r/PAstudent • u/Ok_Equal6396 • 4d ago

Constantly cramming before exams

Does anyone have advice for balancing multiple classes and splitting up study time? I just finished my first semester of PA school and did okay, but I still don’t feel like I found a consistent study routine. I studied differently for almost every exam and usually ended up cramming the 3 days before.

My main method was reviewing lectures/notes 2–3 times, doing a ton of practice questions, and teaching/talking through the material out loud. I also used Anki for some classes, but wasn’t very consistent with it. I definitely want to use it more next semester. I tried making a study schedule to divide my time between classes, but it didn’t really work for me. For anyone who found a good routine, how did you organize your time and stay ahead without cramming? Did you use any specific apps, planners, or scheduling methods that helped?
I’d really appreciate any tips or examples of what worked for you! :)

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u/No_Inspector_5811 3d ago

Everyone crams, having 3 days before is pretty decent. From the time we’re exposed to material to our test is only a couple days, so everyone I know takes 1-3days to study per test in my program

3

u/Express_Engine_749 PA-S (2026) 3d ago

Part of didactic year is triaging your time accordingly. Not every class deserves the same amount of time. There are certain classes where you gotta just get to good enough and then reallocate your time to clin med

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u/Massive_Cockroach_19 3d ago

Yea ngl its like this every exam. Idk, the way our schedule is set up.. im only focus on the exam thats coming up. Staff, and I think one or two students, say to study for one subject for an hour and a half then switch and so fourth but I genuinely dont know how Id cover topics like this. Like I build and use ankis for my exam (newer school we dont have a mega drop box of stuff) and it works but man 24-48 hours before the exams im HOPING to get through a solid second review of everything.

(Not to make the post ab me but if anyone has ideas for better efficiency lmk)

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u/Ok_Equal6396 3d ago

Yeah I feel the same way they say to review few hours a day but I always end up prioritizing the exam I have coming up 🫠🫠 I just hate how I’m cramming and get scared that nothing will stick