How far in advance do you study for your tests?

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How far in advance do you study for tests?

  • 1-2 days before

    Votes: 43 27.6%

  • 2-3 days before

    Votes: 41 26.3%

  • 4-5 days before

    Votes: 23 14.7%

  • At least 1 week before

    Votes: 25 16.0%

  • I study everyday and keep up with the class

    Votes: 24 15.4%
  • Total voters
    156
All of senior year I would study 1 day before the test (completely lock myself in my room and not take phone calls or do anything else but study). It worked I guess, one term I took five 400 level microbiology courses and only got one B.
 
i was never one to cram. I just dont function best that way. I always try to do a little bit each day. People would always give me **** for "always studying" but i just say "look, if you were to add up the few hours i spend studying each day, and the 48 hours straight you spend studying the two days before the test, you probably spend more time studying than i do. So really I'm more efficient than you, i'm not hyped up on red bull, im well rested, Im never really stressed out, and im probably going to remember more in the long run." They usually drop it after that.
 
redsquareblack said:
2-3 days? Good luck in med school.
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Some of us are just pimps like that. Last minute cramming FTW.
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TheBateman said:
State what classes. Discuss.
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My advice. Learn from your elders. I, along with many of the fellow classmates, didn't study for most exams until a couple of days before. that severely hurt our GPAs. Read the book before hand, rewrite the lecture notes, read the literature on the topic for the day to get a better understanding of the material, and read up on the material a couple of days a week each week. For classes that deal with problem solving, solve just about all of the problems in the back of the book and find more practice problem online.

Don't be like us and hurt your chances for the future by being lazy.
 
it's obvious that studying everyday will be better than doing last minute crammings. but people like me just dont do it. i actually tried, i couldn't! my organic chemistry test is on tuesday and i have yet to look at my notes, read anything, or do any homework. i know nothing of the material after exam 1. i should start studying but instead im on here checking forums, and on facebook -_-
 
I feel like I can get away with cramming with most subjects except any type of chemistry.

With chemistry, I try to go over the concepts 30min-1hr before I sleep and then the same when I wake up. And of course I do all the book problems.
 
packofneurons said:
I feel like I can get away with cramming with most subjects except any type of chemistry.

With chemistry, I try to go over the concepts 30min-1hr before I sleep and then the same when I wake up. And of course I do all the book problems.
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I crammed for ochem and I got an A... I just read the book two days before the midterm and did all the problems the day before... it was not that bad...

And my sentiments are echoed in this thread... I am too used to cramming and I fear for myself in medical school....
 
Honestly, I don't know any type of study method that ISN'T cramming. Med school will be a big shock for me.
 
anbuitachi said:
i find if i dont cram i dont remember on the day of the test unless i restudy everything...
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This here is the key, sounds like you're on track, so study throughout the blocks or however your school is broken up for exams, then restudy!

I crammed in college, tried it for 1 block in med school and did OK didn't fail or anything, but I also didn't honor.

THEN I started keeping up with classes and going over things multiple times including "cramming" before the test where I restudied everything I had already studied. I know that stuff much better now, and if I really need to recall it off the top of my head 1-3 years later, I can, but some might take a little longer to find it in the dusty vaults of my brain than other. Or I can refresh my memory really quickly.
 
i actually would start earlier except i found it very difficult to study teh same thing more than once for an exam. there was just too much work to do if i still want to get a decent sleep schedule (aiming for 8 hours a day!!) but i found that if i didn't do any work for other classes and just crammed for that test class and repeat for the other exams, it was manageable! though it costs my gpa -_-

i hope med school will be less busy but somehow i doubt that hahahahah
 
I'm definitely a crammer. I just don't study/focus well if I'm not under pressure. Guess I'm screwed for med school :/
 
Ashers said:
This here is the key, sounds like you're on track, so study throughout the blocks or however your school is broken up for exams, then restudy!

I crammed in college, tried it for 1 block in med school and did OK didn't fail or anything, but I also didn't honor.

THEN I started keeping up with classes and going over things multiple times including "cramming" before the test where I restudied everything I had already studied. I know that stuff much better now, and if I really need to recall it off the top of my head 1-3 years later, I can, but some might take a little longer to find it in the dusty vaults of my brain than other. Or I can refresh my memory really quickly.
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i agree..probably the best method.. keep up with material, go over it many times, cram if necessary a few days before. i have not done this before.. ever.. but i bet it works. repition is key..
 
where are all my other "at least a week before" peeps? i like to start 8-10 days before a test with an outline of everything i need to know. then i break it up into assignments for each day before the exam, leaving the last 1-2 days for trouble spots and general review. woooo anal retentiveness!

