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- Topic: Sleep and exam performance
| Author | Topic: Sleep and exam performance |
|---|---|
| KASattar @2017-07-09 17:54:34 |
Here's another exam tip for all the first-timers (and the repeaters too). There's a tendency to try and cram the night before. Unfortunately, there's a lot of evidence that sleep deprivation can kill you on the exam. If you short someone even a couple hours of sleep for a couple consecutive nights, it can take someone who normally performs at the 80th or 90th percentile academically and move them down to the 60th percentile. The settings of the research were traditional testing settings. My guess is that the effects would be even greater if they were done in a 3-hour (or even two 3-hour) exam setting. If you haven't done one yet under game day conditions, it's hard to understand how much keeping focus matters - the questions you answer near the end of the afternoon session are just as important as the ones you answer when fresh. And if you're short on sleep, it???ll take a big chunk out of yer hiney. It's unlikely that you'll get a good night's sleep Friday night. But since it seems like it's cumulative effect that matters, try as much as possible to get good sleep Thursday night (and even Wednesday if possible). Then on Friday, review formulas a bit, skim the EOC stuff (Secret Sauce if you have it) and Review Ethics - that'll probably help you sleep. But try to get to bed at a decent hour. If necessary, take a half of an Ambien to take the edge off. It seems like a reasonable thing to cram till the wee hours. But at that point if the crop ain't in, a few more hours plowing ain't gonna do it. While you never directly observe the negative effects of the lost sleep, they're definitely there, and you'll benefit more from the marginal hour of sleep than from a marginal hour of studying. |
| Nave @2016-07-09 20:42:58 |
sleep is different for eveyone. For a lot of people, the adrenline keeps you going until after the exam, and combine that with a simple coffee, it's pretty effective. if you're cramming to learn new stuff hours before exam day, then the real problem isn't lack of sleep last several days should be about reviewing and keeping fresh topics you may have been weaker in. get some rest. then exam morning, adrenline carries you through the day. |
