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Exams sneak up on everyone. One minute you’re cruising through tutorials, the next you’re wondering how it’s already Week 12. The good news? You just need to give yourself a little head start.
Starting early isn’t about being perfect, it’s about giving yourself some breathing room.
Start a bit earlier than feels necessary
Most students find that 3-5 weeks before exams is a comfortable window. Not intense or stressful, just enough time to warm up your brain again.
A simple way to think about it:
‘When your midterm assignments/exams are done, your final assignment/exam prep can begin’
This might look like
- Revisiting a lecture
- Doing a quick quiz
- Checking what the exam covers.
Signs it’s time to start now
If any of the following sound familiar, an early start might help:
- You’re blanking on content from earlier in the semester
- You have multiple exams close together
- You’re not sure what the exam will focus on
- You’re already feeling a bit stressed about revision
Reverse‑engineer your study plan
Instead of guessing when to start, work backwards from your exam date.
Example: Your exam is on November 4. You think you’ll need around 15-20 hours to revise the content and do some practise questions. If you start a week (i.e. Week 15) out, that’s a lot of hours to squeeze in. But if you start three weeks (i.e. Week 13) out, you can spread it across short sessions that fit around your daily life.
This approach feels calmer and gives you space to catch anything you’ve forgotten from earlier in the semester.
Keep study sessions small and friendly
You don’t need long study marathons. Short sessions timed around 30–50 minutes are easier to stick to and kinder on your brain.
Rotate between things like reviewing content, practising questions, testing yourself and summarising key ideas. It keeps things fresh and stops you from zoning out.
If you like a bit of structure, the Pomodoro technique can be a great fit. It’s basically studying in short bursts with planned breaks, which makes everything feel more manageable and less intense.
Build a plan you can actually stick to
A realistic plan includes
- your exam dates
- your weekly commitments
- short study blocks you can repeat.
It doesn’t need to be detailed. It just needs to fit your around your other commitments.
Want support getting started?
Visit the Curtin Library, UniSkills, attend an upcoming Library Workshop, or book a Peer Academic Mentoring session to build your exam plan, learn revision strategies and explore exam preparation resources.
Written by Japtoz Singh Puri, Peer Academic Mentor
