Example subject inputs
Use this table as a quick reference.| Subject | Base Hours | Difficulty (1–5) | Priority (1–5) | Mastery % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 12 | 4 | 5 | 35 |
| Physics | 10 | 4 | 4 | 30 |
| Chemistry | 8 | 3 | 4 | 40 |
| English | 6 | 2 | 3 | 55 |
Planner inputs
Fields are saved for export after you calculate.Formula used
The planner converts your subject list into total required hours, then checks if your available time can cover it.
| Subject weighted hours | weighted = baseHours × (0.8 + 0.1×difficulty) × (0.9 + 0.05×priority) × remaining |
| Mastery remaining factor | remaining = clamp(1 − mastery%×0.70, 0.25, 1.00) |
| Cycles factor | cyclesFactor = 1 + (cycles − 1) × reviewRatio |
| Required hours with buffer | required = Σ(weighted) × cyclesFactor × (1 + buffer%) |
| Available hours | available = studyDays × hoursPerDay × efficiency |
| Daily target | dailyTarget = required ÷ studyDays |
If available hours are lower than required hours, the tool reports a shortfall and suggests adjustments.
How to use this calculator
- Enter your start date and exam date, then select your study days.
- Set hours per study day, efficiency, review cycles, and a buffer.
- Add each subject with base hours, difficulty, priority, and mastery.
- Click Calculate Plan to see totals above the form.
- Use the weekly targets to pace your revision, then export CSV or PDF.
Inputs that define the revision scope
Start date, exam date, and selected study days set the calendar window, including the exam date as the final planning day. The planner counts only eligible study days, then converts them into usable time using hours per day and an efficiency factor between 0.30 and 1.00. Optional blackout dates remove specific days without changing your weekly pattern, which keeps the schedule realistic steadily.
Subject weighting that reflects real effort
Each subject begins with base hours for one complete pass. Difficulty (1–5) increases effort using a 0.8 + 0.1×difficulty factor, while priority (1–5) applies 0.9 + 0.05×priority to protect high‑impact topics. Mastery percentage reduces remaining workload up to 70%, with a minimum 25% floor to keep essential practice. These weighted hours become the basis for fair allocation across the whole plan.
Review cycles and partial-pass planning
Revision rarely ends after one pass, so cycles expand the plan. The cycles factor is 1 + (cycles − 1)×review ratio, where review ratio models that later passes are faster than the first. For example, two cycles with a 0.60 ratio adds 60% of the first-pass workload. Use one cycle for lighter units, and increase cycles for exam-style practice.
Capacity check and actionable gap reporting
Total required hours equal the weighted sum, multiplied by the cycles factor, then increased by a buffer percentage from 0–40% to absorb delays. A practical buffer is often 10–15% when the timeline is stable. Available hours equal study days × hours per day × efficiency. The difference becomes a buffer (positive) or shortfall (negative), and the tool converts any shortfall into an estimated extra hours-per-day adjustment.
Weekly pacing, sessions, and risk control
Required hours are distributed across weeks in proportion to the study days inside each seven-day block, producing weekly targets that match your actual availability. Planned hours are also allocated by subject share, and session length estimates how many focused blocks you will need, which supports consistent execution. Risk rises when shortfall exceeds 20% of required hours, signaling you to reduce cycles, trim buffer, or add time. Track weekly targets to confirm you are recovering from missed days.
FAQs
What should I enter for base hours?
Estimate the hours needed to revise that subject once, including notes review and practice questions. Use past study logs if available. If unsure, start conservative and let difficulty, priority, and cycles refine the final plan.
How do difficulty and priority differ?
Difficulty reflects how hard the material feels and scales effort. Priority reflects exam importance or grade impact and protects key topics from being underplanned. Using both prevents easy but important subjects from being ignored.
How should I choose the efficiency factor?
Efficiency models usable time inside your scheduled hours. If you often multitask, start around 0.60–0.75. If you work in focused blocks with minimal breaks, 0.80–0.95 is realistic. Adjust after one week of tracking.
What is a good review ratio for extra cycles?
Many learners use 0.40–0.70 because later passes are quicker than the first. If you will redo full problem sets, increase it. If cycles are mostly flashcards and summaries, lower it.
Why does mastery not reduce below 25%?
Even high confidence topics still need spaced retrieval, timed practice, and error checking. The 25% floor prevents over-optimism from removing essential reinforcement, especially when exam formats include tricky variations.
How do blackout dates affect the plan?
Blackout dates remove specific days from available study time, which can increase the daily target and shift weekly targets. They do not change your chosen study-day pattern, so the pacing remains consistent across weeks.