Thirty days to revise general knowledge is short but realistic if done well. Here is a day-by-day plan to cover the essentials.
Week 1: history and institutions
Day 1. Antiquity, Middle Ages, Renaissance. See our synthesis of the three major periods.
Day 2. 17th-18th centuries. Absolute monarchies, Enlightenment, American Revolution, French Revolution.
Day 3. 19th century. Empires, Restoration, Belle Epoque, colonization.
Day 4. 20th century: world wars. See our article on the great battles of history.
Day 5. 20th century: Cold War and decolonization. See our article on 20th century dictators.
Day 6. Domestic institutions. Constitution, separation of powers, territorial organization.
Day 7. International institutions. UN, EU, NATO, WTO.
Week 2: geography and economics
Day 8. National geography. Regions, rivers, climates, demographics.
Day 9. European geography. Countries, capitals, mountains, seas.
Day 10. World geography. Continents, countries by GDP, world demographics.
Day 11. Economic geography. Globalization, flows, powers, BRICS.
Day 12. National economy. GDP, unemployment, inflation, debt, state budget.
Day 13. Sociology. Demographics, immigration, aging, urbanization.
Day 14. Mock quiz weeks 1-2 to check progress.
Week 3: science and arts
Day 15. Fundamental sciences. Evolution, genetics, atom, energy.
Day 16. Climate sciences. Greenhouse effect, IPCC, agreements, energy transition.
Day 17. Digital. Internet, AI, data, cybersecurity.
Day 18. Art history. See our articles on art movements and famous paintings.
Day 19. Literature. Major authors by century.
Day 20. Music and cinema. Major composers, must-know directors.
Day 21. Heritage. National monuments, UNESCO sites.
Week 4: current events and revisions
Day 22. Political events of the last 12 months.
Day 23. Recent economic events.
Day 24. International events (wars, elections, treaties).
Day 25. Scientific and environmental events.
Day 26. Full mock quiz to measure progress.
Day 27. Review mistakes from previous quizzes.
Day 28. Full exam simulation in real conditions.
Day 29. Relative rest. Notes review only.
Day 30. Day before exam. Relaxed reading, early sleep.
Daily method
1.5 hours per day. 30 minutes reading (press + textbook chapter). 30 minutes notes (creating or reviewing). 30 minutes quizzes.
Quizzes as main tool. SAPIRO offers 2,000+ general knowledge questions perfect for these 30-minute sessions. The science of memorization shows quizzes multiply learning efficiency.
Mistakes notebook. Write each mistake in a notebook to review three days later. Spaced repetition principle.
Sleep and exercise. Seven to eight hours of sleep minimum. Thirty minutes of exercise daily. The brain consolidates during sleep.
See also our full general knowledge guide for the long-term method.