# How to split study time between subjects by weight and difficulty

> **The short answer**: To split study time between subjects, give each one two numbers: weight (credit hours and marks at stake) and difficulty for you. Multiply them, divide your weekly study hours in proportion to the results, and adjust after two weeks according to how your short quizzes go.[^1][^2]

**Key takeaways**

- Multiply weight by difficulty to get each subject’s share.
- Difficulty is personal: an easy course for a friend may not be for you.
- Count your real weekly hours before dividing them.
- Keep a floor of thirty minutes a day per course, however easy.
- Adjust after two weeks according to your results.

![Diagram: uneven pie of study hours by weight times difficulty](https://tiswa.app/assets/blog/split-study-time-between-subjects/split-study-time-between-subjects-cover-en.webp)

Five courses this term and eighteen study hours a week. You split them five ways and get three and a half hours each, then finish the midterms with a good mark in the easy course and a disappointing one in the course with three credit hours and four times the content. That is the usual mistake in dividing study time: arithmetic fairness is not real fairness.

> **tiswa's take**: Equal splits are worse than a rough guess in some terms, because they give a feeling of order that does not serve your marks. Pick a small system you can review every two weeks, and do not hunt for a perfect formula. The formula gets you started; your results do the adjusting.

## How do I divide my study hours between subjects?

Ask two questions of each course. First, weight: how many credit hours does it carry, and how much of the mark is still open? Second, difficulty for you: do you follow the lecture as it happens, or need a second pass? Score difficulty from one to three: one easy, two medium, three hard. Multiply weight by difficulty and divide your hours in proportion.

1. **Count your real hours**: From the week’s hours, take away lectures, sleep, travel, meals and commitments. What remains is what you divide; do not divide imagined hours.
2. **Write each course’s weight**: Its credit hours, which sit in your study plan and your registration system. If two courses carry different assessment, multiply by the share of marks still open.
3. **Score difficulty honestly**: One and three for your easiest and hardest, two for the rest. Judge by what happened to you in the first weeks, not by what other students say.
4. **Multiply and divide**: Multiply weight by difficulty, add the results, then give each course its share of the total.
5. **Set a floor**: No course gets less than thirty minutes a day. An easy course that is neglected becomes hard the day before the exam.
6. **Adjust after two weeks**: Look at short quizzes and assignments. A course that came in under your expectation takes an hour from one that came in over.

![Six steps to split study time (How to split study time between subjects by weight and)](https://tiswa.app/assets/blog/split-study-time-between-subjects/split-study-time-between-subjects-inline-1-en.webp)


## How do I know which subject is hardest for me?

Difficulty is personal. What your friend finds hard may be easier for you because your background is stronger, and the other way round. So estimate it from the first two weeks: how much of the lecture did you follow without going back to the book? How much of the assignment did you solve alone? How many questions did you miss in the first quiz? Those three answers give a better number than an impression.

If you have no data yet, use a temporary rule: calculation and programming courses need more separate sessions, and memorising courses need repeated review. For how credit hours are counted, see the guide to the [credit hours system](https://tiswa.app/en/blog/credit-hours-system/).

## What does a split across five subjects look like?

| Course (example) | Weight | Difficulty | Product | Hours out of 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 3 | 3 | 9 | 5 hours |
| Programming | 3 | 2 | 6 | 3.5 hours |
| English | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 hour |
| Physics | 3 | 3 | 9 | 5 hours |
| Islamic culture | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 hour |

![Example split of eighteen weekly hours across five courses](https://tiswa.app/assets/blog/split-study-time-between-subjects/split-study-time-between-subjects-inline-2-en.webp)


The names and numbers are illustrative only. The total here is thirty-two, so we divide eighteen hours in proportion to each product and round. Notice that English and Islamic culture got one hour each, so make them short daily sessions and not a single unbroken hour on Friday.

## Should I study the hard subject first or last?

First in the day, when your energy is higher, with the easier one after it. But do not spend the whole day on one course. The UNC Learning Center recommends a short block per course each day; thirty minutes per class across six days beats one three-hour session with the same total.[^1] Cornell’s Learning Strategies Center calls spaced practice the opposite of cramming and says it improves retention.[^2]

The Learning Scientists add that spacing and retrieval practice are among the strategies with the most evidence.[^3] So open the hard course’s session with questions from the previous one. If you want a ready weekly timetable, see [a realistic study plan](https://tiswa.app/en/blog/study-plan-template/).

## When should I change the split?

In three cases. When a near exam appears in one course, raise its share for one week at the expense of the others in a sensible proportion. When a short quiz comes in below expectation, add an hour a week until it improves. And when a course becomes easy, ease off and move that hour. Fix the appointment: every Sunday, ten minutes, look and adjust.

Remember that marks are not the only measure: a three-credit course affects your GPA more than a two-credit one. To see that effect, use the [GPA calculator guide](https://tiswa.app/en/blog/gpa-calculation/) and check what each course’s mark is worth, then split your time.

## Which mistakes ruin a study-time split?

The first is judging difficulty by impression, not results, so you shortchange one course and spoil another. The second is forgetting the easy courses completely and being surprised by them a day before the exam. The third is building the split on hours you do not have, so it breaks in week one. The fourth is deciding and never reviewing: a split you do not look at every two weeks becomes decoration.

To track the split you will want a calendar and task app, and many have student pricing. Browse the [student deals](https://tiswa.app/en/deals/) and the [student discount index](https://tiswa.app/en/deals/student-discount-index/) before you pay, and see [time management apps](https://tiswa.app/en/blog/time-management-apps/). [Browse student deals](https://tiswa.app/en/join/)

## Questions

### How do I split study time between subjects?

Multiply each course’s weight by its difficulty for you, and divide your weekly hours in proportion. Adjust after two weeks according to your quiz results.

### How to make a study schedule for college with five subjects?

Count your real weekly hours, share them by weight and difficulty, and keep a floor of thirty minutes a day per course. Review the split every Sunday.

### What are the best apps for students time management?

The best one is the app you open daily; a phone calendar and a simple task list are often enough. Compare options in the time management apps guide and start with one.

### How to make a realistic study schedule?

Count your real free hours, divide them by weight and difficulty, and review the split every Sunday. Leave one day empty for what slips.

### How do I know my split is wrong?

If a course scores below expectation despite your hours, it needs more time or a different method. Try moving one hour a week from an easier course.


## Sources

[^1]: UNC Learning Center: Studying 101, Study Smarter Not Harder, https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/studying-101-study-smarter-not-harder/
[^2]: Cornell Learning Strategies Center: Effective Study Strategies, https://lsc.cornell.edu/how-to-study/studying-for-and-taking-exams/effective-study-strategies
[^3]: The Learning Scientists: Six Strategies for Effective Learning, https://www.learningscientists.org/blog/2016/8/18-1