The Worst Advice We've Ever Heard About Exams

Exams may well be the worst thing ever invented, but there are a lot of ways to get through exam season (relatively) unscathed. We’ve all had some really terrible advice about preparing for and taking exams. Don’t listen!

CAFFEINE!!!!

Much nicer. (youtube.com)

Caffeine seems like an excellent idea. You can get back some lost energy, cut back on some sleep, and have more time for that ‘sleep, study, socialize’ triangle. However, too much caffeine can give you headaches, make you jittery, upset your stomach, and really screw up your sleep schedule. And if you are used to having a lot of caffeine, in order to get the super alertness often sought by students, you may have to consume an unhealthy amount. Caffeine overdose can be dangerous, and it’s certainly not a fun experience.

Instead, grab something with just a little caffeine, like a cup of tea, a bar of chocolate or even just a big glass of water. You’ll get the boost you need, with none of the side effects.

Take ’Smart’ Drugs

“More than a million American students misuse prescription drugs in hopes of boosting their attention, memory or energy levels.” (Live Science, 2014)

Smart drugs are usually prescription medications given to people suffering from narcolepsy, ADHD, or similar conditions. They help you to focus better for longer, and can improve results on cognitive tests. However, using smart drugs can have really negative effects on your health and social life. While it’s unlikely you’ll have negative symptoms much worse than a dry mouth the first couple of times, after a while drugs like Ritalin and Modafinil can cause serious damage to your heart and brain. They can limit your brain development, stress your cardiac muscles, and drastically raise your stomach acid levels. It’s not a good idea to trade grades for health.

Instead, take regular breaks to do some exercise, and study effectively by chunking, using your notes and teaching the material to your friends.

All-Nighters

Sometimes, this is unavoidable. But staying up all night the day before an exam can have serious consequences for your performance, let alone your health. Pulling an all-nighter to cram for an exam can cause significant short-term changes in the white matter inside the brain. This means that the next day, you’ll be tired, you’ll find it difficult to concentrate, and you’ll struggle to remember things. Not quite the effect we were looking for.

Worst advice we’ve ever heard about exams. (plus.google.com)

Sleep helps us to organize, process, and understand information. If we don’t get enough sleep alongside our studies, we just won’t be able to learn and remember as effectively. Take it from someone who’s pulled more all-nighters than anyone I know, it’s not a good strategy for learning.

Instead, make sure you get enough sleep by studying outside your bedroom, getting enough exercise, and eating right. This will help your brain absorb the information much better than a night of cramming.

Just Cheat

Sure, I doubt many of us have been seriously advised to cheat on an exam. But it can be really tempting, especially at university. It’s not like high school. No one is watching your every move, and there are a lot of people in the exam hall. But you really lose out from cheating. You cheat yourself out of a good education, you cheat your future employers out of someone who knows their stuff, and you cheat your peers out of a fair test.

Instead, resist the temptation to cheat, even if you think you’re going to do badly. It’s better to fail one test than get kicked out of school for bad conduct.

We’ve all had some bad advice on dealing with exams, but most of the strategies people suggest are not effective in the long term, and can even be damaging to our health and performance. Better to stick to what we know works, as boring and difficult as it may be. Sleep a lot, do some exercise, study hard, eat well, and learn effectively.