How the plan is built
The plan follows a fixed rule, and it's our own rule. The same exams, topics and minutes always give the same plan. No AI, nothing random.
- Study days run from your start day to the day before each exam, minus the days you can't study.
- Every topic gets a first pass, in the order you typed them, spread over the first half of that exam's study days.
- Then each topic comes back for up to 3 reviews on later days. A review is about a third of the first pass, at least 10 minutes. A topic's first pass and its reviews are always at least 2 days apart, so there's a free day between them, and the reviews are spread out so the last one lands close to the exam.
- With 3 or more study days, the last day before the exam is a mixed self-test on all of that exam's topics, about 25 minutes.
- When a day's minutes run short, each exam's first passes for that day go in before its reviews. Anything that doesn't fit moves to the next day with room. If it runs out of days, the plan tells you what didn't fit.
A worked example
Example class: intro psychology, 6 topics, exam in 8 days, 60 minutes a day, 30 minutes per topic the first time.
| Day | What to study | Minutes |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | First pass on research methods, the brain (60 min) | 60 |
| Day 2 | First pass on sensation and perception, learning (60 min) | 60 |
| Day 3 | Review research methods, the brain (20 min)First pass on memory (30 min) | 50 |
| Day 4 | Review sensation and perception, learning (20 min)First pass on development (30 min) | 50 |
| Day 5 | Review research methods, the brain, memory (30 min) | 30 |
| Day 6 | Review sensation and perception, learning, development (30 min) | 30 |
| Day 7 | Review research methods, the brain, memory (30 min) | 30 |
| Day 8 | Mixed self-test on all 6 topics (25 min) | 25 |
| Day 9 | Exam day |
The first topics get 3 reviews. The last topic gets 1 review, because fewer days are left to keep the 2-day gap before the self-test. That's why the order you type your topics in matters: put the most important first.
Why topics come 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%. A rough rule based on that study: if your exam is a week away, review about 1 to 2 days after you first study. Source: Cepeda and others, 2008 (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).
The 2-day gap and the number of reviews in this tool are our own rules, not a research finding.
Several finals at once
Add up to 5 exams. They share the same minutes a day. Each day, the earliest exam's sessions go in first, then the next exam's, each in the order you typed its topics. Two exams on the same day are both planned, the one you typed first going first.
Our finals guide suggests studying two classes a day, so each topic gets a gap before it comes back and no class goes a week untouched. Here's the full finals method.
Not sure which final needs the most hours? Work out what you need on each one first.
Making the plan work
Start each day by testing yourself on the topics from two days ago, before anything new. On a review, answer from memory first, 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).
Put your topics in order before you type them: here's how to rank them.
When the exam is tomorrow
There's no time to space it out, so the tool gives you an order for tonight instead. Here's a plan for tonight, hour by hour.
Questions
How far apart should study sessions be?
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. This tool keeps at least one free day between a topic's first pass and its reviews.
How long should I study for an exam?
We don't have a study we'd trust to give you a number of hours. The plan shows what fits the minutes you have, and tells you if it doesn't.
Can I plan all my finals at once?
Yes, up to 5. They share the same minutes a day. Each day, the earliest exam's sessions go in first, then the next exam's, each in the order you typed its topics.
Why does the plan put reviews so far apart?
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. The 2-day gap and the number of reviews in this tool are our own rules, not a research finding.
Read why topics come back on later daysWhat order should I type my topics in?
Most important first. The top of your list gets its first passes and reviews first, so if something has to give, it's the bottom of the list.
Rank your topics by the clues your class givesDoes this save my topics?
No. The plan 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
- 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)
- 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)
Last reviewed: . By the Class Speedrun team.