How to keep what you’ve crammed

It’s exam time. School will be closing the spring semester soon and students face the inevitable – final exams.

The fortunate ones are those students who have completed all the assignments, studied consistently throughout the term and will now spend time reviewing the information.

The unfortunate ones will have to find a way to learn as much as possible in a short time, or cram, if you will. Although cramming is the least desirable way to study, there are ways to improve the results.

• Take study breaks. After studying 30 to 60 minutes, get up and move around for a few minutes. Stretch and relax your body and your brain. After several hours, take a longer break of at least a half-hour.

• Study the most important materials first and last. When cramming or studying for long periods of time, the information that falls in the middle period is not remembered as well as that studied in the beginning and the ending periods.

• If you haven’t saved old tests, borrow some from a friend. Usually your teacher will have questioned you on the important concepts. Also, you will have a good idea of the types of questions. Make up some test questions of your own. Then write the answers.

• Find a study partner. When studying with one or two other students, you can compare notes and ask each other questions. Tom may understand one part of the material better than you do. Listen while he explains it. Then tell him about it so you are sure you understand. You will find you can also contribute. Tom may be absent the day that you did a certain lab experiment. Help him with that. Mix this study time with some solitary study on your own.

• Use both oral and written drill. Explaining something out loud forces you to realize that either you do or do not remember the necessary details. And by writing the answers, you can judge for yourself how much you really know. Make up pages for lists of materials you need to review. Use the old flash card technique for memorization.

• Review the test strategies for various test items. Short answer items, fill in the blanks, true-false and multiple choice items all require different strategies for mastery.

When taking the test, if you don’t know the answer immediately, skip the item and move on to another. Then with time remaining, go back to that test item.

On multiple choice, with four or five possible answers, learn the process of elimination. Rule out at least two answers and choose the best answer of the remaining. Essay questions may ask you to compare, describe or contrast a topic. Think carefully before you begin writing. You may even want to jot down key words so you will include the main points.

Remember that cramming is the least desirable form of study, but if you have to do it at least study as far ahead of the exam as possible. The night before the test should be saved for a good night’s sleep and an adequate breakfast the next morning.

Good luck to all of you who are preparing to take exams.

Copyright c 1990 Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D.