How to Study for an English Exam at the Last Minute

You know you've got that big English exam coming up. Great. But you've also found yourself short of time with just a few short hours to go. Not so great. Cramming for any kind of exam is never recommended, but if you're stuck in that position, there's still a way through it. Last-minute studying concentrates on key elements of the book: character, story, theme and specific passages that the teacher may consider important.

Instructions

1. Relax. Tests can be stressful, but agitation only makes things worse. Calmly evaluate how much time you have before the test and how much you can reasonably accomplish in that time. Develop a plan of attack based on your present resources rather than berating yourself for not starting sooner.

2. Familiarize yourself with the text in question. Ideally, you will have read it already and can comprehend the plot and characters. If you took notes in class, use them as your primary study tool. If you haven't read the book or don't have acceptable notes, then you need to improvise. Pick up a summary of the text, such as CliffsNotes or Spark Notes, and use it. It's never as good as the text itself, but it can provide a good study guide in a tight spot.

3. Identify the key points of the plot: what happened, how it happened and who it happened to. Summarize those points in a list--use 3-by-5 flashcards if you can--and go over them until you have an easy familiarity with the storyline. Try to view it as a cohesive story, not just a random collection of facts. It's not enough to say that Macbeth murders Duncan. Ask yourself why he does so and what effect the act has on him.

4. Write down a brief summary of each principle character. Describe his personality, his physical traits, his motivation and his eventual fate in the story. Study each one until you've grasped the essence and can speak about each character with some degree of confidence. Again, flashcards make an excellent way to cover the basics.

5. Read pertinent quotes from the text and contemplate what they mean. What purpose do they serve in the story? What message are they intended to convey? How do they express a given idea? Write each quote down, along with any concepts or ideas important to it.

6. Apply memorization techniques to your notes. The exact technique varies by your individual study habits. Repeat the information aloud until you are familiar with it, come up with rhymes or acronyms to retain key concepts, or write down the important points repeatedly until you have them comfortably in mind.

7. Test yourself using your flashcards or have a friend test you. Think about the sorts of questions the teacher may ask--the details depend on the teacher-- and try to tailor your self-tests to answer them. With English exams, the teacher is likely looking for comprehension of the text and the ability to discuss the ideas it presents, not simply repeat individual facts.

8. Get some sleep. Regardless of your preparations, you need to be awake and alert when the time comes to take the exam. Coffee and caffeine pills are no substitute for a good three to four hours of quality shut-eye.

Tips & Warnings

• As a general rule, it pays to work on good reading habits. Learn to focus on the text itself when you read literature, and don't let your mind wander. The goal is to understand it, not simply get through it.

• CliffsNotes and similar study aids have long been used as substitutes for reading the text itself. While they are extremely useful for last-minute cramming, many teachers have picked up on their use in this manner and may have questions which they don't cover. Forewarned is forearmed. When cramming for English exams, there may be a temptation to rent a movie version of the text and absorb it in a quick two hours. Resist this temptation at all costs. Hollywood often takes considerable license with literary adaptations and what you see onscreen may have nothing to do with what's in the book itself. Furthermore, it may muddle and confuse you when studying, making it more difficult to separate the book from the film.