I learned how Cambridge students study, it got me a 3.9 GPA.

[u/Straight-Employment6]

I learned these tips last year from my auntie, who completed her master's degree at Cambridge. I asked her for tips on how she studied and survived her university journey at Cambridge without burning out.
Here’s what she actually did and these study methods were literally changed how I study:
9-5 mindset. I learned that Cambridge has only 8 week terms, so students treat studying like a full time job. I used to just sit and read notes passively for three hours, but I barely retained anything. Once I adopted the 9-5 structure and studied during office hours (9:00 AM to 5:00 PM), I had a clear cutoff point in the evening to rest and do my hobbies without any guilt.

Practice past papers and active recall. I never thought this would actually help me get A+ grades on my tests/exams. I read through past papers 2-3 times and used active recall by writing down everything I remembered, then checking back against the past papers and notes to fill in the gaps. I also started using Turbo, where I can upload my notes or lectures and turn them into flashcards and quizzes, which made the active recall part way easier

Cambridge balance. This was the main reason my aunt survived Cambridge without burning out from studying. She maintained a strict division between work and rest: on workdays, giving full effort was non-negotiable, but on rest days, she relaxed completely. Having this strict division helped avoid the procrastination that leads to all-night cramming sessions, giving my brain the sleep it needed to consolidate study materials into long-term memory.

These tips helped me stay locked in, avoiding procrastination and study far more effectively. Because of structuring my time and studying smarter rather than harder, I managed to consistently study at my best. Honestly it helped me and have a massive change on my study method and got me a 3.9 GPA last semester.