easily find anything Iâm looking for.
Hereâs the bottom line: do whatever is the most useful for you!! These are just a few things that have worked for me and some people around me, but do whatever will help you succeed.
Happy studying, everyone!
