Studying

Some students have really good methods for studying. Others do not. Studying, reviews, or revisions must be consistent and follow initial learning of material. Time spend does not necessarily mean time spent well. There are definately more efficient methods than others.

Active Recall

A general measure for discerning whether one is using their time wisely is cognitive stress or load. If studying feels difficult, it is probably efficient. Some examples of weaker methods are things such as rereading, highlighting, or making outlines (source). These only involve processes of comprehension and summarization. Students typically do well with comprehension tasks but have a much harder time with application tasks.

Active recall is the process of using associations and other reasoning techniques to arrive at a conclusion. Examples of active recall and of beneficial study tactics are things such as flashcards. Some adjustments to weaker techniques may make them more appropriate to use, such as trying to write a summary or outline from memory rather than through notes or text. Ultimately, if it feels difficult to do, one is probably getting some benefit from it.

I go over the use of Ankiapp in a dedicated section, which suffices for most courses that require active recall of concepts and terms (science and history classes generally). For math and application based science, practice questions will be more practical that other methods.

Most students prefer to reread their notes when studying when it provides little benefit (source). They are experiencing what's known as the illusion of competence. Normally, tests do not test students on their reading comprehension. So while they can read and comprehend, this does not help them prepare for a test that has little reading comprehension in it.

It sure feels great to highlight text, but research has shown that it has little impact on rentention of material. What looks good doesn't often translate to results. This adage is true elsewhere; looks deceive. Look for results instead.

Cramming is something that almost everyone does. When we see improvements, the behavior may be repeated. However, the association could have been falty; regular studying may have resulted in the same or better result.

Cramming

Studies have shown that cramming does produce results, which isn't surprising. Any review activity prior to a big test should produce results. Despite this, cramming is not time efficient. It has been shown that spaced repetition is much more efficient in terms of time spent and information retained. Cramming frontloads the short-term memory, but does little for long-term memory. One other dangerous result of cramming is the deterioration of other habits such as sleep and other routines.

Takeaways and Considerations

Passive methods of study have shown to do very little for test preparation. Students continue to utilize these methods due to habit, ease of use, or social norm (most students also do it). Active methods may take more mental effort, but are much more rewarding.

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Avoid using passive techniques like watching videos, rereading notes and powerpoints, highlighting, and outlining. Modify activities to require active recall of material.

Cramming is often inefficient compared to other methods. Time and energy can be saved using more efficient methods.

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Save cramming as a last resort, or just skip it altogether. Focus on more consistent methods of studying.