We've all seen the movies where students worry about a big test, decide to buck the system, and create elaborate schemes to pass without putting in the effort of studying. From stealing tests, writing answers on gum wrappers, to re-printing labels on coke bottles with the information filled in; we've all seen. I'm sure we've all thought about it, but there has got to be a better way.

First of all, cheating only becomes a problem if you are caught. Teachers will ramble at you for hours on end how you need to learn and master all of the information, because their course is of such high importance. Really. Intro to Performing Arts; honestly, I know for a fact that I will never, ever need anything that I learned in that class. A wasted semester to say the least.

Back to the idea of getting caught. The punishments are steep, to say the least. Failing the class, kicked out of school, red letters on the transcript, etc. Nothing that anyone in their right mind would want. Obviously, to avoid those negative consequences, it is important to minimize the risk. To do that, you need to make sure that there is no possible way to get caught. How you ask? Simple.

Don't ever put yourself in a situation where you can get caught. Don't sneak in cheat sheets, program the formulas in the calculator, or try and text the answer. You need to remove the chance of someone finding the evidence. Think of a place that you can store all the answers, that no one can ever look. Your Mind. That's the secret.

Obvious counter argument is, if the answers are in your mind, aren't you just learning it? Yes and No. Yes you are learning how to recite/recall the information, in order to pass a test, but no, you are not actually learning the material. The difference being that most of this information will be stored for the short term only, there are exceptions, but use this for mainly short term knowledge. Is it really cheating? Not in the traditional definition of the word. Is it easier than cheating and studying. Yes and Yes!

In class, the teachers will recommend using repetition as a form of learning. Basically that takes too long. Use mnemonic devices to your advantage, as a quick sure-fire way to make sure that you are putting the necessary material into your head. The information that this will work best with is definitions, lists, formulas, and other forms of matching.

For example, I had to learn the order of the Geologic Time periods for some made up Dinosaur course. People were sitting there with flashcards trying to remember it all, but all you really had to do was write out a short list, and spend a minute or two learning it all. I will also guarantee that using this method will provide better results than any traditional forms of studying.

The information I had to learn was as follows (look up an image of the geologic periods).

That was the best picture I could find, although I did not need to know the life that existed at that time. So what we are looking at is 3 Eras, and 12 Periods. They had to be in proper order, and each period needed to correspond with the era.

I followed these steps while learning it all

Pick an order to go. Top to bottom, or vice-versa, just pick one and remember which way it went. I chose top to bottom, or CMP, or CaMP. Right here, you have the option to make a mnemonic device such as Cend (use "s" sound), Me, Pals. Personally I felt comfortable with being able to remember the names, so skipped that step.

Figure out how many are in each section. You already know CMP, so the next step is remember 237. Theres 2, 3, and 7 periods in each progressive era.

Next is learning the order. You want to make an easy to remember sentence that tells you the order. Cutie (QT) Christopher Just Tried Permanent Pencils. Miss Devon Slurped Ordinary Camberry. (I know its cranberry).

Now Visualize it. A Cute person name Christopher Just Tried a Permanent Pencil. Imagine a friend of yours named Chris using a Permanent Pencil. Imagine what that sort of pencil would look like. Now Imagine a lady named Miss Devon (who's with Christopher) Slurping on Ordinary Cranberry juice. Hear the noise, see the red marks on her lip, etc. The more vivid you make the image the easier it is to remember.

Now this took longer to read than it will take you when learning. All you need to know now is Camp 237 Cutie. This will queue it up in your mind, and the answer will be on auto-pilot.

Quite simply the process is, re-frame the information into an easy to remember scene that you can picture in your mind, that can be as absurd as you please. The more weird and unusual, the easier to remember. If you really want to spend all your time making crib sheets and risking the chance of being caught be my guest. OR, you can learn the information in a user-friendly format that will get you higher grades, take less time, and carries no risk. You be the judge. Good luck, and let me know what you think in the comments below.

-PS some of these short hands that you make up in your mind, may stick around for a very long time.