Study hacks top students actually use

Short story first. Top students do fewer things, but they do each thing well and on purpose.

This post gives step-by-step routines you can copy, with exact setups for flashcards, practice tests, timetables, subject tricks, tracking systems, and exam-day routines.

Spaced repetition made practical

Spaced repetition means reviewing the same fact at increasing gaps so you stop forgetting it. That is the core idea. Here is how to set it up in Anki or any flashcard app.

How to create useful cards

• One fact per card. If you put two facts on one card you will remember one and forget the other.
• Use cloze deletions for sentences. For definitions, use direct question and answer.
• Keep questions short. Add a tiny context line if needed.
• Add tags like subject/week/topic so you can filter later.

Anki settings I recommend

• New cards per day: 20 or fewer. Fewer is better if exams are near.
• Learning steps: 10 1440. These are minutes then days. If that is too geeky, use default then adjust intervals.
• Initial ease: default 250. Don’t change this until you understand the flow.
• Maximum reviews per day: set a cap so you do focused sessions instead of marathon reviews.

Sample spaced schedule

Start with a quick review right after you make the card.

Day 1: learn the card twice during the day so it is encoded.

Day 2: review again.

Day 4: review.

Day 8: review.

Day 16: review.

Day 35: review.

Day 90: review. After this, move to monthly checks until exam.

That schedule is simple and practical. Anki will vary exact days, but customising new-card flow to follow that spacing gives strong retention.

Active recall and test design

Active recall happens when you pull an answer from memory rather than reread it. Practice tests are the best active recall tool. If you're interested, I also wrote a guide on How to Get the Most Out of Your Scribd Free Trial: A Complete, Practical Guide.

Designing practice tests

• Mirror the exam format. Same number and type of questions, same time limit.
• Create clear marking criteria before you answer. This tells you what to aim for.
• Include a mix of easy, medium, and hard questions to reveal weak points.

Example practice questions

• Math, short problem: "Solve for x: 3x + 5 = 2x - 1. Show steps."
• Physics, concept: "Sketch the free body diagram of a block on an incline and write the equations of motion."
• History, essay prompt: "Compare the causes of Event A and Event B, using three primary sources to support each point."
• Language, applied: "Translate the paragraph, then explain the choice of tense in sentences 2 and 4."

How to grade practice tests

• Create a simple rubric for each question: key facts or steps equal points.
• Time your marking. If marking takes longer than the real exam, cut it down.
• Record common errors and the time each question took.

Sample timetables you can copy

Below are compact timetables for three common prep windows. Pick the one that matches your remaining time.

Prep window	Daily study hours	Weekly structure	Primary focus
Short-term (1-2 weeks)	6-8 hours	AM - active recall. PM - past papers. Evening - light review.	Past papers and weak topics
Mid-term (1-3 months)	3-5 hours	Alternate days for subjects. One full mock weekly.	Practice tests and spaced review
Long-term (3+ months)	1-2 hours	Daily flashcards, weekly problem sessions, monthly full mock.	Build memory and skills steadily

Daily sample for a mid-term week

Morning: 60 to 90 minutes focused study on hardest topic using active recall.

Late morning: 30 to 60 minutes practice problems or flashcards on recent material.

Afternoon: 60 minutes reading notes and outlining answers for essays or long problems.

Evening: 30 minutes review of Anki and error log from the day.

Subject-specific tactics

Math and problem-heavy subjects

Do problems, not pages. Quantity and variety matter.

Create problem sets grouped by technique. Mix easy and hard problems in each set.

After each problem, write one sentence about the trick used. Put these in flashcards.

Keep an error log. Note the mistake type, why it happened, and one corrective action.

Science and conceptual subjects

Build concept maps that link formulas, experiments, and interpretations.

Turn each concept node into a question for flashcards, not just a label.

Do short practical write-ups for labs that focus on the logic, not every detail.

