I stopped "studying" and started "testing"—and my grades skyrocketed. Why does nobody talk about the 80/20 rule of exams?

For years, I was the student who highlighted every line in the textbook. I watched hours of lecture videos on 2x speed, nodding along, thinking, "Okay, I get this. I understand physics. Math is easy."

Then I’d walk into the exam hall and blank out.

I couldn't figure out the disconnect. I put in the hours. I knew the theory. But I wasn't scoring well. It took a brutal fail on a mid-term to make me realize the hard truth: Passive learning is a trap.

I read somewhere that 80% of success in any exam comes from taking tests, not reading about them. It’s the difference between watching someone do a pushup and actually doing one yourself. Your brain needs to practice the retrieval of information, not just the intake.

I decided to flip my strategy. I stopped re-reading notes and dedicated my time almost exclusively to practice tests. But finding good problems that adapted to my weak spots was a nightmare

Do you guys have some suggestion?

Submitted December 23, 2025 at 11:27AM by vishal-gi https://ift.tt/t7LYraP