Step 1. Start from what's on the exam, not from your notes
Your notes follow the class day by day. Your guide should follow the exam. List every topic it covers: the slide headings, the schedule in the syllabus, and the study guide if you have one.
Then put the topics in order, most important first, using the clues your class has already given you.
Here's how to rank your topics by the clues, with a worked example.
Your instructor gave you a study guide
Then it's your topic list. Every line on it becomes a topic in your guide. Turn each line into a question you answer without looking.
If there isn't one, the other clues matter more: practice questions, the quizzes and homework you got back, and the learning objectives in the syllabus.
Step 2. Write questions, not summaries
In a survey of 177 college students, 84% listed rereading their notes or textbook as a study strategy, and 55% said it was their number one. Source: Karpicke, Butler and Roediger, 2009 (opens in a new tab).
A large research review rated practice testing and spaced practice as the two most useful study techniques. Rereading and highlighting were rated low. Source: Dunlosky and others, 2013 (opens in a new tab).
That's why we suggest writing your guide as questions. The research is about testing yourself, not about study guides themselves, so this part is our advice.
Questions that work for most topics, the same ones the template offers:
- Explain it in your own words, without notes
- Write or solve one example
- What's it mixed up with, and how is it different?
- Where did it show up? (study guide, quiz, slides)
Step 3. Keep the answers out of sight
Fold the page down the middle, or put the answers on the back. The template does the first one for you: questions on the left, space for answers on the right, and a fold line between them.
Here's the start of a guide for a made-up class, with the questions only. The answers go on the other side of the fold, from your own class materials.
| Topic | Questions |
|---|---|
| Cell transport | Explain it in your own words, without notesWrite or solve one example |
| Enzymes | Explain it in your own words, without notesWrite or solve one example |
| Photosynthesis | Explain it in your own words, without notesWrite or solve one example |
Step 4. Use it: answer from memory, then check
In one experiment, students who tested themselves remembered 61% of a passage a week later, vs 40% for students who only reread it. Source: Roediger and Karpicke, 2006 (opens in a new tab).
Each time you use your guide:
- Cover the answers.
- Answer each question out loud or on scrap paper.
- Check your answer against the other side.
- Tick a Missed it box for every topic you got wrong or couldn't answer.
The topics you missed are where your next session starts. That's our advice, not a research finding.
Step 5. Bring it back on later days
A review of 317 experiments found that spreading out study of the same material beat studying it all at once, and that the best gap between study sessions gets longer the longer you need to remember it. Source: Cepeda and others, 2006 (opens in a new tab).
In a study of more than 1,350 people learning trivia facts, the best gap between first studying and reviewing was about 20 to 40% of the time between the review and a test a week later. For a test a year later, it was about 5 to 10%. Source: Cepeda and others, 2008 (opens in a new tab).
A rough rule based on that study: if your exam is a week away, review about 1 to 2 days after you first study. That rule of thumb is ours, not the study's finding.
Put your topics on a day-by-day plan with the free study schedule maker.
Fair game, and off-limits
Fair game
- Everything your instructor gave your class.
- Your own notes and graded work.
- What was said in class.
- Asking your instructor what to focus on.
Off-limits
- Leaked or stolen exams.
- Answer banks.
- Other students' graded work.
- Anything your syllabus says not to share or upload.
If your course doesn't allow uploading its materials to outside apps or AI tools, follow that.
Read our academic integrity pageOne guide per final
With several finals, make one guide for each and mix them across your days, instead of finishing one class before you start the next. That's our suggestion, not a research finding.
Here's the full finals plan.
Your study guide, built from your files
Drop in the files your course lets you use, like your syllabus, study guide and slides. Class Speedrun ranks the topics most likely to be on your exam, with the reason for each, and makes practice questions that come from your own class files. Every fact on your review sheet has a source. It can be wrong, so check it against your course materials. Free for one class. No account needed to start.
Build my study guide from my filesPlus Finals covers every class for 3 weeks: $9.99, one payment, nothing renews.
Questions
How long should a study guide be?
As long as your topic list, and no longer. If it's turning into a copy of your notes, cut it back to questions.
Is it better to make my own or use the one my instructor gave me?
Use theirs as your topic list, and make your own questions from it. We don't have a study on file comparing the two, so that's our advice.
Should I use flashcards instead?
Either works if you answer from memory before you look. The template is a flashcard sheet you can fold.
Can I make a study guide with AI?
You can, but check every line against your class materials, because AI can be wrong. Some instructors don't allow their materials in outside apps or AI tools, so check your syllabus first.
When should I start making it?
Early enough to use it on a few different days before the exam. In a study of more than 1,350 people learning trivia facts, the best gap between first studying and reviewing was about 20 to 40% of the time between the review and a test a week later. For a test a year later, it was about 5 to 10%. A rough rule based on that study: if your exam is a week away, review about 1 to 2 days after you first study. That rule of thumb is ours, not the study's finding.
Put your topics on a day-by-day planDoes this save what I type?
No. The template is made in your browser. We don't save or send what you type. Copy and Print stay on your device. Visits to this page are counted the same way as every other page on the site, without cookies.
Read the privacy policySources
- Karpicke, J. D., Butler, A. C., & Roediger, H. L. (2009). Metacognitive strategies in student learning: Do students practise retrieval when they study on their own? Memory, 17(4), 471-479. doi.org/10.1080/09658210802647009 (opens in a new tab)
- Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J., & Willingham, D. T. (2013). Improving students' learning with effective learning techniques. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1), 4-58. Summary from the Association for Psychological Science: www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/which-study-strategies-make-the-grade.html (opens in a new tab)
- Roediger, H. L., & Karpicke, J. D. (2006). Test-enhanced learning: Taking memory tests improves long-term retention. Psychological Science, 17(3), 249-255. doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2006.01693.x (opens in a new tab)
- Cepeda, N. J., Pashler, H., Vul, E., Wixted, J. T., & Rohrer, D. (2006). Distributed practice in verbal recall tasks: A review and quantitative synthesis. Psychological Bulletin, 132(3), 354-380. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16719566/ (opens in a new tab)
- Cepeda, N. J., Vul, E., Rohrer, D., Wixted, J. T., & Pashler, H. (2008). Spacing effects in learning: A temporal ridgeline of optimal retention. Psychological Science, 19(11), 1095-1102. doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02209.x (opens in a new tab)
Last reviewed: . By the Class Speedrun team.