okay so. storytime.

i spent ALL of last year studying like 6-7 hours a day for boards. i'm talking full dedication. highlighters in every color. notes so aesthetic they could be on studyblr. i was COMMITTED.

and you know what i got? mid scores. like perfectly average. nothing terrible but nothing great either.

meanwhile my friend? studied maybe 3-4 hours a day MAX. didn't even make pretty notes. and she TOPPED our entire class.

i was so confused and honestly kind of salty about it lmao like what was she doing that i wasn't??? was she just naturally smarter? did she make a deal with the devil? WHAT.

so i finally asked her and she introduced me to these study techniques that basically changed my entire life and i'm actually MAD that nobody taught us this earlier because we're really out here studying the wrong way for YEARS.

technique 1: the feynman technique (aka the "explain it to a kid" method)

this one BLEW MY MIND. here's how it works:

pick any topic. let's say photosynthesis or the french revolution or whatever. now imagine you have to explain it to a 10 year old using only simple words. no fancy jargon. no complex terms.

try it right now with something you studied recently.

notice how you keep getting stuck? yeah. those are the parts you don't actually understand. you just memorized them.

i tried this with organic chemistry and realized i'd been fooling myself for MONTHS. i could recite definitions but i couldn't actually explain WHY reactions happened.

so now whenever i get stuck explaining something simply, i go back and relearn that specific part. and suddenly everything makes sense??? like ACTUAL sense not just "i memorized this sentence" sense.

this technique is literally perfect for boards because cbse LOVES asking application questions where you need to actually understand concepts, not just vomit memorized facts.

technique 2: active recall (or as i call it, the "close the damn book" method)

here's what i used to do: read chapter. highlight important parts. read again. maybe make notes. done.

here's what actually works: read chapter. close book. write down EVERYTHING you remember without looking.

the difference is WILD.

when you force your brain to retrieve information instead of just passively reading it, you create stronger memory pathways. it's literally science. your brain has to work harder so it remembers better.

i started making flashcards for everything. formulas. dates. definitions. concepts. and i test myself constantly. even the stuff i think i know.

especially the stuff i think i know tbh because that's usually where i'm overconfident and wrong lmao

technique 3: spaced repetition (the "review before you forget" method)

okay this one sounds boring but it's MAGIC.

instead of cramming everything the night before (we've all been there), you review material at specific intervals. study something today. review tomorrow. then after 3 days. then after a week. then after two weeks.

each time you review it gets easier because you're reinforcing the memory right before it fades.

i use a simple calendar for this. nothing fancy. just reminders for when to review each chapter.

the result? when board exams came around, i remembered stuff i studied in JUNE. effortlessly. no last minute panic cramming needed.

technique 4: pomodoro (aka "25 minutes of actual focus is better than 3 hours of distraction")

i cannot stress this enough: those 6-7 hour study sessions i was doing? maybe 2 hours were actual focused studying. the rest was me on instagram, checking messages, getting distracted, daydreaming, etc.

pomodoro technique is stupidly simple:

set timer for 25 minutes

study with COMPLETE focus (phone in another room level focus)

when timer rings, take 5 min break

repeat 4 times then take longer break

i get more done in 6 pomodoros (3 hours) now than i used to in entire days of "studying"

technique 5: mind mapping (the "visual brain dump" method)

linear notes never worked for me. i'd write pages and pages and remember nothing.

mind maps changed everything. you put the main topic in the center and branch out with related ideas, using colors and little drawings and connecting related stuff.

one good mind map can fit an entire chapter on one page AND you'll actually remember it because visual memory is powerful.

before exams i just review my mind maps and everything comes flooding back.

the real tea:

i wish someone had taught me this in like class 6 instead of letting me waste YEARS doing ineffective studying. but better late than never i guess?

since learning these techniques my scores have literally jumped 20+ percentage points. but more importantly? studying doesn't feel like torture anymore. it actually feels... productive? satisfying even?

wild concept i know.

oh and i found this platform called Cubegon that actually builds some of these techniques into their study modules which is pretty cool. like they structure content in a way that forces active recall and spaced repetition, so you're using effective methods even if you don't realize it. wish more educational apps did that tbh.

anyway if you're still studying the way we were taught in school (read, highlight, repeat, cry), maybe try these techniques for like two weeks?

your future self will thank you.

Identity can be reshaped by reconstructing memory using imagination.

A Memorization Tip for Students

Effective memorization isn't about simple repetition ("cramming"); it's about engaging your brain in ways that create strong, retrievable connections.

🔥 Active Recall (The Testing Effect)

How to Study Without Fully Losing Your Mind

Exam season is here again, and honestly? The vibes are chaotic. Your sleep schedule is fighting for its life, your notes look like they were written during a minor earthquake, and somehow every teacher has decided that now is the perfect time to “quickly revise the whole syllabus.” If you are currently staring at a textbook while your brain plays elevator music, this one is for you.

Why Exam Season Feels So Stressful

Exam season is not just about studying. It is about pressure, time management, expectations, revision, deadlines, and trying to remember information your brain swears it has never seen before. Whether you are preparing for school exams, board exams, GCSEs, A Levels, IB exams, AP exams, SATs, university finals, or entrance tests, the stress is real. But here is the truth: exam season does not have to destroy your mental health. You do not need to become a 5 a.m. productivity influencer overnight. You just need a smart study routine that actually works for you.

