Successful Students

9

9. . . . don’t cram for exams. Successful students know that divided periods of study are more effective than cram sessions, and they practice it.

If there is one thing that study skills specialists agree on, it is that distributed study is better than messed, late-night, last-ditch efforts known as cramming. You’ll learn more, remember more, and earn a higher grade by studying in four hours straight on Thursday night. Short, concentrated preparatory efforts are more efficient and rewarding than wasteful, inattentive, last moments marathons. Yet, so many students fail to learn this lesson and end up repeating it over again until it becomes a wasteful habit. Not too clever huh?

When you cram, you are taking the shortcut, and shortcuts never produce any real worthwhile results. Also, when you take shortcuts, you feel rather rotten knowing that you could have done better but didn’t shortcuts cut you short. You can’t plant watermelon seeds and harvest fresh watermelons. Make a high score the next day is like planning watermelon seeds. Give yourself plenty of days and weeks to prepare for upcoming accountability opportunities.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT!