Whether you’re unorganized or you just don’t know how to effectively prepare for your finals, you may find that you end up cramming the day before a big test. Unfortunately, this is a bad idea for a number of reasons — including the following.
1. You’ll Soon Forget the Information
You may be able to retain the facts long enough to pass the exam, but most of the information will never enter your long-term memory. Whereas this is less of an issue for general education courses, it’s a problem for material related to your major. It could mean you struggle with later classes, at grad school, or in your career.
2. It’s Ineffective
It’s impossible to concentrate for long periods of time — and cramming usually involves spending many hours studying without a break. After the first hour of cramming (or often less), your attention will start to wane and you’ll no longer be absorbing the information. At this point, you’ll just be wasting your time.
However, if you spread out your study time, every minute you spend preparing for finals will be time well spent.
3. It’s Tiresome
Whereas it’s true that studying for finals is far from the most fun part of the university experience, it shouldn’t be something you hate. If you leave studying until the last minute, you’ll need to cover the same material until you’re sick of it. However, switching from preparing for one exam to another will keep your mind engaged.
4. Your Stress Levels Will Rise
Cramming tends to make students anxious and stressed. This leads to nausea, loss of appetite, and forgetfulness — which just adds to your anxiety. You may find that your mind goes blank on some questions and you worry about the answers you do give. This stress may persist after the test and can impact your performance on other finals or even mean you stay feeling anxious until you receive your results.
5. You’ll Be Exhausted
If cramming means you only sleep for a few hours before the exam, you’ll likely be too tired to concentrate. This will slow you down and make it more difficult to process questions, especially when the wording is not exactly what you expected.
6. Your Test Scores Will Be Lower
Students who cram usually have lower test scores than those who start preparing weeks before their finals. Since crammers are less familiar with the material, it takes them longer to figure out what the question is asking and how to answer. This is particularly problematic for essay questions, as you need to know how to pull together different pieces of information. However, you’re also likely to score lower on multiple-choice tests, since there’s a higher risk you’ll run out of time.
To gain top grades on your finals, you need to start preparing early and use the time you have available wisely. If you want to be able to concentrate on your studies without distractions, it makes sense to search for rooms for rent.
Oshawa students should look no further than Foundry Simcoe. You’ll receive a private bedroom and an en suite bathroom in an apartment with two or four roommates. Apply now to take advantage of our early bird pricing.
