Manage test preparation time. Students do not have enough time to prepare fully for all tests. Thus, they manage time carefully. Some are more structured in doing so than others (e.g., designating particular times through the week for preparation for a particular exam versus studying whenever they have time).
Studying competes with other activities, including interactions with family and friends as well as work-related and extracurricular activities. Some students decrease these activities when they need additional study time, although not all did, indicating that their other responsibilities were more important to them than test preparation. The closer the test, however, the more likely a student focuses on test preparation to the exclusion of other activities and commitments.
Preparation time for any particular test depends on whether the test was scheduled closely in time to other exams or assignment due dates. Some students are adept at juggling assignments in order to increase study time for particular exams. Some distribute study time by dividing test preparation into a series of sub goals (e.g., completion of particular chunks of content), with test preparation viewed as accomplishing the sub goals in order to make progress in test preparation. Some students study between classes and even as they walk to school (e.g., using flashcards). Such study was reported as less intense than other study. Students claimed it to be more effective if used in conjunction with periods of intensive study.