Re the "random facts" learned by rote. Never did that. My mother taught me the basics of such things as outlining and organization. So, I would take all the random facts being presented and outline them, arrange them into rational groups and work to tie those together into larger, meaningful systems. "Facts" that did not fit anywhere were usually discarded and were seldom relevant later.
We did this on butcher paper spread out on the kitchen table, from the time I was little. We can do the same with computers now, of course, and save a lot of time, but the visual effect of the paper on the table remains with me and I still use it for complex problems once in a while. Use a different color pencil for each group and system, drawing lines to indicate connections. It is an awesome organizational tool and the physical act of writing them and connecting them seems to help cement them into memory. I can STILL remember some of them in rather good detail.
I did the required reading and "homework," using the above method. I attended classes when possible, though after my second year in high school, I always had a job. I was in trouble frequently at the university for missing classes, but I graduated 4th in my class, so they tended to overlook it mostly.
The only test I ever "crammed" for, even a little, was the entry exam for the community college where I started. They had a little booklet of suggestions, and it had been ten years since I left high school, so I was a bit apprehensive. I could have saved myself the time and effort because the "test" turned out to be about 9th grade level basics, if that. They only gave a "pass/fail" grade on it, but I had no worries by the time I got done.