Reminds me of the time I spent HOURS preparing to cheat for a history map test in middle school, didn't pass, and realized later how much easier actually studying for the test would have been.
I had a slightly better experience. For the thrill of it, I spent hours preparing for a couple of test papers making a number of little cheat sheets in tiny handwriting. At the end of the exercise I found I didn't need the cheat sheets - the stuff had gone right into memory and I did quite well in the tests.
I learned Spanish vocabulary writing words on my hands to cheat off of, but ended up too nervous to look at them during quizzes. Amazing how the desire to do well, fear of getting caught cheating, can turn into a hyper-powered study technique.
This was basically my studying strategy throughout my schooling, by preparing perfectly viable cheatsheets. Got everyone suspiciously staring, seeing the sheets on my desk as I reviewed them, only for me to visibly throw them out or put them away right before the exam started.
My study method was to try to think of questions that might be on a test from the material as I was reading it. I'd write up the questions as I went along and then write up the answers and study the answers. It worked great until someone saw my made up questions and they were close enough to the real questions that it was decided I had stolen the test.
