5 day Study Plan

The structure and time frame of the Five-Day Study Plan allows it to be an effective strategy toward successful exam study. An important feature is spacing your study time over a period of five days. The number of days can be adjusted depending on the amount of material involved, however the premise is the same. Your use of study time is much more effective if you are physically and mentally aware of what you are doing. Two to three hours of study time allows one to review and retain information that has been learned.

I know from personal experience that a ten to twelve hour cram session does not. I did that on two occasions during my past college experience, along with other classmates. We felt prepared at the end our study session, but when it came time to take the exam we were exhausted and information that was clear at 4:00am was cloudy at 10:00am.

When you make a list of the material to be covered, it allows you to group like or similar material together. You also begin with the oldest information first, allowing extra time to review the older information. You are also reviewing information several times during the time allotted. The plan stresses writing and reciting exercises and format. These methods allow for self-testing. As you review the information, you should be able to recall more from memory.