⏱️ Time Management & Exam Prep · Lesson 1 of 6
Plan the semester from your syllabi
Every deadline in one calendar in week one.
The syllabus is a contract
Each syllabus lists exams, papers, project dates, grading weights, attendance and late policies, office hours and the AI policy. Read every one in the first week — most surprises later in the semester were in the syllabus all along.
One master calendar
- Put every exam and due date from every class into one calendar
- Color-code by class
- Add reminders: one week before and two days before each big deadline
- Look at the whole semester: where are the crunch weeks with 3+ deadlines?
- For crunch weeks, move your own start dates earlier
Know the weights
A paper worth 30% of your grade deserves more time than a quiz worth 2%. Write the weight next to each deadline. Use a grade calculator to see where you stand mid-semester.
Tip
💡 Big assignments get their own mini-deadlines: topic by week 4, sources by week 6, draft by week 9. Put those in the calendar too.
✏️ Practice: your turn
- Read every syllabus and highlight dates, weights and policies
- Put all deadlines into one color-coded calendar
- Find your crunch weeks
- Break your biggest assignment into 3–4 mini-deadlines
🧠 Quick quiz
Answer all 4 questions correctly to mark this lesson as done.
0 of 4 correct
All lessons in Time Management & Exam Prep
- 🗓️ 1. Plan the semester from your syllabiEvery deadline in one calendar in week one
- 📆 2. A weekly schedule that worksTime blocks, the 2-for-1 rule and protecting sleep
- 🐢 3. Beating procrastinationWhy we delay, the 5-minute start and implementation intentions
- 🗺️ 4. A study plan for midterms and finalsWork backward from exam dates — with the study planner
- 📝 5. Test-taking strategiesRead the whole exam, budget time, multiple choice and essay questions
- 🌿 6. Stress and test anxietyPreparation, breathing, reframing and when to get help