Cram it

Making your last minute studying more effective

Cram+it

This is the end.

The last week before finals.

And every student who is not currently a freshman remembers what this weekend entails—cramming an entire semester’s worth of material into 48 grueling hours fueled by the grounds in the bottom of a coffee cup and the adrenaline from the stress of constantly checking RogerHub Final Grade Calculator.

Instead of mindlessly thumbing through notes and study guides this year, consider taking advantage of all the tools the internet has to offer.

Maybe your teachers have a YouTube channel with lessons or video lectures, like Mr. T, who has posted hundreds (not exaggerating) of lessons for math classes ranging from Algebra to BC Calculus.

Other sources from YouTube include Crash Course, which boasts an insane coverage of topics. Need to study history? Government? Chemistry? Philosophy? Economics? Anatomy?  The John-Hank dream team will guide you through cramming with hours upon hours of bad dad jokes and reputable information.

Khan Academy follows a similar structure to Crash Course, although the videos tend to be more formal and problem-solving based, with the instructor walking viewers step by step through Physics, Finance, Chemistry, Statistics, and many other subject’s problems.

After watching YouTube videos until your eyes glaze over, you might want to put the skills you studied to the test. Quizlet, most known for online flashcards, also has game and test features, allowing you to more actively engage in studying. Eva (https://quizlet.com/evaxmariexxx) Krevchuck-Villejo owns the record for most extensive Quizlet account ever, with sets for any Carmel student. Whatever classes you are taking, Eva has created a Quizlet for them.

For AP students and other masochists, practice exams are available online, with both multiple choice examples and previous essay prompts listed. This website collects links to past exams for every AP course offered at Carmel. In addition to exam practice, this site also offers vocabulary flashcards, outlines of time periods for the history courses, essay tips, and specific information about the times and formats of each exam.

If you’d rather trick yourself into studying, sites like Duolingo offer a game-based learning experience with a point-based achievement system and an aggressive green owl to make studying less of a chore. For more competitive scholars, Kahoot allows users to create cut throat games that pit student against student in a race against the clock to submit the correct answers.

But for those who need to buckle down and study this weekend, there are still more methods than reviewing study guides and powerpoint presentations. Consider Mind Maps, a type of visual aide that organizes concepts into one easy graphic, turning note-taking into a much more exciting activity with a creative spin.

And after all of your studying, you can relax, sink into the comfort of your blankets, binge watch Netflix, and let the stress melt away.

At least until Monday morning.