Introduction
You look at the clock. Then you look at your notes. Then you look back at the clock.
Your stomach drops. You have exactly one hour before your test starts, and you feel like you know absolutely nothing. The panic starts to set in. Your brain wants to freeze up, curl into a ball, and give up.
Stop.
Take a deep breath. You are not going to give up. Believe it or not, sixty minutes is actually a lot of time if you use it correctly. Most students waste hours "studying" by just staring at their books, which doesn't really help. You are going to do something different. You are going to use a strategy called "Emergency Triage."
In a hospital, "triage" is when doctors decide who needs help first. In studying, it means we decide what information will get you the most points, and we ignore the rest. This guide is your emergency battle plan. We will not waste a single second. We will focus only on the tactics that are scientifically proven to work fast.
Here is what we are going to cover in the next hour:
The 80/20 Rule: How to find the most important information.
Active Recall: Why quizzing yourself is faster than reading.
The Blurting Method: The quickest way to find out what you don't know.
Speed Teaching: Using AI to check your understanding.
The Brain Dump: A secret weapon for the moment the test starts.
Put your phone on "Do Not Disturb." Let’s get to work.
Minute 0-5: The Emergency Triage (Prioritize)
The biggest mistake you can make right now is trying to learn everything. You cannot learn an entire semester of History or Math in one hour. If you try, you will fail.
Instead, you need to be smart. You need to use the 80/20 Rule. This rule says that 80% of the points on the test usually come from 20% of the material. Your job in the first five minutes is to find that 20%.
Do not open your textbook to page one and start reading. That is a trap.
How to Find the "Hit List"
Check the Syllabus: Look for a "Learning Objectives" list. This is literally a list of what the teacher wants you to know.
Review Old Quizzes: Teachers love to reuse questions. If you got a question wrong on a quiz two weeks ago, there is a very good chance it will show up on the test today.
Find the "Big Ideas": Ignore the tiny details for now. If you are studying World War II, don't memorize the name of every soldier. Memorize why the war started and how it ended.
Look for Bold Words: Flip through your notes. Anything written in bold, underlined, or highlighted is a priority.
Pick the top 3 to 5 things that you are worst at. That is where we will spend our time. If you feel overwhelmed by the sheer size of the task, remember that this is just anxiety talking. You can use tools to help you break these big topics down. For more on handling that overwhelmed feeling, check out our guide on how to break big projects into small steps.
Minute 5-20: Active Recall (The Golden Rule)
Now that you know what to study, we need to talk about how.
Most students spend their last hour re-reading their notes. They move their eyes over the page and nod their heads. They think, "Okay, I recognize this. I know this."
This is a lie.
Recognizing something is not the same as knowing it. Re-reading is passive. To actually learn fast, you need to do Active Recall. Active Recall means forcing your brain to pull the information out without looking. It is hard, but that difficulty is what builds memory.
The "Cover and Check" Method
Take your notes or your textbook.
Cover the definitions or answers with a piece of paper.
Ask yourself the question.
Say the answer out loud. This is important. If you just say it in your head, you might trick yourself.
Check if you were right.
Using AI to Speed This Up
You don't have time to make paper flashcards. That takes too long. Instead, you can use AI to quiz you instantly.
You can use the Memory Coach prompt from our Prompt Library. You simply paste your notes into the AI and it will start asking you questions, forcing you to use active recall. It won't let you get away with "I kind of know it." It makes sure you really know it.
This technique is backed by science. According to research cited by Harvard University, testing yourself is one of the most effective ways to retain information long-term. Even in a rush, this method works better than cramming by reading.
For a deeper dive on why this works so well, read our article on how to actually use AI to prepare for tests.
Minute 20-35: The "Blurting" Method
We are one-third of the way through. You have identified your weak spots and you have started quizzing yourself. Now we are going to use a technique that is famous on social media because it works incredibly fast. It is called Blurting.
This is perfect for essay questions or big concepts. Here is how it works:
Pick a Topic: Let's say the topic is "Photosynthesis."
Hide Everything: Close your book. Close your tabs. Clear your desk.
The "Blurt": Take a blank sheet of paper and a pen. Set a timer for 3 minutes. Write down everything you know about Photosynthesis. Draw diagrams, write keywords, write dates, write formulas. Just dump your brain onto the page.
The Check: Open your book. Compare what you wrote to the actual information.
The Correction: Take a different colored pen. Write down everything you missed or got wrong on your "Blurt" paper.
