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When should you review each topic before an exam?

Revision Timetable Maker: Free Spaced Study Plan

Sources checked · 4 sources · By Anthony Falcone

Before you start

  • If exam worry stops you eating or sleeping for days, causes panic attacks, or makes you feel hopeless, talk to a doctor or your school or university health service. It can be treated, and a timetable won't fix it.
  • If you have a diagnosed learning or attention difficulty, ask your doctor, teacher or disability service about adjustments too: extra time and other support exist for exams.

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The short answer: Study each topic, then test yourself on it again after a gap. In a study of more than 1,350 people, the best gap for a test 1 week away was about 20-40% of that week, and a smaller share for tests further away. Testing yourself and spacing are the two study methods a major review rated most useful; rereading and highlighting were rated low.2,3

How the calculator works

  • Why spacing: a review of hundreds of memory experiments found that spreading study sessions apart gave better recall later than the same study in one block.1
  • How long the gap should be: in a study of more than 1,350 people, the best gap between first study and review depended on how far away the final test was. For a test 1 week later it was about 20-40% of that week; for a test 1 year later, about 5-10%.2
  • What the calculator does: it spreads your topics' first sessions over the first half of the days left (rounded down). Each topic then comes back once, after a gap that is 30% of the time still left between that review and the exam, the middle of the 20-40% range. That works out as gap = days left × 0.3 ÷ 1.3, rounded to whole days, at least 1 day, and never on exam day.2
  • What to do in each session: test yourself with your notes closed, then check. Practice testing and spaced practice were the two techniques a large review rated high utility; rereading and highlighting were rated low.3
  • Why testing beats rereading: students who practised recalling a text remembered substantially more 2 days and 1 week later than students who reread it, even though rereading made them feel more confident.4

Example: an exam 7 days away and three topics, A, B and C. First sessions go in the first 3 days (7 ÷ 2 = 3.5, rounded down): A today, B tomorrow, C the day after. A has 7 days left, so its gap is 7 × 0.3 ÷ 1.3 ≈ 1.6, rounded to 2 days: A comes back 2 days after you first study it, which leaves 5 days to the exam (2 is 40% of 5). B and C, with 6 and 5 days left, get a gap of 1 day.2

How sure is this?

  • The spacing study taught people sets of facts and tested them later. Real exams test more than facts, so treat the timing as a guide, not a law.2
  • For tests further away than a week, the best gap was a smaller share of the time left (5-10% for a test a year away). With an exam several weeks away, a review a little earlier than the calculator's date is fine.2
  • The calculator plans one spaced review per topic. More practice tests before the exam help further; how much depends on the subject and the material.3

Common questions

How many days should I wait before reviewing a topic?

It depends on how far away the exam is. For a test 1 week away, the best gap in a study of more than 1,350 people was about 20-40% of that week, so roughly 1.5 to 3 days (7 × 0.2 = 1.4, 7 × 0.4 = 2.8). For tests further away, the best gap was a smaller share of the time left.2

Is spaced repetition better than cramming?

Yes, for remembering. Across hundreds of memory experiments, spreading study out gave better recall later than massing it into one session.1

What should I do in each revision session?

Test yourself with your notes closed (flashcards, a blank page, past questions), then check what you missed. A major review rated practice testing and spacing as the most useful techniques, and rereading and highlighting as low utility.3

Why does rereading feel like it works?

Because it makes the material look familiar. In one experiment, rereading did better on a test 5 minutes later and made students more confident, but recall practice did better 2 days and 1 week later.4

Sources

  1. Cepeda NJ, Pashler H, Vul E, Wixted JT, Rohrer D. Distributed practice in verbal recall tasks: A review and quantitative synthesis. Psychological Bulletin, 2006. Meta-analysis. doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.132.3.354
  2. Cepeda NJ, Vul E, Rohrer D, Wixted JT, Pashler H. Spacing effects in learning: A temporal ridgeline of optimal retention. Psychological Science, 2008. Randomised trial. doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02209.x
  3. Dunlosky J, Rawson KA, Marsh EJ, Nathan MJ, Willingham DT. Improving students' learning with effective learning techniques: Promising directions from cognitive and educational psychology. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 2013. Review. doi.org/10.1177/1529100612453266
  4. Roediger HL, Karpicke JD. Test-enhanced learning: Taking memory tests improves long-term retention. Psychological Science, 2006. Randomised trial. doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2006.01693.x

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