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As an expert exam coach, I find that every year many clients ask me “but what should I really be doing the day before my exams?”. So, I’ve pulled together all my best advice on how to handle that scary last day before an exam. This is a short and sweet article, packed with practical tips for every type of exam, to make it nice and easy to absorb in just a few mins amidst a busy exam season!

So let’s get started!

Tip 1: Retest yourself

I talk a lot about the power of spaced retrieval practice.

Not sure what that is? Check out episode 66 of the Exam Study Expert podcast if you need a reminder or introduction.

But essentially, retrieval practice means pulling knowledge out of memory. So, testing yourself in some way. That’s a really, really powerful way to consolidate memory and get knowledge to stick. And “spaced” simply means spacing out that practice over time.

For some reason, people sometimes assume that when you get to the day before an exam, you probably want to stop doing retrieval practice and switch to just reading stuff through. Maybe they’re hoping that it’ll just stick in short term memory because it’s such a short time to go. Or maybe it’s something about the pressures you feel under when it gets that close to an exam. That means you sort of fall back on old habits that may be less effective.

But honestly, even right up to the day before an exam itself, I still recommend sticking to what’s most effective. Stick to doing the retrieval practice. It never stops being the best way to get knowledge to stick in memory.

So, what do you actually do?

Option A: for when there’s not too much to remember

If you’ve been using something like flashcards as part of your revision: now is the perfect time for a final round of testing.

This works great if you’re taking a short course, or one with a relatively light knowledge load, i.e. there’s not too much you need to know. For example, maybe just a short set of formulas for maths paper, and a relatively manageable stack of flashcards.

You might be able to even run through and test yourself on all the flashcards for that exam, in an hour or two. That would be a great way to spend those 1-2 hours the day before an exam.