Humanities and essay-based subjects

Practice 10-minute plans for common prompts. Start with a thesis, then three supporting points with evidence. In a previous post about Why Students Feel Unprepared for Courses and How Generative AI and Social Media Are Revolutionizing Study Habits, I explained this in more detail.

Write short model paragraphs that follow your exam rubric. Save these in a "model answers" folder.

Use flashcards for key dates, names, and quotes. Use longer cards for argument outlines.

Past-paper strategy that actually improves scores

Past papers are gold. Use them like diagnostics and training at the same time.

Analyze weightage

• List topics from the last 10 past papers and count frequency.
• Prioritize high-frequency topics until you can handle them reliably.

Constructing timed mocks

• Pick a past paper. Set the exam time and remove notes. Simulate exam conditions.
• Use the marking scheme to score yourself immediately after.
• Write a short reflection on timing, content gaps, and careless errors.

Align with the marking rubric

Break every past question into the marking points. Practice hitting those points in your answers.

For essays, underline where you satisfied each criterion. If you miss one, add it explicitly to your checklist for the next attempt.

Progress tracking and small experiments

Track simple metrics. Keep them to three to five numbers you review weekly.

• Mock test score percent.
• Error types per mock, counted.
• Average time per question or per page.
• Retention rate from Anki for each tag, tracked roughly.

When to pivot the plan

If mock scores do not rise after two full cycles of practice, change one major variable.

Examples: change from passive rereading to active practice, increase spaced review, or get targeted feedback. In a previous post about Top Free PDF Viewers for Windows in 2026: The Ultimate Guide to the Best Free PDF Readers, I explained this in more detail.

Small experiment framework

• Pick one variable to change for one week only.
• Define success criteria before you start, for example one to three percentage points or fewer careless errors.
• Run the week, record the metrics, and compare to the previous baseline week.

Simple stress, sleep, and nutrition rules

Sleep is a study tool. Aim for 7 to 9 hours in the weeks before the exam.

Short naps can help, but keep them under 30 minutes so you sleep properly at night.

Eat balanced meals. Include protein and slow carbohydrates before heavy study sessions.

Use caffeine strategically. Have it early in the day and avoid it six hours before bedtime.

Use a two-minute breathing routine before a mock to lower stress and sharpen focus.

Exam-day routine

Night before: stop new studying two hours before bed. Do light review only.

Morning: a filling breakfast with protein and fruit. Do 10 minutes of light review, not cramming.

In the exam: start by scanning the paper and planning time per question. Answer the one you can score highest on first.

Leave five minutes at the end to check for silly mistakes and to ensure you completed all parts of answers. In a previous post about IsDBI eBook Reader App Review Competition Launched: How to Enter, Win, and Make Your Review Stand Out, I explained this in more detail.

Templates you can copy and paste

Revision planner

• Week: [dates]
• Top 3 goals this week: [goal 1], [goal 2], [goal 3]
• Daily blocks: Morning - [subject/topic], Afternoon - [subject/topic], Evening - Anki + review
• Weekly mock: Day [x], exam paper [name]

Mock-test sheet

• Student:
• Exam:
• Date and time:
• Allowed materials:
• Time limit:
• Questions: [list or paste paper]
• Scoring rubric: [points per question, key max marks]
• Reflection: time management, three things to fix

Checklist for active revision

• Can I explain this topic out loud in 90 seconds?
• Can I solve one standard problem and one difficult problem?
• Do I have flashcards for the facts and the tricky steps?
• Is this topic tagged and scheduled in my spaced deck?
• Do I have a quick model answer or formula sheet for reference?

Final tips

Be ruthless about practice tests. They are the closest thing to real improvement.

Keep your system simple. Any tool that creates friction will make you avoid study sessions.

Run little experiments often. The fastest improvements come from small, focused changes and quick measurement.

If you try these methods, pick one change at a time. Build habits that survive tired weeks and busy days. I've covered a similar topic in Discover the Best Free PDF Readers to Use in 2026: Fast, Secure, and Feature-Rich Picks.