Start with the date, not the content list
Before listing topics, mark your actual exam dates for each subject and count backward. This tells you how many genuine study weeks you have per subject, which is usually far fewer than it feels like once trials, assessments and school commitments are subtracted.
A syllabus-sized content list with no date attached is not a plan. It is a reason to feel behind without knowing by how much.
Use three phases, not one flat schedule
Early phase: build and import material, and get a first honest recall on each topic. Middle phase: let spaced repetition intervals do most of the work while you concentrate extra attention on flagged weak points. Final phase: shift toward mixed, exam-style retrieval rather than adding new content.
- Building phase: convert notes into cards, first recall attempts
- Strengthening phase: adaptive review, targeted repair of weak topics
- Rehearsal phase: mixed practice papers, timed responses, spoken explanation
Weight subjects by both marks and shakiness
Do not split study time evenly across subjects by default. A subject you are already strong in needs maintenance, not equal daily time with a subject where entire modules are still unclear. Use your trial and topic test results to decide where the marginal hour actually helps most.
Revisit this weighting every few weeks rather than setting it once early in the year and leaving it fixed until the exam.
Protect the final ten days for retrieval, not first exposure
The closer you get to the exam, the less useful it is to encounter content for the first time. In the final stretch, prioritise timed practice, mixed-topic retrieval and correcting specific errors over reading new material or rewriting notes.
If a topic is still genuinely unlearned this close to the exam, treat it as a triage decision—secure the highest-value, most examinable parts rather than trying to cover all of it shallowly.