Md Sayful Islam

Exam Preparation

How to Prepare for an Examination: The Final Week and Exam Day

How to prepare for an examination in the final week and on the day: logistics, a review plan, sleep research, reading the paper and dividing your time.

10 min read · Oct 10, 2026

Note-Taking

Note-Taking From a Textbook: Read First, Then Write in Your Own Words

Note-taking from a textbook: read a section first, write the main points from memory in your own words, check the text, then review. With the research on highlighting.

9 min read · Oct 10, 2026

Study Methods

Effective Study Habits: Seven Routines and the Research Behind Each

Seven effective study habits, each tied to a published study or university guidance, with a sample week that puts them together.

9 min read · Oct 10, 2026

Focus & Time

Weekly Study Schedule: How to Build One, With a Filled-In Example Week

How to build a weekly study schedule around your fixed commitments in five steps, with an example week of 24 study hours across four courses.

10 min read · Oct 10, 2026

Reading & Writing

Writing an Essay Outline: From Question to Thesis to Evidence

Writing an essay outline step by step, from the assignment question to a working thesis, main points and evidence, with the alphanumeric format and a filled-in example.

10 min read · Oct 10, 2026

Exam Preparation

How to Cram for an Exam: What Research Says and What to Do With One Day

How to cram for an exam with one or two days left: what research says about massed study, then how to choose topics, test yourself and stop in time to sleep.

10 min read · Oct 10, 2026

Note-Taking

Taking Notes in Class: What to Do Before, During and After a Lecture

Taking notes in class is three jobs: preparing before the lecture, selecting during it and reviewing after. Here is each stage, with the laptop research.

10 min read · Oct 10, 2026

Study Methods

The Most Effective Study Techniques: What Two Research Reviews Found

The most effective study techniques, as rated by a research review of ten methods and a US practice guide, with the reasons behind each rating.

10 min read · Oct 10, 2026

Focus & Time

Time Management Tips for Students: Plan the Term, the Week and the Day

Time management tips for students at three levels (term, week and day), with what studies found about grades and stress and how to estimate task time.

9 min read · Oct 10, 2026

Reading & Writing

How to Paraphrase Without Plagiarizing: Five Steps and a Worked Example

How to paraphrase without plagiarizing in five steps taught by university writing centers, with a before-and-after example and an explanation of patchwriting.

10 min read · Oct 10, 2026

Exam Preparation

How to Study for a Math Final: Mixed Practice and an Error Log

How to study for a math final: solve problems instead of rereading, mix the problem types, learn from worked examples and keep an error log. Includes a sample week.

9 min read · Oct 10, 2026

Note-Taking

Different Note-Taking Methods: Five Formats and When Each One Fits

The different note-taking methods come down to five page formats. Here is what each looks like, when it fits a lecture and what studies of note formats found.

10 min read · Oct 10, 2026