Studying

Is Cramming for Exams Effective?

There are lots of ways to study and prepare for big exams during exam season, and every year it seems like there is just not enough time to get everything you need to know into your head before the exams. Is it effective to cram? Can cramming still get you the grades you need?

One expert’s guide to college cramming suggests that “cramming isn’t something to be ashamed of,” and that rather “cramming can be a good way to focus your attention and soak in the material.”

And she’s right! Cramming for exams can be effective, especially if you plan what to do the night before an exam in order to make the most of a limited amount of study time. While preparing bit-by-bit over a longer period of time is always better than cramming last minute, there are some ways to make last-minute cramming very effective.
But it takes more than just sitting down at your desk the night before and trying to cram everything into your head for hours on end!

There are some important tips to remember to make last minute studying effective, and we’ve collected our top tips for last-minute cramming that will help you get the best results.
1. Use study aids: 
Obviously our #1 tip is that you check out the Wizeprep Subscription Study Pass. This online study resource guide gives you course- and campus-specific materials for all the toughest courses, and it includes: mini video lectures you can watch at the last minute, course notes you can download and annotate, and practice problems to get you exam ready.

2. Focus on the most important topics:
Often your instructors and professors highlight what topics will be covered on the exams. Make sure that you prioritize those areas over the more obscure topics and the more general topics to make sure that you are 100% confident with the materials that will show up on the exam.

3. Cram in short bursts of time:
Research suggests that attention spans decay after just 20 minutes, and TED Talks are capped at 18 minutes to convey information in a short period of time. So if you are cramming the night before an exam, study in 15-minute bursts, and then give yourself a break. Then come back for another 15 minutes and so on, rather than trying to focus for 8 hours straight through of cramming.


In addition to learning how to cram effectively, there are two other things that you can do to increase your chances of doing well on an upcoming exam, which include sleeping well and eating well.

4. Sleeping Well
Some students find that sleeping a full night before an exam is actually related to getting a higher grade and GPA (rather than cramming and pulling an all-nighter).
At the very least, you want to aim for three hours of sleep the night before an exam, specifically between 2am and 6am, as your brain will be less likely to retain information that you try to cram during those hours, and instead, you can use sleep to consolidate your learning and retain it while you sleep.

5. Eating Well
One of the top tips for preparing for finals is to eat well during exam season. What you put into your body fuels your brain, and as you cram for exams, you are taxing your brain to its fullest capacity, and you need to make sure you’re fuelling it with as much healthy food and nutrients as you can.

And, of course, the morning of your exams make sure that you eat something and have a good morning routine to set you up for success for the rest of the day!

So all-in-all cramming can be an effective way of studying, but just like with everything you want to make sure that you plan things out so that you use your limited study time as wisely as possible with good study aids (like Wizeprep!), prioritized topics to cram, and short bursts of study time, all coupled with good eating and sleeping habits to make the most of your exam cram experience.
For more information on how best to study, we suggest:
Are you Studying the Wrong Way?
Five Tips on Staying Awake While Studying
How to Manage your Time When Studying Online