What to Do One Day Before an Exam
Practical, evidence-backed steps to maximise performance and reduce anxiety
The day before an exam feels huge — it’s easy to swing between frantic last-minute cramming and doing nothing at all. The best approach sits between those extremes: focused, short review plus self-care. Decades of research and university guidance agree on the same essentials: prioritise sleep, do short active review (not passive re-reading), sort logistics, eat and hydrate sensibly, move your body, and practise a few calming routines. Below is a step-by-step playbook you can follow that’s practical, testable, and based on reliable sources.
Key ideas (what the evidence says)
Sleep matters more than extra late-night study. Memory consolidation happens during sleep; cutting sleep impairs recall and performance. Prioritise a full night’s rest.
Active, short review beats marathon cramming. Self-testing and retrieval practice the day before produces more durable performance than rereading pages of notes.
Nutrition, hydration and light exercise help cognitive function and calm nerves. Eat familiar, steady-energy foods, drink water, limit caffeine, and get gentle movement.
Plan logistics to avoid last-minute stress. Pack your bag, check the venue and timing, and have a backup plan for travel. Universities explicitly recommend doing this at least the day before.
These four points should shape everything you do in the final 24 hours.
A practical timeline for “day-before” (your checklist)
Below is a timeline you can follow. Adapt timings to your exam schedule and personal rhythms.
Morning: Gentle review + organise
60–90 minutes: focused retrieval practice. Pick 2–3 small, high-value topics (e.g., formulae you make mistakes on, essay plans, commonly tested concepts). Attempt to recall answers from memory, then check and correct. Avoid starting brand-new topics. (Retrieval > rereading.)
Write a short “error list.” Note 3 specific, fixable errors you had during the session and one tiny action for each (e.g., “confused formula sign — rework 5 problems,” “essay structure — memorise 3-point plan”).
Check practical logistics. Confirm exam time, venue, ID and permitted items. Plan your route and contingency (bus timings, petrol, who to call if delayed). Universities advise doing these checks the day before to reduce stress on the morning.
Midday: Rest, light practice, and packing
30–60 minutes: light active practice. Use short past-paper questions or flashcards. Keep it targeted and time-bounded.
Pack your exam bag now. Include: ID, pens/pencils, ruler, calculator (with fresh batteries), water bottle, snacks (banana, cereal bar), face mask (if required), timetable, wristwatch (if allowed), and any paperwork. Having this ready prevents rushed mistakes in the morning.
Eat a balanced lunch. Choose familiar foods that provide slow energy — whole grains, lean protein, fruit. Avoid heavy, greasy meals that can make you sluggish.
Afternoon: Low-stakes testing + movement
Brief, mixed-topic retrieval session (30–45 min). Interleave question types; practise exactly the formats you’ll face in the exam. This trains recognition and selection of strategies (interleaving).
20–30 minutes of light exercise. A short walk, bike ride, or gentle yoga will reduce anxiety and boost concentration. Many university guides recommend gentle movement the day before to improve mood and cognitive readiness.
Evening: Wind down, checklist, sleep preparation
Stop heavy study 2–3 hours before bedtime. Avoid intense study right before sleep — give your brain time to wind down. If you want to review, use a 20–30 minute low-stakes session earlier in the evening that focuses on flashcards or a laminated cheat-sheet of formulas (for study, not as an exam aid!).
Prepare your sleep environment. Make the bedroom cool, dark, and quiet. Remove screens or put them on night mode; avoid doomscrolling. Evidence and university sleep tips show that bedroom routines improve sleep onset and depth.
Pack food and water for the exam morning. Choose a breakfast you’ve eaten before — familiar, easily digestible, and carbohydrate-rich with some protein (e.g., porridge + banana). Limit caffeine later in the day to avoid disrupting sleep.
What to do — and what not to do — if you’re tempted to cram
Do:
Use active retrieval (self-test for 15–30 minutes on a single topic). Retrieval practice boosts memory more than re-reading.
Summarise a formula sheet or two simple essay structures in your own words. Only review; don’t attempt heavy new learning.
Don’t:
Pull an all-nighter. Sleep loss harms memory consolidation and cognitive performance — it’s usually counterproductive.
Attempt entirely new, difficult topics you’ve never seen. These are usually not retained effectively after one short session and can increase anxiety.
If panic hits: do two 10-minute retrieval bursts separated by a 15-minute walk — this combination of effortful recall and short movement calms the nervous system and yields better retention than passive reading.
The science of short review: what to practise and how long
Keep sessions short and specific. Aim for 15–45 minutes per block. The day before, quality beats quantity. Long unfocused sessions cause fatigue and poor recall.
Prioritise trouble spots. Use your error list from earlier in the day to focus where marks are likely lost.
