Day 1: check scope and attempt a baseline
Collect the syllabus, permitted past papers and lecture objectives. Attempt a small sample without notes and label each topic secure, uncertain or unfamiliar. A confident guess is not evidence of mastery: record whether you can explain the reasoning as well as choose an answer.
Days 2–5: combine repair with retrieval
Give each day one main topic and a short revisit of an earlier one. Begin with a closed-book question, use the material to repair the gap, then answer a different question. Set a stopping time so an unexpectedly difficult chapter does not consume the entire week.
Days 6–7: rehearse and reduce
Use day six for a timed sample that resembles the actual assessment. Review its errors before selecting the final day's tasks. On day seven, revisit recurring mistakes, essential definitions and exam logistics instead of opening a large new topic.
Worked example
For six topics and 90 minutes a day, day one uses 30 minutes for scope and 60 for baseline questions. Days two to five allocate 50 minutes to a weak topic, 25 to practice and 15 to earlier errors. Day six uses a 60-minute mock and 30-minute review. Day seven revisits the error list. These are planning assumptions; shorten the scope if actual tasks take longer.
Before you finish
- Every assessed topic has an explicit status, not just a reading tick.
- A practice session is scheduled before the final day.
- The plan leaves room for errors discovered during practice.