5 Essential Steps to Cram for a Test Without Losing Your Mind

期末考试，你看我还有机会吗？

Social media is electronic ADHD. It will sink a cram session like an elephant in a row boat. Furthermore, Kim Kardashian won’t tweet anything in the next 50 minutes to improve your geometry grade. Texting, Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, Pinterest, etc., are great, but take a break to cram for exams.

社交媒体会一直分散你的注意力。就像大象坐在划艇上一定会沉下去，它一定会把复习搞砸。而且，金·卡戴珊在接下来的50分钟内不会发布任何帮助你提高几何成绩的推特。短信、脸书、推特、Gmail、Pinterest都是很不错的软件，不过还是让它们休息一下，专心备战考试吧。

Cramming is about finding a good rhythm. We recommend a 50/10 split: 50 minutes studying, 10 minutes of anything else. On your break, exercise, or sing, or dance, or sit still. You pick. Then get back to work. Setting a timer will help you find a rhythm.

临考前死记硬背的学习要找到一个舒适的节奏。我们建议50：10的时间分配：50分钟学习，10分钟做其他事。休息时，你可以锻炼身体，唱歌，跳舞，或静静地坐着。随便你想干什么。时间到了就回去学习。设置计时器能帮助你把握复习节奏。

Remember, you are cramming at this point. Any learning here has a limited shelf-life, so stick to the basics. You are learning just the main ideas and the key details. Those are the things that are most likely to be on the test, so focus your energy there. Look for headings, key people, dates, equations, vocab words, and explanations of major ideas. Filter the rest.

记住，你现在是在应付考试。现在学习的任何知识都只是临时记忆，所以只关注基本知识。你现在只要学习知识要点和重要细节。这些是最有可能出现在考试中的内容，所以把精力集中于此。寻找标题、关键人物、日期、方程式、词汇和主要观点的解释。过滤剩下的。

Talk to yourself. Every big idea you read, talk it out. Explain things to yourself. Make lots of hand motions. Pace if it helps. Emphasize words with a funny accent. The crazier you look, the better. No, crazy people don’t remember more. But the more senses and emotions involved the more you’ll remember.

你要自言自语。要把看到的重要知识点读出声。向自己做解释。可以比手划脚。如果有帮助的话，加快速度。用有趣的口音强调文字。看起来越疯狂越好。疯癫不会帮助记忆，但是你的感官和情绪可以。

Whether or not your teacher/prof. gave you a study guide, you need to make your own to cram for an exam. This is far and away the best method to study for an exam. After just making the guide yourself, 80% of your work will be done. You’re cramming, so it doesn’t have to be neat. Only you have to be able to read it. Writing it out, reading as you go, involving all your senses.

无论老师是否划了复习重点，你都需要为考试制作复习指南。这无疑是备考的最好方法。完成复习指南之后，80%的工作就搞定了。你是为了应付考试，所以指南不必工整。只要能看懂就行。把它写出来，边读边写，让你的所有感官都参与其中。