Preparing for exams http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infocs/study/preparing.html
Students know that they need to study and that they should probably start well in advance of the exam but because high school may not have demanded much in the way of studying, students find they really don't know how to study efficiently.
TRY
Not cramming! (But see cramming for exceptions).
WHY?
Because short-term memory doesn't have enough space for all you need to know. Also, cramming stupefies long-term memory (where well-learned material lives), and it can set you up for panic and "blanking."
TRY
Starting well in advance, breaking your studying into chunks and reviewing often.
HOW?
• A week or more before the exam, do an initial overview (a 2-4hr quick review of the material); this will help to motivate you and to determine the structure of the course, where your difficult material is and the volume to be covered.
• Develop and follow a plan for getting yourself through this volume of material, starting (if possible) with your most difficult material.
At the beginning of each study period, do a 10 minute review of the previous period's material.