# How do you make a study schedule for exams?

> Start from the exam date and count back, list every topic the exam covers, then spread short study sessions across the days you have, returning to each topic more than once. Spend most sessions testing yourself rather than rereading your notes.

Page: https://textdash.com/guides/how-to-make-a-study-schedule
By: Saad Bashir, Dash Inc.
Updated: 2026-10-31

## What goes into a study schedule?

1. **List what the exam covers.** Use the syllabus, the professor's review notes and past quizzes to write down every topic, chapter or lecture that is fair game.
2. **Count your days.** Write the exam date, then mark the days you can study and how long each day realistically allows, around classes, work and other deadlines.
3. **Spread topics across days.** Give each topic a first session, then put it back on the calendar a few days later for review.

## Why spread study out instead of cramming?

Learning researchers call it spaced or distributed practice: studying the same material in several sessions spread over time, instead of one long block. A widely cited 2013 review of study techniques by John Dunlosky and colleagues rated it one of only two techniques with high usefulness across many kinds of students and subjects.

Cramming can feel productive because the material is fresh. Spacing works better for remembering it on exam day and after.

## What should you actually do in each session?

Test yourself. The same 2013 review rated practice testing, also called retrieval practice, as the other high-usefulness technique, and rated rereading and highlighting low. Pulling an answer out of memory strengthens it more than looking at it again.

Use practice problems, old quizzes, flashcards, or close your notes and write out what you remember. Whatever you get wrong goes on the schedule again.

## Can Dash build a study schedule for you?

Yes. Dash already knows your real exam dates from your syllabus or learning system, so you can text "make me a study plan for my bio final" and get sessions spread across the days you have. It can also quiz you, make flashcards and add the study blocks to your calendar once you say yes.

## Questions

### How far ahead should I start studying for an exam?

Early enough to go over each topic at least twice with days in between. For a midterm or final, that usually means starting one to two weeks out.

### How long should each study session be?

Shorter focused sessions with breaks tend to beat marathon blocks. Pick a length you can keep your attention for, then stop and come back later.

### What if I have several exams in the same week?

Interleave them. Put each course on the calendar in rotation, giving more sessions to the exam that is sooner or counts more.

## Related

- [How do you study for finals in a week?](https://textdash.com/guides/how-to-study-for-finals-in-a-week)
- [How do you keep track of assignments in college?](https://textdash.com/guides/how-to-keep-track-of-assignments)
- [How do you read a syllabus, and what should you pull out on day one?](https://textdash.com/guides/how-to-read-a-syllabus)
- [What should you do if you miss a deadline in college?](https://textdash.com/guides/missed-a-deadline-in-college)
- [How do you drop a class in college?](https://textdash.com/guides/how-to-drop-a-class)
- [How do you email a professor?](https://textdash.com/guides/how-to-email-a-professor)

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**About Dash.** Dash is an AI sidekick for college and university students that you text over iMessage or SMS. It tracks every deadline and texts you before each one, answers questions about your campus, helps you study, and, with your yes, orders food, books things, makes phone calls and handles admin. Free to start. iMessage on iPhone and SMS on any phone. No app, no login. For students at colleges and universities in Canada and the United States. Dash never writes, answers or submits graded work. It explains, quizzes and plans. Dash is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by any college or university.

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