Go to class every day. Do a few problems as assigned (or review questions on concepts for content-based courses). Go to SI sessions when possible/offered (for a course). Visit the prof during office hours sometime before the exam for a quick 5 minute check of my skills and conceptual understanding. For courses involving complex pathways, specific orders of things, etc., I will often draw my own chart as part of my review.
Basically, I learn the big picture concepts the first time in class (as well as pick out what the prof is most likely to test us on) and do a few problems (or review questions) as assigned to ensure I know how to apply the concepts and then go to the SI sessions and visit the prof as a failsafe. In the event that I didn't get those concepts 100% the first time through, I would go back and review them in the textbook, etc. (Knowing me, I will review concepts in the textbook even when I don't need to, as it gives me peace of mind. I've found that the actual difference between 2 hrs and 8 hrs of studying outside of class before an exam is usually barely significant -- typically the difference between a 93-96% and a 95-98% -- but I still tend to do it as it enables me to relax a bit more on tests.) I think, for me, what makes me most successful in stressful situations (which include tests as well as practical situations, such as crisis management) is that I actually become more calm in those situations instead of getting stressed or panicking. For me, I have mild to moderate stress when preparing for those situations but when the situations actually arise, I generally become calm and deliberate, which results in high test scores and good decision-making in crisis. Based on tutoring struggling students who certainly have the intelligence and/or work ethic to be successful in the sciences, I think this is something that would be beneficial for many people to develop. It seems that many people panic when they get to an exam and simply cannot apply what they have learned to the situation at hand. Unfortunately, life is full of tests and test anxiety can translate to anxiety in stressful (read: mission critical) situations -- of which many occur every day in a healthcare-related field such as medicine.
