We all have been there, last second cramming for a test. For whatever reason it is, procrastination usually the leading the cause, it is a predicament we all have found ourselves in. For me, when this has happened in the past, I usually resort to last second cramming. This cramming, although it seems productive, does not always result in the best of test scores. So it got me thinking, how much can we really learn when we cram study for a test? With the immense amount of stress that it puts on oneself, it does not seem to be the best solution to the problem. So I decided to do my research on the topic.

The first thing that I came across that caught my eye was a Q&A with scientist Sean Kang on “Temporal Dynamics of Learning Center.” He was asked what the best form of studying is, and as expected he stated that studying spaced out over a prolonged period of time is the most efficient. But there was more to this that caught my eye, and that is his comments on cramming. He states “previous lab studies comparing cramming vs. spaced repetitions sometimes found a benefit of cramming on immediate tests.” This was very surprising to me. When I have crammed in the past, I believed that my immediate recall of the facts was good, but after a short amount of time, this recall would start to dwindle quickly. So I kept reading and saw, “these immediate tests were administered usually no more than 10 minutes after the study session” (Sean Kang). Now this made sense to me, as this is exactly what has happened to me in the past.

This study from Sean Kang was very enlightening to my current position on cramming, as it is the exact situation I always seem to find myself in. Although this was good evidence to support my view, one study was not enough. I ventured over to BBC and found a piece written by Tom Stafford. Tom brought up a study that was taken by Nate Kornell at the University of California Los Angeles. In this study Nate found that long, spaced out studying, was more effective for 90% of test participants, compared to cramming. This was not surprising to me, but what was was that 72% of those who took the test believed cramming was the more productive way of studying for them. Tom goes on to state that this was due to familiarity. Since the facts and topics were fresh in the participant’s heads, they believed they knew them very well. Once they get to the tests though, this familiarity no longer helps, as the participants are not able to recall them. Tom states a short but simple explanation for this, “being able to recognize something isn’t the same as being able to recall it” (Tom Stafford). This statement is very to the point, and is very accurate in my mind. We trick ourselves to believe we have the facts memorized, as we want to do well, and because of this continue to cram, as we believed we had the information down. Unfortunately, in the long run, all of this disappears from our minds, as we are no longer familiar with the information.

After conducting my research, my stance on the subject has not changed. Cramming, although it is the only option at times, is not the path to take. From these studies, I have found out that from the cramming, the result is familiarity and not memorization, which we all hoped it was. So in the future, I am now going to avoid cramming at all costs. Unfortunately, this most likely will not mean I won’t cram again, but now I have a greater understanding of how I am affecting my grades when I do have to resort to cramming.

Works Cited

Kang, Sean. “Which Is the Best Way to Study? How Often? Does Cramming Work?” Temporal Dynamics of Learning Center. UC San Diego, n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2015. <http://tdlc.ucsd.edu/educators/educators_ask_the_scientist_kang.html>.

Stafford, Tom. “Memory: Why Cramming for Tests Often Fails.” BBC. N.p., 18 Nov. 2014. Web. 3 Dec. 2015. <http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140917-the-worst-way-to-learn>.

“Dealing with HSC Stress.” The Northern Beaches Tutor. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2015. <http://thenorthernbeachestutor.com.au/dealing-hsc-stress/>.