How to Make the Most of a Last-Minute Study Session
The night before an exam is crucial since it will determine how well you perform on the test. If you don’t study for the test a few days in advance, you either don’t get enough sleep to ensure that you and your brain can work effectively or you must stay up late to make up for missed time. If you ever find yourself in the latter situation, don’t worry; we’ll cover how to maximize a late-night study session in this post.
While cramming may be unavoidable for some individuals, we still highly do not recommend it for a couple of reasons we will discuss later on. However, if you are already entangled in that mess, then we suggest you continue reading to find out how to make the most out of that situation.
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Upsides of last-minute studying
Everything has a good side just as much as they have a bad side. The only difference is the way the observer perceives these attributes. If you look really closely, there may actually be some pros for last-minute studying the night before an exam such as:
1. Fresh memories
It goes without saying that we retain information better when it is still fresh in our minds. This indicates that the knowledge you have stored in your brain is easier to access because it has only been there for a few hours. Exams can benefit immensely, particularly if you struggle to recall the material you have studied.
2. Adrenaline rush
Despite being so close to us, the human body is a marvel we struggle to comprehend. Unquestionably, the energy boost and adrenaline surge that late-night studying gives your body is comparable to or perhaps superior to that of well-known energy drinks. You will feel much more energized and active than normal, but watch out because after the adrenaline rush wears off, your body will return to its normal state, which is prone to fatigue.
Downsides of last-minute studying
Now that we have examined the “heads” portion of cramming the night before an exam, it is time to expound on the cons of cramming. If you have read a few of our previous articles, you may already know a few of the cons that cramming brings, however, it is still worth mentioning the top cons of cramming.
1. Lack of sleep
Now that we have examined the “heads” portion of cramming the night before an exam, it is time to expound on the cons of cramming. If you have read a few of our previous articles, you may already know a few of the cons that cramming brings, however, it is still worth mentioning the top cons of cramming.
2. Memories tend to be short-term
Long-term benefits from studying the night before an exam, which leads to fresher memories, also have drawbacks. Even while you may have excellent retention on test day, this memory will probably just remain in your short-term memory, which you may find difficult to access a few days later. If you want to prevent the material from becoming short-term memory, it is still a good idea to begin studying a few days prior to the test.
How to make the most of a last-minute study session?
With all the disclaimers out of the way, let us now start to discuss how you can cram effectively the night before an exam.
1. Gather all the necessary materials
To save time searching for the notes you left on the balcony or the book you borrowed from your buddy, the first task on your to-do list should be to collect and arrange all of the items you will need. This can be quite beneficial to help you stay focused and stay away from distractions while you are cramming.
It will be easier to locate all the study materials you will need if you have them all in one place and organize them accordingly. The small amount of time you will spend collecting these materials will prove very helpful when you don’t have to spend the entire night looking for the history notes you swore were just in your bag.
2. Stay away from social media
It should go without saying that distractions never help you study, and this also holds for cramming the night before an exam. Avoid using any social media apps or anything else that can divert your attention from your primary objective. For research purposes, it would be acceptable to look things up online, but if you do anything more, you will only waste your time.
3. Maintain a schedule
To keep your rhythm continuing, it would be wise to have and stick to a schedule throughout the night, even if it is just for one night. Decide how much time and when you will devote to studying a certain subject. In order to prevent fatigue, you should also schedule when you will take a break. Time management is very crucial especially when you only have about 8 hours to study a whole semester’s worth of materials. This is why you should divide your time spent studying skillfully. Give more time to those subjects which can affect your grades greatly such as major subjects, but do not forget to allocate time to minor subjects as well.
4. Get a bit of caffeine involved
Contrary to common belief, caffeine surprisingly doesn’t give you a large amount of energy to boost up your day, instead it tampers with the neurons in your brain responsible for letting you know when you are tired. This gives you the false sense that you have been given energy by the graceful goddess of coffee when in reality, you are just exhausting the little energy reserves you have left in your system.
Nevertheless, if you are studying the night before a test, it is still a good idea to include some coffee. This can help you stay focused on your studies by reducing your susceptibility to exhaustion and drowsiness. It can interfere with your body’s natural circadian cycle, so don’t rely on it too much.
5. Focus on the key details
When you only have a whole night’s worth to study a whole semester’s number of topics, do you feel like you have the time to go through every topic thoroughly? You don’t, right? This is why when you are in a cramming session, it is better to focus on the key details of each topic and move on to the next. This will greatly increase your chances of getting a few extra questions right.
The “jack of all trades, master of none” approach is another name for this tactic. This can be useful since, once you have examined them, the proportion of significantly easy questions and those that are significantly tough tends to tilt toward the latter. Even if you simply studied the essential elements of each topic, you can still anticipate receiving an 80% or higher score if 90% of the questions are ones you have studied and only 10% are extremely challenging. Considering that you just had one night to study, this is a really good deal.
6. Make a summary or outline
If you have trouble finding the key details of the topics, then you can always create a summary or outline of those topics yourself. Making a summary or outline can greatly benefit you as you will be able to skim through the topics while also jotting down the relevant terms and important parts of the topic. Plus, you will also have something to read while waiting for your professor to show up the next day.
7. Set goals and assign rewards
For anyone, cramming can be quite draining, particularly if there is nothing worthwhile in store for them. For this reason, it would be wise to establish objectives and give yourself prizes when you meet them. You may set a goal to complete an outline on a particular topic in an hour. After that, you can treat yourself to some sweets and a quick break to help you stay energized throughout the evening.
By assigning goals and rewards, you will have a certain goal you will strive to achieve (other than getting a passing grade) and a reward system that will motivate you to achieve those goals. This will be able to get you through the entire night without feeling exhausted and burnt out from all the studying.
Conclusion
Studying last minute can be your last-ditch effort to prepare for an exam. However, it’s still very much recommended to study days prior to your exam. If you are tired of studying last-minute the night before an exam and don’t want to experience it again, then you can start by changing your study routine. Start by studying a little bit every day so that it won’t pile up when the exams come.
Carelle
Carelle is a teacher who has been through the ups and downs of the teacher and learner life. She wishes for every learner to gain educational satisfaction that will help embody the people they want to be in the future.