Practice exam technique, not encyclopedic facts. For essays, write 1 or 2 full introductions or outlines; for problem subjects, time a short set of problems under test conditions. This improves fluency with format and time management.
Sleep strategies that actually work
If you struggle to sleep before exams, practical strategies supported by sleep guides and university resources include:
Set a consistent bedtime and wake time. Even one night of regular sleep helps circadian rhythm.
Wind-down routine (30–60 min): low lighting, light reading, calming breathing or progressive muscle relaxation. Apps that offer guided breathing can help, but avoid stimulating content.
Avoid caffeine 6–10 hours before bed. Caffeine half-life varies, but limiting intake late afternoon/evening reduces difficulty falling asleep.
If anxious, write a quick “worry list.” Journal 10 minutes before bed: write what you’re worried about and a short plan for the morning. This clears the mind and reduces rumination. (This is commonly recommended by wellbeing services.)
Nutrition and hydration — practical rules for the day before (and morning of)
Stick to familiar foods. The day before and morning of the exam are not the time for exotic meals that might upset your stomach.
Choose slow-release carbs + protein for breakfast. Porridge, eggs on wholegrain toast, yogurt with fruit — steady glucose supports concentration.
Stay hydrated. Dehydration impairs cognitive performance. Drink water regularly across the day and carry a bottle to the exam if allowed.
Limit alcohol and excess caffeine. Alcohol disrupts sleep; excess caffeine can increase jitteriness and impair sleep onset. Both are bad in the 24 hours before an exam.
Movement and brief relaxation exercises
Do 20–30 minutes of low-intensity exercise (walk, cycle, yoga). Exercise reduces anxiety and improves mood. University wellbeing guidance recommends movement the day before an exam as an anxiety-reducing strategy.
Breathing exercise (2–5 minutes). Box breathing: inhale 4 seconds, hold 4, exhale 4, hold 4 — repeat 4 times. Simple practices like this lower heart rate and calm nerves before sleep or the exam. (Widely recommended by student wellbeing services.)
Mental preparation and stress management
Visualise success — briefly. Spend two minutes imagining walking into the room calm, reading instructions, and executing your plan. Visualization reduces catastrophising and sharpens focus.
Positive self-talk. Replace “I’ll fail” with “I prepared as best I could and will follow my strategy.” Small scripts reduce panic.
Limit social media doomscrolling. Comparing yourself to others fuels anxiety; use the final day for private preparation and self-care. Many health guides warn against late-night scrolling for sleep reasons too.
Morning of the exam: a short routine
Wake with time to spare. Avoid rushing; give yourself extra margin for travel delays.
Do 10–20 minutes of low-effort review if helpful. Flashcards or a 10-minute “walk through” of key formulas and structures. Keep it calm and brief. Retrieval in the morning can prime memory.
Eat breakfast and hydrate. Avoid new foods.
Do a 2-minute breathing routine before entering the exam hall. Breathe slowly, ground yourself, and read instructions carefully before starting the paper.
Final practical checklist (printable)
Confirm time, venue and exam ID requirements.
Pack bag: pens, pencils, calculator, spare batteries, water, snack, ID, timetable.
Do one or two short retrieval sessions (total ≤2 hours for the day).
Light exercise (20–30 min) and a proper meal.
Stop heavy study at least 2–3 hours before bed; follow wind-down routine.
Sleep 7–9 hours if possible; set alarms/timetables.
Short sample script for last-minute nerves
If you feel overwhelmed, say quietly to yourself:
“I prepared. I will read the whole paper, choose my question(s), use my time plan, and do my best.”
Then breathe: 4-4-4 box breathing three times. This simple ritual resets focus.
Conclusion
The day before an exam should be about smart, short review and good self-care. Sleep, targeted retrieval, sensible food and hydration, light movement, and logistics planning are the proven pillars of better exam performance. These small practical steps will usually help you walk into the exam calmer and sharper — and that’s what turns knowledge into exam success.
Sources (original links)
NHS — Tips on preparing for exams (mental health and revision guidance). https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/children-and-young-adults/help-for-teenagers-young-adults-and-students/tips-on-preparing-for-exams/.
University of Melbourne — Exam day tips / the day before an exam guidance. https://students.unimelb.edu.au/academic-skills/resources/study-skills/exam-preparation/exam-day-tips.
London School of Economics — Exam Diet: Eating your way to good grades (exam nutrition). https://info.lse.ac.uk/current-students/Assets/Articles/Exam-Diet-Eating-your-way-to-good-grades.
Birmingham City University — What to do the night before an exam (wellbeing & sleep). https://www.bcu.ac.uk/exams-and-revision/wellbeing/night-before-an-exam.
University of Nottingham — Your exam toolkit (hydration, caffeine, mindfulness). https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/currentstudents/documents/student-services/exam-toolkit-digital-interactive-may-2019.pdf.
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