Asking students challenging, open-ended exam essay questions that require them to think deeply is an effective teaching strategy, but some students struggle with writing or cannot think clearly during exams due to distractions or test-taking anxiety. 'Crib Cards' offsets these problems by allowing students the time they need to think the problem through in advance and by requiring them to select and organise information they believe will be most useful as a support structure.

Early in the term, the instructor gives students a hand-out with a list of essay questions from which a subset will be chosen for the midterm and final exam. Students create a 3 x 5 index card for each question, writing whatever information they believe will be useful to them during the exam except the essay itself (a thesis statement and outline, key topics and concepts, lists of supporting data, and so forth). Crib cards are used during the exam and are turned in with the exam, including cards for questions not asked.