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I've anecedotedly studied how much sleep is the most efficient before writing an exam, throughout the many I've taken at university. This is a bit different tha

I've anecedotedly studied how much sleep is the most efficient before writing an exam, throughout the many I've taken at university. This is a bit different than long term rentention though, as my hypothesis was basically "if you think you're screwed for an exam, what's the optimal crammed studying/sleep ratio the night before?" 1. All nighter is never worth it no matter how little material you think you know. 2. If you're semi confident in the exam, prioritize getting a full sleep over a little sleep. 3. If you're not confident in the exam, definitely still aim for at least 5-6 hours of sleep. That's what I've noticed when it comes down to cram studying, otherwise my performance goes out the window.

foobarian 5y ago
In my experience it gets more complicated depending on the days leading up to the event. Given good sleep for a good stretch of days up to the day before the exam, all-nighter can work out fine. But I guess there is a correlation between lack of discipline to get good sleep and not studying regularly so I can see that being a rare situation :-)
- watwut 5y ago
  I think all nighters are bad idea, because my college mates who done them had ... less then smart answers to even simple questions. They were smart, as people. But not sleeping whole night makes you dumb. And they inability to figure what was not memorized harmed their performance a lot.
- Quikinterp 5y ago
  Yeah this would make sense. I still do think all nighters would probably harm your memory retention even if you do it a couple days before the exam. I'd imagine the brain has more time to really process what you're studying if you sleep after doing so.
- sidibe 5y ago
  I always felt worse two days after all nighters than the day after. I feel like the next day isn't necessarily when you pay, once the morning comes around again you get a second wind
jonshariat 5y ago
One thing I did in school was sleep early and wake up early to study before the exam. I wonder if that was actually effective or not.
- fendy3002 5y ago
  In my experience is good for light to medium study session, not heavier. If I try to do heavy study before the exam, I won't be able to perform well. Looks like the brain has stamina that will be depleted little by little when used, either during exam or studying.
cardosof 5y ago
I have this same experience as well. During college, with exams in the mornings, I've also tried shifting periods: going to sleep really early just to wake up early and study for some hours until the exam. That did not work well - a consistent sleep routine is very important!

foobarian 5y ago

In my experience it gets more complicated depending on the days leading up to the event. Given good sleep for a good stretch of days up to the day before the exam, all-nighter can work out fine. But I guess there is a correlation between lack of discipline to get good sleep and not studying regularly so I can see that being a rare situation :-)

watwut 5y ago
I think all nighters are bad idea, because my college mates who done them had ... less then smart answers to even simple questions. They were smart, as people. But not sleeping whole night makes you dumb. And they inability to figure what was not memorized harmed their performance a lot.
Quikinterp 5y ago
Yeah this would make sense. I still do think all nighters would probably harm your memory retention even if you do it a couple days before the exam. I'd imagine the brain has more time to really process what you're studying if you sleep after doing so.
sidibe 5y ago
I always felt worse two days after all nighters than the day after. I feel like the next day isn't necessarily when you pay, once the morning comes around again you get a second wind

jonshariat 5y ago

One thing I did in school was sleep early and wake up early to study before the exam. I wonder if that was actually effective or not.

fendy3002 5y ago
In my experience is good for light to medium study session, not heavier. If I try to do heavy study before the exam, I won't be able to perform well. Looks like the brain has stamina that will be depleted little by little when used, either during exam or studying.

cardosof 5y ago

I have this same experience as well. During college, with exams in the mornings, I've also tried shifting periods: going to sleep really early just to wake up early and study for some hours until the exam. That did not work well - a consistent sleep routine is very important!