Vocabulary test tomorrow? Learn the words in one evening

Before you start

• Get out the word list and check exactly which words are on the test.
• Check which direction the test goes: from English, into English or both.
• Turn off notifications and put away anything that distracts you.
• Have paper and a pen or the app ready, so you can start right away.

The evening: three short sessions

Split the evening into three sessions of 15–20 minutes instead of one long sitting. Take a break of a few minutes between them: take a walk, have a snack or do something completely different. Short sessions are easier to stay focused in, and between them you forget a little, so the next quiz counts for more.

Session 1: learn the words

Go through the list once and say each word out loud, in both languages. Look for tricks: words that look like ones you know, or a picture in your head that helps you remember. If the list is long, split it into two halves and take one at a time. Then start quizzing yourself right away, ideally with multiple choice or flashcards, since the words are new.

Session 2: quiz yourself and write the answer

Cover the answers and write what you think. Check your own work. Do another round with just the words you missed, and keep going until you have gotten every word right once.

Session 3: the whole list again

Quiz yourself on every word, including the ones you knew in session 1, and write the answers just like on the test. Check the spelling carefully. Write the words that are still hard on a slip of paper.

Get enough sleep

It’s tempting to study late, but sleep is part of learning. While you sleep, your brain processes what you learned during the day. Go to bed at your usual time rather than staying up another hour.

In the morning: one quick round

Take ten minutes in the morning, at breakfast or on the way to school. Quiz yourself on the whole list once more, without reading first. Look at the slip with the hard words right before the test. Don’t start on new words in the morning; review what you already practiced.

If you’re a parent

Quiz your child out loud in session 3 or in the morning: read the word and let them answer out loud or write it. Give the right answer right away after a miss and come back to that word a little later. Keep it short and calm, and praise the practice, not only the right answers. If it gets late, help wrap up: sleep does more good than another round.

Next time: start a few days earlier

One evening is often enough to pass the test. But words crammed in one evening are also forgotten quickly. If you want to remember them longer, for the next chapter or the end-of-term test, it’s better to spread the same time over several days.

Start when you get the word list, quiz yourself for a few minutes a few days in a row and do one last round the evening before. It’s the same amount of work, but the words stick better. Read more in How to study vocabulary.

Study with Learn It

Learn It is a free iPhone and iPad app with no ads. Type in your words and practice with Multiple choice in session 1 and Spelling in sessions 2 and 3. After each round you can practice just the words you missed, and if a classmate has already made the quiz, you can get it with a code.

There are also 100+ ready-made quizzes, such as Irregular verbs: simple past, Food and drink in Spanish and Family in German.