This colorful paper is now your study guide. The stuff in blue ink (or whatever color you started with) is stuff you know. You can ignore it. The stuff in red ink (the corrections) is exactly what you need to focus on for the next 10 minutes.
Minute 35-50: Speed-Teaching (The Feynman Technique)
You have 25 minutes left. You are doing great.
Now we are going to use a trick used by Nobel Prize-winning physicists. It is called the Feynman Technique. The idea is simple: If you cannot explain something simply, you don't understand it.
Imagine you have to explain the topic to a 5-year-old. You can't use big fancy words. You have to use simple language.
Stand up (yes, really).
Pretend you are teaching a class of kindergarteners.
Explain the concept out loud.
If you get stuck, or if you find yourself saying "ummm... well, it's complicated," that means you don't know it yet.
Short on time? Use AI as your student. You can use the Generalist Teacher prompt from our library. Instead of the AI teaching you, you teach the AI. Tell the AI: "I am going to explain [Topic] to you. Tell me if I am right or if I missed anything."
The AI will point out your mistakes instantly. This is much faster than searching through a textbook for answers. It gives you instant feedback. You can find more about this strategy in our post about turning AI into your practice quiz maker.
Minute 50-60: The "Cheat Sheet" Review
You are in the final stretch. Ten minutes to go.
Stop trying to learn new concepts. If you don't understand the complex theory by now, you probably won't get it in the next ten minutes. Now, we switch to pure memorization of the "must-haves."
These are the things that require zero understanding but get you points:
Formulas (Math/Science)
Dates (History)
Vocabulary definitions (English/Language)
Specific names of people.
Use Mnemonics
A mnemonic is a memory trick. It's like a mental shortcut.
Acronyms: Make a word out of the first letters. (Example: PEMDAS for Order of Operations).
Rhymes: "In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue."
Silly Sentences: If you need to memorize the planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars...), make a sentence like "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles."
According to ThoughtCo, using mnemonic devices is one of the most effective ways to cram information into your short-term memory quickly. Write these down on a single sticky note or index card. Stare at them. Say them out loud.
Game Time: 5 Minutes Before & The Start
The hour is up. Put your books away. Seriously. Trying to read one last sentence while walking into the classroom usually just makes you more nervous. It can scramble what you have already studied.
Calming Down
When you are stressed, your body releases cortisol. This is a stress hormone that actually shuts down the thinking part of your brain.
Drink some water. Hydration helps your brain work faster.
Box Breathing: Breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, breathe out for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds.
Visualise: Close your eyes for 30 seconds and imagine yourself sitting down and knowing the answers.
A calm brain is a smart brain. You can read more about how your brain processes information in our article on the science of sleep and brain health.
The "Brain Dump" Strategy
This is your secret weapon. The second the teacher hands you the test paper and says "You may begin," do not look at the first question.
Flip the test over to the back, or use your scratch paper.
Immediately write down all those formulas, dates, names, and mnemonics you memorized in the last 10 minutes. Dump everything out of your brain and onto the paper. Now you don't have to hold it in your head anymore! You can relax. You have legally created your own "cheat sheet" on the back of the test.
What NOT to Do
We have talked about what works. Before you go, let's look at the three things that will definitely fail you.
Do NOT Highlight: Highlighting feels like work, but it doesn't do anything. It just makes your page yellow. It does not put information in your brain.
Do NOT Listen to Music with Lyrics: If you are reading words and listening to words (lyrics), your brain gets confused. If you need music, listen to video game soundtracks or lo-fi beats, music without words.
Do NOT Ask Friends "What did you study?": This is the worst thing you can do. You will walk into class, ask a friend, and they will say, "Did you study Chapter 4?" You will realize you didn't study Chapter 4, and you will panic. It is too late now. Trust what you did. Ignore everyone else.
Conclusion
You did it. You used your hour wisely.
You prioritized the most important topics. You used active recall to lock them in. You used the "Blurting" method to check your knowledge, and you prepared a "Brain Dump" for the moment the test starts.
Will you get a perfect 100%? Maybe not. But you are going to do a whole lot better than if you had spent the last hour just staring at your textbook or scrolling through your phone.
Remember, one bad test does not define you. But learning how to study under pressure is a skill that will help you for the rest of your life. Next time, try to start a little earlier (we know, easier said than done!), but for today, go in there and give it your best shot.
You are more ready than you think. Good luck.
