<em>This week our ‘Memory Man’ James Paterson, dual Welsh Memory Champion and psychology teacher at independent school LVS Ascot, gives some useful advice to anyone in the middle of exams who has left everything to the last minute.</em> <em>This week our ‘Memory Man’ James Paterson, dual Welsh Memory Champion and psychology teacher at independent school LVS Ascot, gives some useful advice to anyone in the middle of exams who has left everything to the last minute.</em> It is inevitable that come exam time there will always be studen ts who have not prepared properly.

Via study skills days for students, and revision techniques training for staff and parents, at LVS Ascot we ensure revision is organised and planned with all aspects covered.

But what help can I give a student who has an exam in a few days and hasn’t had the benefit of that planning? Last-minute cramming is never advised but with just days to go time needs to be used effectively.

Here are my top five tips for making the best of the situation: 1. Avoid ‘would’ve, should’ve, could’ve’ thoughts. Don’t think about how well prepared you would be had you started revision six weeks ago. Make the best of the situation, just focusing on what you can do, not on what you cannot.

2. You can’t learn it all. You just do not have time. If you skim over everything in little detail you will not be able to recall it well because there will be no time to test yourself.

Instead, be ruthless, pick the most important facts and elements of the material and make sure that you know it very well. Spend a third of your time cramming material in and two thirds testing yourself on it.

3. Mind-Maps . Condense your chosen material into a mind-map remembering to write down only the key words. Now put the mind-map aside and try to recreate it. Once you have achieved that (even if there are a few mistakes), try to use the mind-map as a guide to explain the whole topic to yourself.

4. Memory Strategies. Constant repetition works, but when trying to recall lists, procedures, facts, details, etc it would make your life a lot easier using memory palaces.

Transform the facts that you need to remember into visual imagery and imagine these images being placed along a familiar route. Navigating through this route again and again in your mind’s eye puts a more motivational and interesting twist on the old-fashioned rote repetition method.

5. Beware of success! If you cram for an exam and you happen to be successful, do not make the mistake of believing that you have learned the material well.

Cramming is a last-minute survival strategy and is not the same as actual learning. It is not the best strategy for exams so be honest with yourself and get it right next time.