Learn what you don't know

Learn what you DON"T know - most people study what they know - which is not learning.  Get your old tests, exam papers and assignments out and learn what you got wrong. 

Quickly read through the entire exam paper

Quickly read through the entire exam paper, go back, do the easy questions first, then the hard ones.
The first thing I recommend you do when you are allowed to start, is to quickly read through the entire exam paper. Scan it quickly, looking at the questions to see what will be required to pass this exam. Once you have an overview of what you are dealing with, start with the easy questions first. This will help calm you and give you some confidence. Allow your subconscious to work on the harder questions while you are doing the easier ones. By the time you get to the harder questions your subconscious mind will have come up with some ideas and answers.
Plus some of the easy questions and answers may have triggered info for the harder questions.

Draw pictures and diagrams

Pictures are located in the same part of the brain as the long term memory. When you're studying, turn your key concepts into pictures. The first picture you draw or think of is usually the most memorable. The sillier the picture, the better it is for remembering as it stands out.
Colourful pictures are often easier to remember. Your visuals can be imagined, drawn or made. If you can't draw a picture such as with dates or words in a foreign language, write them large and in colour. Your brain will process this as a picture not a word.
Remember to put key information up high so your fast visual recall memory processes it.

Create real life examples

Association is putting things together that naturally go together such as cat and dog or chair and table. True learning actually happens when you associate what you are learning with what you already know. It is not being able to pass a test or repeat new data. Learning is when you can use or apply the information in real life.
Finding a reason to learn something makes it easier to remember. Have you ever sat in class thinking "Why am I learning this?" This is not such a useful question to be asking.
Create meaning by asking your teacher, "Why am I learning this? How will this be useful?" "What jobs could I go into if I was good at this subject?" If your teacher isn't sure find out for yourself. Everything you are learning has a real life application. The more real life examples you can find, the easier the information will be to remember.

Learn only three or four things at a time

The short term memory can remember between five and nine pieces of information in one chunk. When the brain is given too many pieces of information to remember it installs amnesia.
This is what happens when you study too much information at once. This is exactly why cramming for an exam, the night before, is not effective. Have you ever done this? Shoved all the information in the night before a test or exam only to discover when you sit in the test or exam room, you can remember studying the information, what side of the page it was written on, what you had for dinner, what you were wearing - everything except the information you need. This is because you are studying too many pieces of information at once and your brain chucks out.
As a rule of thumb, your short term memory can only cope with 7 plus or minus 2 pieces of information at a time. That's anywhere from five to nine pieces of information.
When remembering a telephone number, we often break it into smaller chunks. The smaller more manageable the chunks, the faster you will pick up the information. Break your study content into small pieces so you find it easy to recall.
Learn three or four pieces of data at a time, then revise it, check you can still recall the facts. then learn three or four more pieces of information, revise these and the last chunk'. f you still know this, continue this way, always pausing to revisit the previous chunks.

Go over your notes...

Go over notes one day after learning them, then one week later, one month later, then every six months
Review is not just repetition. Actively reviewing your notes can a least double your recall. By reading over your mindmaps, grabbing your notes and go through them or talking about and discussing your notes, your recall will stay at 90%. However, if you do not review your notes for three days, your recall will drop to 30%. You will forget 70% of what you have learned in three days. without active reviewing. Most information is forgotten because it wasn't moved from your short term memory to your Long term memory. Reviewing ensures new information is installed' into your long term memory. Make it a priority to revise you notes the very next day to keep them at 90% recall.
If you wish to keep your recall at 90% then you will need to review your notes within 24 hours, then one week, one month and every 6 months.
An important reminder when reviewing... each subject should only take 3-4 minutes for review. Only go over your notes and mindmaps, not the original book. Only refer to the original source of information if you need clarification of facts, details and information.

Study for 20 minutes and take a 5 minute break.

This tip is especially useful if you're finding your study difficult. If it's going well and you're in a good flow and you're remembering what you are learning, you don't need to take a break.
However, if it's hard and beginning to feel like a chore you should take a five minute break, every 20 minutes.
During your break, always leave your study area. You could have some brain food, drink some water, go to the bathroom.
During a break from studying, ensure you stretch, like before exercising, as this allows more oxygen into your lungs and therefore more blood and oxygen to your brain - enhancing learning.