Cramming

[kovalchuk]

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Any crammers out there? I've never crammed (and do not condone it!) but I'm taking this awful biology class that invites cramming. There is no analytical thinking or problem solving at all, and the final isn't cummulative so I can forget all this crap the second I'm done.

Any comments on cramming (i.e. how you do it, how does it work for you etc)?

 

[lazygunner]

Any crammers out there? I've never crammed (and do not condone it!) but I'm taking this awful biology class that invites cramming. There is no analytical thinking or problem solving at all, and the final isn't cummulative so I can forget all this crap the second I'm done.

Any comments on cramming (i.e. how you do it, how does it work for you etc)?

I've been a crammer my whole life, and it's gotten me to where I am today...that doesn't mean it'll work for everyone. If you haven't crammed in the past, there's no reason to start now. Stick with what you know works for you, especially if it's a bit less stressful than the cram method.

 

[gbbdoc]

Any crammers out there? I've never crammed (and do not condone it!) but I'm taking this awful biology class that invites cramming. There is no analytical thinking or problem solving at all, and the final isn't cummulative so I can forget all this crap the second I'm done.

Any comments on cramming (i.e. how you do it, how does it work for you etc)?

I've found that what works best for me is to take notes while reading the textbook. By rewriting the info, and then simply studying those notes a few times I am able to recall the info on teh exam. I do agree that often times this information does not stick longterm.

 

[Doctormo24]

I never cram but tmrw I have a Biology 2 Exam and Im cramming for that. It sux, the professor is making the exam SUPER HARD for no reason, its just Bio 2 not advanced genetics 3005. All the prior students that I have asked whom have had the class say when you see his test you are in pure SHOCK you have no idea where the questions come from. So I have to cram for this test because I had a test a Math Test Thursday. Personally, I dont like to cram but sometimes there is a need to.

 

[FutureDocDO]

I never cram but tmrw I have a Biology 2 Exam and Im cramming for that. It sux, the professor is making the exam SUPER HARD for no reason, its just Bio 2 not advanced genetics 3005. All the prior students that I have asked whom have had the class say when you see his test you are in pure SHOCK you have no idea where the questions come from. So I have to cram for this test because I had a test a Math Test Thursday. Personally, I dont like to cram but sometimes there is a need to.

Sounds like the Bio II class I took. For some reason, those science prereqs were harder for me than say Immunology or some specific upper science courses.

 

[Doctormo24]

Yea man that sounds so true to me. These basic pre-reqs make your life so difficult, I just cant wait to get past them and get into the advanced stuff. I'm sick of this basic stuff. Cant wait for ORGO!!!! 😀

 

[DrBowtie]

Yea man that sounds so true to me. These basic pre-reqs make your life so difficult, I just cant wait to get past them and get into the advanced stuff. I'm sick of this basic stuff. Cant wait for ORGO!!!! 😀

Orgo isn't nearly as bad as bio when it comes to cramming and memorization.

 

[PurpleHaze]

People always tell me "You shouldn't cram... study in advance!". That is great advice, and I agree with them to some extent. BUT no matter how far I study in advance... i still end up cramming. Force of habit or something.

 

[speranza]

For me studying in advance has always been one of those "sounds good in theory" things. Even if I actually do read or study ahead, I find that it's seldom actually fruitful. I end up doing the majority of my effective studying the night before the test.

 

[GA_MDhopeful]

Any crammers out there? I've never crammed (and do not condone it!) but I'm taking this awful biology class that invites cramming. There is no analytical thinking or problem solving at all, and the final isn't cummulative so I can forget all this crap the second I'm done.

Any comments on cramming (i.e. how you do it, how does it work for you etc)?

guilty as charged.

cramming this moment for an exam tomorrow morn. well, actually, i guess i'm procrastinating from cramming by sifting through hours and hours of useless yet interesting SDN threads...

 

[Med-tallica]

i find it hard not to cram, for some tests I would walk into class a few minutes before the test, skim through the chapter and do fairly well. Of course this was for the most basic of classes.

For the most effective cramming you have to know the habits of your professor and the type of test given. This makes knowing what you have to read/cram much easier. And even when reading ahead of time its good to know whats nutritious reading and what material is fatty. Cram in good health. If your cramming half asleep, or a severly deteriorated condition chances of cramming doing any good would be slim to none.

 

[OrganLibrarian]

I basically kill myself the night before any bio test. I'll study until 3 or 4am, sleep for two hours, get up at 6am, cram some more, and then take the test at 8 or 9am, depending on the course. It has always worked surprisingly well, although the information literally leaves my brain approximately 15 minutes after taking the test. But YAY for non-cumulative finals.

btw...I will NOT be planning on doing this during med school...I hope.

 

[Pontifex Maximus]

I generally only studied the night before in undergrad, but I wouldn't exactly call it cramming. Some classes (Bio 2, cough cough) I did cram. It works, screw the haters!

 

[45408]

yeah, I've crammed. last night was when I started studying for an exam I have in an hour. senioritis, woo woo!

 

[Lindyhopper]

Helpful Hints for the truly desperate crammer.

1. Read chapter summaries. Attempt to memorize by rewriting them.
2. Know glossary definitions of key word lists &/or enbolden terms. An online medical dictionary will let one quickly cut & paste a quick "crammer's list."
3. If the lecture showed slides of a figure from your text read the caption.
4. For text's big concepts, hit up wikipedia entrance. These are often quick & easy "cliff note" stlye summaries.

I feel like I know way too much about this.

 

[GA_MDhopeful]

senioritis, woo woo!

ditto. but you know it's getting REALLY bad when you're considering withdrawing from a class just 'cause you don't want to study for the exam.

just made an appointment with the dean....don't need this class anyway to graduate = good riddance mr. unnecessary take-up-my-valuable-TV-time class.

and no, the class isn't hard. i'm just lazy. 😀

 

[Dr.LeoSpaceman]

I have alwas thought profs who say cramming doesn't work are full of it. I did it all through college and did well, and have now used it for the first part of med school, and have not had a problem. However, now I find myself studying pretty hard the week before and cramming the night before anyway. In undegrad, I could do it with cramming 2 days befor the test. I think my thought is, if a teacher tells you that cramming won't help you, they are wrong. True, it may not be sufficient to only cram, but it does seem to help. The one caveat is that if you cram, its doubtful you will retain much of the info. And so in that sense they are right...cramming won't help you if you need to maintain the info for long periods. But if all you need is to pass a test in 12 hours, it works damn well.

 

[Conqueror]

Orgo isn't nearly as bad as bio when it comes to cramming and memorization.

You're right, it's much worse.

Seriously, everything in bio follows a logical progression, whereas in orgo it's just a bunch of random structures and whatnot to memorize.

CQ

 

[OrganLibrarian]

You're right, it's much worse.

Seriously, everything in bio follows a logical progression, whereas in orgo it's just a bunch of random structures and whatnot to memorize.

CQ

I would outright disagree with that statement - organic chemistry required almost no memorization, as long as you understand mechanisms and the underlying syntax used to classify molecules. but...maybe that's why i was a chemistry major!