Romanticize Studying, But Make It Real

Yes, light the candle. Yes, make the iced coffee. Yes, create the “study with me” playlist. But also, open the book. Romanticizing studying can help you get started, especially when your motivation is basically at 2%. Make your desk clean, use cute highlighters, set up a cozy study space, and make revision feel less like punishment. But remember: aesthetic notes are not the same as effective studying. Pretty pages are nice, but active recall, practice questions, flashcards, past papers, and spaced repetition are what actually help you remember things.

The Best Study Method for Exam Season

The best exam revision method is simple: stop rereading and start testing yourself. Reading your notes over and over feels productive, but most of the time, it is just your brain pretending to work. Instead, try this: Read one small topic. Close your book. Write down everything you remember. Check what you missed. Repeat. This is called active recall, and it is one of the most effective study techniques for exam preparation. It forces your brain to retrieve information instead of just recognizing it. Basically, it is giving your memory a gym workout.

Past Papers Are Your Best Friend

During exam season, past papers are elite. They show you what examiners actually ask, how questions are structured, which topics repeat, and how much detail you need in your answers. Do not just “do” past papers. Study them. Look at the mark scheme. Notice the keywords. Correct your mistakes. Rewrite weak answers. Track repeated topics. Past papers are like exam spoilers, but legal.

Stop Waiting for Motivation

Motivation during exam season is unreliable. One day you feel like an academic weapon, the next day you are lying on your bed watching “one more video” for three hours. That is normal. The trick is not to wait until you feel motivated. Start small. Tell yourself you only need to study for 10 minutes. Most of the time, starting is the hardest part. A tiny study session is still better than no study session.

Create a Study Schedule That Does Not Feel Like Prison

A good exam study schedule should help you, not bully you. Do not make a timetable where every minute of your life is booked. That looks productive, but it usually fails by day two. Instead, plan your subjects by priority: What exam is first? Which topics are hardest? Which subjects need the most practice? What can you revise quickly? Build your revision timetable around reality, not fantasy. Also, add breaks. Your brain is not a laptop. You cannot just keep opening tabs forever.

How to Deal With Exam Anxiety

Exam anxiety can make even prepared students feel like they know nothing. The night before an exam, your brain might suddenly ask, “What if we forgot everything?” Very dramatic. Very unnecessary. Try this: Breathe slowly. Do one easy question to rebuild confidence. Avoid last-minute panic scrolling. Do not compare your revision with everyone else. Remind yourself that stress is not proof that you will fail. You are allowed to be nervous and still perform well.

Sleep Is Not Optional

Pulling an all-nighter before an exam might feel heroic, but it is usually a scam. Your brain needs sleep to store information, focus, and think clearly. No sleep means slower thinking, weaker memory, and more silly mistakes. During exam season, sleep is part of studying. Treat it like a revision tool. Because it is.

Food, Water, and Basic Human Maintenance

It sounds obvious, but during exam season, basic self-care disappears so fast. Drink water. Eat actual food. Move around. Take short breaks. Go outside for a few minutes. Your brain lives in your body. If your body is running on three biscuits, stress, and one iced coffee, your brain is not going to give its best performance.

The Main Character Mindset for Exams

Here is the mindset: you are not trying to become perfect. You are trying to become prepared. You do not need to know everything. You do not need to study 12 hours a day. You do not need to panic because someone else finished the syllabus before you. Focus on your own progress. One topic at a time. One past paper at a time. One study session at a time. Exam season is temporary. Your worth is not defined by one grade, one test, or one bad paper.

Final Exam Season Reminder

Every time I sit for a math exam, my mind pulls the emergency fire alarm and evacuates all the formulas that I actually needed..

Trig derivatives? Missing. Limits? Evaporated. All the other stuffs? Maybe there, maybe not. So, I ended up making a small FREE 3D game that drills formulas using active recall. Not as a replacement for doing actual problems (please keep doing those), but as a fast, fun way, to reinforce the stuff that normally evaporates under pressure. This video below showcases the ARCADE mode of my game, MEM (Math Exam Mare):

The color of the platforms indicate different traps. For example, Yellow colored block reverses the mouse control of the player when standing on the center to activate the question. Similarly, Blue colored block blinks the choices displayed on the four surrounding edges of the block and so on. Players earn power-ups through maintaining a number of streaks.

It relieves you from the burden of remembering and keeping track of everything. If you can trust the system, you can let go of the attempt to hold everything together in your head and you can start focusing on what is important: The content, the argument and the ideas. By breaking down the amorphous task of “writing a paper” into small and clearly separated tasks, you can focus on one thing at a time, complete each in one go and move on to the next one . A good structure enables flow, the state in which you get so completely immersed in your work that you lose track of time and can just keep on going as the work becomes effortless (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975). Something like that does not happen by chance.

Reasons why I love it

It's *free*

You can make your own classes and make your own decks based on your curriculum

You can follow other people's decks, so you don't have to make your own flashcards if you don't want to

You rate each flashcard on how well you know it. The ones that you know the least will come up the most

You can build streaks - DOPAMINE!!!

It tracks your daily study average It's fun and it doesn't take a lot of energy

It's just overall great

1. arrange your material into different blocks

2. after reading through each block, close the page/your laptop and summarize the content out loud, as if you were teaching it to someone. this is how the neural connections in your brain begin to form!

3. when you’re done, ask yourself questions based on the material — what could potentially be asked in an exam? what was the most relevant information?

4. put these questions and the most crucial information on a flash card, the most effective way of doing this is using a spaced repetition system like anki