(btw, to all you other non-crammers... did you ever feel weird studying less than everyone else right before exams and seeing everyone else in the library freaking out? sometimes i would get worried and feel like i should be studying the night before when in reality i had finished already.)
 
It really is class dependent how I study. Some classes that are easy (for me these are humanities classes) I could ace any exam as long as I study for about 1.5 hours/day for 2 days before an exam.

In harder classes where the competition was stiff (like my Biochemistry class filled with premeds) I would keep my hours/day ratio but I would study 12 days in advanced instead of 2. I'm usually over the 90th percentile so I think my system is at the very least decent.

I'm not the smartest student but I think I'm probably 10x more disciplined than anyone I know (chalk it up to a military upbringing). Oh yeah PROTIP: attending and paying FULL attention in lectures reduces study time drastically.
 
dw2158 said:
where are all my other "at least a week before" peeps? i like to start 8-10 days before a test with an outline of everything i need to know. then i break it up into assignments for each day before the exam, leaving the last 1-2 days for trouble spots and general review. woooo anal retentiveness!

(btw, to all you other non-crammers... did you ever feel weird studying less than everyone else right before exams and seeing everyone else in the library freaking out? sometimes i would get worried and feel like i should be studying the night before when in reality i had finished already.)
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I usually roll with the 6-day approach, scaling up each day until the test. Try to get the big concepts early and the details later.



Then when it doesn't work, I stay up the night before and cram.
 
meaning when I'm not disciplined enough to make it work.
 
The test requires x hours of studying. I start studying x hours before the test. If I can learn the material for a class in 12 hours and it's an 8 o'clock class, I start studying at 8 the night before the test. The champion of all crammers. This is dangerous, I know, but I just can't bring myself to study ahead of time
 
I review the material everyday after class, then a week or two before a test I will study more intensely.
 
Generally, I will study 4-5 days before a test, but it sucks because my school is on a 12 week term, so all of my tests are stacked around the end of week 3/beginning of week 4 and then somewhere around week 6/7 and then 9/10 and then finals week. So i have a really difficult time studying for 2-4 tests at once.

NotAndrew- love the new picture! 24 is one of my favorites.
 
dw2158 said:
where are all my other "at least a week before" peeps?
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I am very much a start at least one week before the test kind of guy. Having kept up with the material all semester is helpful. Then, I just study like 2-3 hours a day for a week or so, going over absolutely everything again. Then I go over the topics that I feel less comfortable with over and over, and begin to weed out topics as I become more comfortable with them.

Of course, this leaves me with not to much to do in the day before the exam, but I still cram then anyhow. Also, I generally like to work with 1 other person, so together we can always remember difficult topics from class that need to be gone over. We share everything...with only each other.

But, at least when Im graded on a curve, I will definitely tell you "oh..I have no idea, I've never even heard of that" when you ask me about something simple that you should definitely know, when we are sitting next to each other and the tests are being handed out. That's what you get for cramming.

I am actually a little shocked to see all of you crammers on here, but Im sure you'll have to wake up to reality soon enough. Study habits are just as hard to break as they are to form.
 
DrBeks said:
Generally, I will study 4-5 days before a test, but it sucks because my school is on a 12 week term, so all of my tests are stacked around the end of week 3/beginning of week 4 and then somewhere around week 6/7 and then 9/10 and then finals week. So i have a really difficult time studying for 2-4 tests at once.

NotAndrew- love the new picture! 24 is one of my favorites.
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What are you talking about? Thats a picture of me taken moments before I went on an undercover assignment and got addicted to heroin.

12 weeks? during the fall and spring also? How many hours a week do you have for each class? I am fascinated with this alleged 12 week term.
 
I like to read through all the chapters that will be covered on the test, do practice problems between all five of my classes every day(Not every class each day, but one or two classes each day) and then when test times comes I "cram". I guess it's not really considered cramming because I'm already comfortable with the material by then, but the cramming puts my confidence at an even higher level. My last O Chem test I pretty much knew the answer before I was done reading the question, and that's where I like to be.
 
I try to keep up with the course as I go and then make sure to plan several hours of "cramming" 2 to 4 days before the exam...not just one or the other.
 
