First, triage
With finals close, you can't do everything, so choose. List each exam with its date and how much it counts toward your grade, then rate your confidence in each topic. Spend most of your time where weight is high and confidence is low. Topics you already know well need only a quick refresh.
Study by doing, not by re-reading
Re-reading feels productive and mostly isn't. Better: close the book and try to recall the material, do practice problems, work through past papers, and explain topics aloud. Details are in our guide to the active recall study method.
A two-week plan
| Days | Focus |
|---|---|
| 1 to 3 | Map the syllabus, gather past papers, fix the biggest gaps |
| 4 to 8 | Topic-by-topic practice, weakest first, short review at the end of each day |
| 9 to 11 | Timed past papers, mark honestly, patch the errors |
| 12 to 13 | Consolidate: summaries, flash recall, easy wins |
| 14 | Light review, early night, logistics sorted |
If you only have a week
- Pick the topics most likely to be examined and worth the most marks.
- Do one timed past paper on day one to learn where you stand.
- Work in two or three focused sessions a day with real breaks.
- Review each evening for ten minutes.
- Accept that you won't cover everything, and decide what to skip on purpose.
When you're burnt out
If you're exhausted, a good night's sleep and a lighter day often beat another grim six hours. Shrink the plan: pick two or three essential tasks a day and do them well. If you feel overwhelmed for more than a few days, talk to someone, such as a tutor, a counsellor or a friend. This is general advice, not medical advice.
The night before and the morning of
- Don't learn new material. Skim your summaries.
- Pack everything you need, and plan your route and timing.
- Eat properly and sleep. A tired brain recalls worse.
- In the exam, read every question first and start with what you know.
Tips by subject type
| Subject type | What works best |
|---|---|
| Maths and sciences | Work through problems; redo the ones you got wrong without looking at the solution |
| Essay subjects | Plan essay outlines from memory, then write one timed essay per topic |
| Memorisation-heavy | Flashcards and recall, spaced over days |
| Languages | Short daily sessions, speaking aloud, mixed vocabulary and grammar |
Planning this on a real timeline is easier than reading about it.
Try the free planner →Making the most of past papers
- Do the first one early, under timed conditions, to see where you stand.
- Mark it honestly using the mark scheme.
- Make an error log: the question, the mistake, the fix.
- Redo similar questions a few days later without notes.
- Do the last paper close to the exam to rehearse timing.
A sample finals day
| Time | Block |
|---|---|
| 8:30 to 10:30 | Hardest topic: two 50-minute sessions with a break |
| 10:30 to 11:00 | Break and a walk |
| 11:00 to 12:30 | Practice questions on a second topic |
| 12:30 to 13:30 | Lunch, away from the desk |
| 14:00 to 15:30 | Timed past paper or essay |
| 15:30 to 16:30 | Mark it, log errors |
| 19:30 to 20:00 | Ten-minute recall of the day, then stop |
Putting it on a timeline
A plan on paper doesn't survive contact with a messy week. Fuidzy puts exams, study sessions and everything else on one draggable timeline, so you can see immediately when the plan doesn't fit, and slide a session forward when something runs over. Free to start at app.fuidzy.com.