We’re all guilty of cramming for tests. Whether it’s because you procrastinated or simply just didn’t have time to get to all of your homework, everyone crams but some people do it more than others. Cramming, in my experience has had very negative effects on me and my test scores. Not only did I start to have erratic grades but my stress level also increased significantly when studying.
I used to see cramming as something I had to do in order to get good grades and survive in school but the method completely backfired. Cramming gave me extreme psychological stress which ended up making me have a much harder time focusing. Along with not being able to concentrate well, I also ended up having a much harder time interpreting test questions accurately because I was so stressed out that I couldn’t figure out what the question was asking. My stress level also increased because my sleep pattern varied each night. The less sleep you get, the less time your brain has to recover from stress.
I have found that long sessions of studying are much more efficient than short ones. When I sit for five hours at my desk attempting to study all of the information on a test for the next day, I only end up actually studying for 20 minutes anyway. Where as, if I study for 30 minutes a night for five days in a row it is much more beneficial because my brain has time to process the information and build knowledge little by little.
Cramming before exams is a bad idea because it creates a mindset of only doing enough work to merely pass the exam without really knowing the information. Because of the culture that we live in we get overly tested. Students have figured out ways to memorize the information and then spit it out on the test without retaining any of which he or she spent hours studying.
Sources:
http://learningdisabilities.about.com/od/instructionalmaterials/qt/cramming.htm
http://businessmajors.about.com/od/studentresources/a/HowToCramForATest.htm
I agree with the statement that cramming is not an efficient way to study, no matter who you are. Students only have a certain amount of attention and retention span, so cramming a lot of information for an extended amount of time at once, will not be effective in retaining the information. studying needs to be done over an longer amount of time, and in shorter time intervals. This means that it is more beneficial to go over material on separate days and in shorter time spans, than in one day, in a longer time span, while repeating and looking over notes.
I am very guilty of cramming for tests. I am actually going to be cramming tonight! In my case cramming is a result of procrastination. I tend to procrastinate when it comes to studying for tests, and it is very true that my stress level increases significantly when studying the night before for an exam. And then unfortunately I do not perform as well on these exams. So I agree that cramming is a bad habit, but I think that procrastination is the root cause of this cramming.
I agree, Kirya, with your assessment. In my Educational Psychology 014 class last semester, we talked about study techniques and their effectiveness from an educator’s viewpoint. From the different studies (usually memory tests) we examined, students who studied over a longer, spread out period of time were more successful. Professor Stevens recommended that even when you’re learning the material, to do it in chunks. So for example, when you have a forty page chapter to read, read around ten pages over four nights. That way, you don’t glaze over/fall asleep/forget as much as you would if you tried to power through. Part of why cramming is also so inefficient is sleep deficiency. Getting little sleep before a test (even two nights before a test) can make you more tired and reduce your automaticity (the time it takes for you to remember things).
I scrolled past this post then had to scroll right back to it because it is me all the way. I guess I could get pass in high school with it but this is college and its a whole new ball game. I think a lot of kids are use to cramming before test and I believe this is due to lack of education own how to efficient study. No one actually teaches us how other then through memorization which forces us to cram and study at last minute so we are less likely to forget. However, you are right this is not good and is not the best way to get an A. We really have to balance our studies out and create better study habits. To speak for myself I try a lot of different ways to study but it seem like none of them work for me. But out of all the means of studying the idea of studying with someone else for me is more efficient and more fun. Here goes 10 reasons why you should study with a partner for anyone who has trouble studying by themesleves http://homeworktips.about.com/od/teamwork/a/studypartner.htm
For some people I know cramming for tests actually helps them way more than studying days beforehand. I agree with Nick Jacoubs with him talking about shorter study periods. Over the course of a week of studying it may be hard to continuously memorize the work, whereas if one learns the information at once and takes it all in it may be more helpful to them, because it is fresh. Even though I do think cramming can be also a good thing, for me personally cramming isn’t a good thing for me. I actually think my brain works better when I study for things over a course of time, and then during the night before I review and refresh my mind with everything.
This is a perfect blog for the situation I’m in right now. I have a Latin quiz tomorrow and I already got a pretty low quiz grade last week, so I’m pressed to perform better. Last week, I sat down with my books and studied for 4 hours. I’ve realized that shorter studying periods absolutely work better than longer study periods. I’ve found my brain to actually absorb the information and cohesively process it, instead of merely memorizing it and not truly understanding the subject.