How to Cram for Final Exams Without Having a Breakdown

Every college student has to cram for a test at some point. Sometimes, there aren’t enough hours in the day to keep up with deadlines piling up. Before you know it, you’re sat there thinking “Send help, I forgot how to study for finals!”

Don’t freak out because we’ve put together 6 steps to cramming your finals like a pro.

Stop the Negative Self-Talk

Thinking about how much time you have left won’t help. Ditch the "I should’ve started earlier," mentality. You’re doing the best with the time you have left and we’re proud of you. 

Focus on what you can control right now—what to prioritize, how to manage your time, and which study strategies will help you the most. An anxious person has to use more energy to focus on something other than their anxiety, and you need 100% focus right now. If you start spiraling, take a deep breath and remind yourself how great you'll feel once finals week is behind you.

Have All Your Study Materials in Front of You

Put all your notes, slides, documents, books, laptop, iPad—anything you need—right in front of you. It’s crunch time, and you don’t want to waste precious minutes searching for a file or digging through your cabinet.

If your notes feel scattered, start grouping them by topic or subject to make studying more organized. Use sticky tabs or a folder to separate sections, or create a digital folder to keep everything in one place. Having a clear structure makes it easier to focus on what matters.

Keep the little things like pens, your charger, or even a snack close by, so you don’t have to get up every two minutes. This is how to study for a test without wasting precious time on distractions.

Put Your Phone Away

One of the best study tips that works for everyone is putting your phone on DND…  and then putting it in a drawer. Maybe even locking it. And if you're feeling extra, toss the key in the trash. It’s a bit extreme, but you get the idea. 

Your phone is designed to keep you hooked for hours, making it super hard to focus on academic work once you’re logged in. They engineered apps to keep us scrolling endlessly. It’s not your fault, but it is your responsibility to control your usage and your grades. If that means locking your phone away until you're done studying, then do it.

Before putting your phone away, let everyone who might expect to hear from you know that you’re unavailable. Tell your parents, roommates, or anyone else, "I'm cramming for finals and will be putting my phone away until further notice. If I don’t, I’ll end up hunting down part 17 of some Reddit story video at 3 am.”

Focus on Main Concepts

You don’t have the luxury of deep diving every lesson right now. Forget the minor details and focus on the essentials. Your goal is to understand the main ideas as if your life depended on them (it kinda does).

Focus your study session on identifying the key concepts you need to master for each topic. Review your syllabus, class slides, or notes to pinpoint the main ideas or problem types most likely to be tested. Once you've nailed down the essentials, dive deeper into the supporting details—like formulas, vocabulary, or examples—so you fully understand how everything connects.

To filter out the rest, ask yourself, "Would I need to explain this in an essay or use it to solve a problem?" If the answer is no, skip it. 

Take Practice Exams

Testing yourself forces your brain to retrieve information, which is what you’ll also do for finals. Remember, you’re cramming now, so focus on what still needs your attention and stop wasting time rereading what you already know. 

Download Notion, paste all your notes into a new page, then activate AI by clicking the little button with a face. Give it a prompt like, “Based on my notes, create a practice exam with 50 questions. Write the answers at the end of the exam.” Notion can even turn it into a multiple-choice exam, which is great if you’re preparing for something like a psych or biology test. This trick has saved our asses more times than we can count. 

Try to mimic the actual exam environment. Sit at a desk, time yourself, and avoid Googling answers. When you review your mistakes, pay close attention to the patterns. Are you struggling with vocabulary, concepts, or calculations? This will help you prioritize what to review next and sharpen your study skills.

P.S. We’ve got a list of all the apps you’ll need to survive college. 

There you have it! Five ways to cram like a pro. 

You’re already in the thick of it, so you might as well be the best crammer out there. We believe in you!