The world needs ditch-diggers, too.

OP you either need to learn how to study and learn effectively or you need a new plan that is more in line with your talents and abilities. By the way just before the test is too late to learn the material. You need to do the assignments (yourself, not copied) as you go and take good notes during class. Then study before the test, reviewing the material not learning it the first time. The purpose of the notes you take is two fold. First it forces you to follow the lecture the teacher is giving and forces you to summarize the material as you go. Secondly it gives you the opportunity later to look back over your notes if there was something you are unsure of. You need to take notes yourself, not get them from someone else. If there is something you don’t understand during class ask questions. Finally, the best way to avoid failure is to keep up with the assignments and material as you go. If you coast in the beginning of class and don’t pay attention then it can become overwhelming to catch up later - Not impossible, but much more difficult than keeping up as you go.

College isn't for everyone. You might be one of those people. Just sayin', still luv ya...

3 days isn't long enough to put something in long term memory. Mechanically for your brain to actually retain lots of new information you'll need to study 2 weeks or more before the test.

To clarify something - “Timers run out” because the allotted time has passed. If you cannot finish the test in the allotted time it’s usually because you either don’t know how to take a timed test or do not know the material (or both). Timed tests are not usually a surprise - There is always a time limit to school work. When taking a timed test, if you cannot answer a question skip that one for now and answer the ones you can. Then go back to any questions that you initially skipped and try to work them out. It’s better to get credit for what you know than to get bogged down on one question. Then if you still have time go back over all the questions and recheck your work. Do not walk out until the time is up, you might find a mistake you made.

OK, this is going to date me, but here goes: When I was in college the Vietnam War was ongoing and there was a military draft. Some of the students were there primarily to avoid being drafted and sent to Vietnam. The university that I attended took the approach that it would be better to weed out early those students who were not fit or motivated to be good students. Freshman and even Sophomore classes inevitably had at least one ball buster class in every major. Furthermore if any student’s overall GPA (grade average) dropped below 2.0 (a C average) they got immediately reported to their draft board and were subject to being drafted into the US military (usually the Army). There was also a minimum course load to qualify for deferment from the draft. I had a friend who bombed a final on one course that was going to bring his GPA to just below 2.0. He immediately went to an armed forces recruiter and volunteered so he would have a choice of his service. Ironically he chose to go to helicopter pilot school in the Army because he couldn’t get into the Air Force as a pilot. I think the casualty rate was higher for helicopter pilots than for the infantry in Vietnam. That was the last time I ever saw him (I do not know how things worked out for him, we lost contact.) I was an engineering student at my university. Some of the classes were very difficult, especially the first two years. Fear of failing at what I really wanted to do in my life (become an electronic engineer) was my motivator. An appropriate level of fear is a powerful motivator. It will keep you going from start to finish in your classes. I learned long, long ago that when starting something new to put in the extra effort early in the class or task so you will be successful. It’s far more difficult to pull out a passing or good grade when you are behind than it is to keep up with the work.