Cramming: good or bad?

is it good or reaLLy bad to practice cramming?

first of aLL, i wiLL give the definition of cramming.

according to www.thefreedictionary.com and webster's dictionary, cramming is to prepare (students) hastiLy for an impending examination.

a student is caLLed a crammer because having a short period of time, he studies hurriedLy to prepare for an examination. this wiLL resuLt to his anxiety level wiLL go up so he wiLL Lose sLeep, eat poorLy and get sick more easiLy. hence, he wiLL miss the exam then he wiLL take the much harder essay make-up exam because of that thus he will faiL it (http://www.bmb.psu.edu).

in addition to that, a crammer reLies on his short-term memory which is thought to Last onLy about 10 to 15 seconds if the information is not rehearsed. this means that if you are given something to remember in your short-term memory and you don't think about it, it wiLL onLy stay for about 10 seconds (http://www.drawgroup.org). this type is fairLy unreLiabLe and faiLs under pressure.

these statements prove that cramming is an unheaLthy way of studying. as much as possibLe, a student must not cram in order not to regret about the resuLt he wiLL get in the exam. having a faiLing mark is not good to hear, deLightfuL to see and wonderfuL to feeL.

to prevent cramming and avoid a faiLing mark, testtaskingtips.com has the techniques for studying. a student must:

1. eat some food to give energy to study, but try to avoid excess sugar which wiLL make you hyper and wiLL make it more difficult to study.

2. An apple does a better job at keeping you focused and awake than caffeine.

3. find a well lit place with no distractions around to study but don't get too comfortable or you may fall a sleep.

4. keep a positive attitude, it is easier to study when you are relaxed than when you are stressed out.

5. since your time is limited you have to choose what you study, don't attempt to learn everything, focus on things that will get you the most points on the exam.

6. focus on the main ideas and learn key formulas, skip the details for now and only come back to them if you see that you have time after you have learned the key points.

7. write down the key ideas/formulas on a sheet of paper and keep on studying from that sheet, repetition is important.

8. highlight the important points in your notes, and text and focus on that.

9. read the chapter summaries (they usually do a good job at summarizing the important points), if there're no chapter summaries then skim through the text and write down key ideas.

10. study from past tests, review questions, homeworks & review sheets.

11. take at least one five minute break an hour so that you can gather your thoughts and let your brain relax.

12. if time permits, try to get at least 3 hours of sleep (one sleep cycle) before the exam so that you don't fall asleep when taking your exam. Don't forget to set your alarm!

therefore, to cram is bad if a student wants to have good grades whiLe it is good if he has no choice but to perform it as a Last resort. i think it depends to the student if he wiLL cram or not. Like myseLf, i am comfortabLe in cramming because first of aLL, i am used to it so it is very hard for me to change my study habit; secondLy, if the exam was reaLLy difficuLt that even the students who study very weLL aLso find it difficuLt, i wiLL not regret; and LastLy, so far cramming is effective because i don't reaLLy get Low grades unLess it is very hard. so what i do if my mind faiLs me in the middLe of the exam, are guessing and using some Logic.

so, is cramming a good practice or not?
generaLLy it is bad but personaLLy it is not.

contented?

*how i wish i couLd go back in time and change my baby thesis' topic, bLogging, into this topic, cramming, because it was easier to discuss, reaLLy!^_^*