Depends on the class? 😕

Do you all really study the same way for all of your classes? Some require less than 4 hours of total study. Others will take a week of sustained study. Others will kill you if you ever drop the ball...
 
pianola said:
Depends on the class? 😕

Do you all really study the same way for all of your classes? Some require less than 4 hours of total study. Others will take a week of sustained study. Others will kill you if you ever drop the ball...
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This is true. However, medical school courses are pretty nigh uncrammable. Think about it: cramming helps you pass the exam, not actually commit the information to memory. Do you really want to be the doctor who remembered just enough to pass the test?

Perhaps a better question: Would you as a patient want that doctor?
 
you guys need to stop baggin on crammers. dont act like youre smarter just because you study everyday.

sure i cram, but is it like i dont know most of the material already before i cram? no. im pretty well "studied" before i cram because i dont forget course material that fast, so when i do cram, its to practice and pick up details rather than entire concepts.

however, i agree that some things (i imagine everything in med school) cannot be crammed for. that being said, i still cram, but i know what my cram-per-day limits are and adjust accordingly. so i might spread out material over four days instead of one.

that being said, i would NEVER study every day if there were no tests coming up. thats just gross.
 
ReptarBar said:
you guys need to stop baggin on crammers. dont act like youre smarter just because you study everyday.

sure i cram, but is it like i dont know most of the material already before i cram? no. im pretty well "studied" before i cram because i dont forget course material that fast, so when i do cram, its to practice and pick up details rather than entire concepts.

however, i agree that some things (i imagine everything in med school) cannot be crammed for. that being said, i still cram, but i know what my cram-per-day limits are and adjust accordingly. so i might spread out material over four days instead of one.

that being said, i would NEVER study every day if there were no tests coming up. thats just gross.
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Hey, man, I'm not trying to act like I'm smarter. I'm just sayin', med school courses are surprising.
 
Anyone else read the word "cram" so many times, it doesn't look or sound real anymore? Now, I think of cranberry jam, don't ask me why.

I used to cram a lot during undergrad (and, in many cases, not study at all), but now that I'm doing a post-bacc, I kind of have my priorities in check, and I've been doing all my daily homework/reading for my classes (which is a HUGE step for me).

Because I do all the reading as I go along, I only re-read class and book notes five days before the test, go through practice problems for the next couple days, and I try to leave the day before the test totally free so I can relax and not get overwhelmed/burnt out on the material. By that point, I usually know it by heart.

Have any of you been able to overcome your own bad study habits?
 
jaydar said:
Have any of you been able to overcome your own bad study habits?
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In high school if you would have asked me about study habits I would have had to ask you what studying was. Freshman year of college was a HUGE reality check and it's taken a lot of work to undo my bad studying habits. Second semester of sophomore year though and I study every night. It was a lot easier when I wanted to be a doctor though, veeeeery motivating with the average GPA as high as it is, which would be pretty much impossible to achieve with no studying.
 
Half study 4-5 days before. Serious study 3 days before.
 
I always tell myself that im gonna start studying earlier for the next test, next test, but always something comes up and i end up starting 2 nights before. If i study earlier, i just wont remember anything by test date. My memory sucks 🙁
 
I'm always studying, exam or no exam.🙁
 
It depends on the class. For general bio, I would look over my notes for 10 minutes before the exam and get a 100 on it. For ochem, on the other hand, I have to study hardcore for at least a week. Most other classes fall somewhere in between.
 
NotAndrew said:
What are you talking about? Thats a picture of me taken moments before I went on an undercover assignment and got addicted to heroin.

12 weeks? during the fall and spring also? How many hours a week do you have for each class? I am fascinated with this alleged 12 week term.
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haha! I've always had incredible awe of you, saving the world so many times...now you're going to med school! Amazing!

yep, 12 weeks for fall and sping and we have a 6 week winter term. A typical three credit class (most of them), has three hours a week for class. So, right now i'm taking o chem (3 cr) which is MWF from 10:20 to 11:20 and then we have a lab (an additional 1 cr) on Th from 1-5. Same with cell bio: MWF (3 cr) 9:10 to 10:10 and lab Tu (1cr) from 8:30 to 11:30. Although some classes are longer and worth more credits like analytical physics which meets 6 hrs per week + lab = 5 credits total.

It takes a lot to get used to, considering how fast paced it is, but now that I'm used to it, I wouldn't have it any other way.
 
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