Study shows test cramming has negative effects on grades

               By Jeremy Duda

               Arizona Daily Wildcat <http://wildcat.arizona.edu/papers/94/91/01_2_m.html>

               UA doctor, students agree that all-nighters better than nothing,
               but not by much

               Findings of a study conducted at Harvard Medical School show that
               all-night study sessions may have a negative effect on students' grades
                - which does not come as a surprise to UA sleep experts.

               "This is nothing new," said Dr. Colin Bamford, director of the UA
               neurophysiology and sleep lab. "Every study to date has shown
               that, and I would expect this one to mirror the others."

               The Harvard study's control group slept regularly for four days,
               while the variable group was deprived of sleep for the first night.
               At the end of the four-day cycle, the two groups were tested on image
               recognition - and the group that got less sleep performed more poorly,
               because sleep deprivation has a negative effect on the cortex, the part
               of the brain which is responsible for storing information.

               Different individuals need different amounts of sleep, Bamford said.
               While one person may only need seven or eight hours of sleep, somebody
               else may need more.

               Whether someone is a "short sleeper" or a "long sleeper," the key factor
               is how much sleep is missed, not how much is obtained. More than
               an hour off of a person's normal sleep schedule may begin to affect
               memory retention, Bamford said.

               Despite the findings of this study, UA students will likely continue
               to study until sunrise.

               Journalism freshman Maygan Hoflin said she has no plans to end her
               late-night cramming.

               "Obviously it would be better, because I wouldn't be so stressed out,
               but I still get good grades," she said.

               Bamford recommended studying prior to the night before a big test.
               If a student has studied regularly beforehand, he said, one last night
               of cramming would not make a difference in the grade.

               However, if a student doesn't know the material at all, Bamford said
               it is still better go into a test sleep-deprived rather than not knowing
               any of the information - meaning that the all-nighter will probably
               continue to be a staple of college life.

               Andres Ideus, a Pima Community College student visiting the
               UA campus, agreed with Bamford.

               "I'd say it would benefit your grade as an alternative to doing nothing,
               but probably the worst of the options you have," he said.
 
 

Besides cramming, staying up all night is not going to help you in any way. On the contrary, tackling an exam while sleep deprived can be disastrous. The ability to think and recall information is greatly reduced.