Tom tells you that he has a history exam coming up in five days, and he has five chapters to read before the exam. He says he's going to wait and read them all the day before the exam, even if he has to stay up all night, so the material will be fresh in his mind. What advice should you give Tom, and why?
A) That sounds like a great plan, but be sure to take notes on what you're reading so you'll remember it for the test.
B) Read the chapters as soon as possible, taking notes, and go over the notes every day before the exam. This is because the more often you sleep after learning information, the more apt you are to remember the information for the exam.
C) Borrow notes from someone else and study them for the first four days, then get up extra early on the morning of the exam, read the five chapters, and don't sleep again until after the exam, because sleeping after you learn something erases most of what you learned.
D) It's too late to try to learn the information in the textbook. Ask the instructor if you can take a later makeup exam.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Reading the chapters as soon as possible and reviewing the notes regularly will help Tom retain the information better. According to research, we are more likely to remember information if we review it multiple times spaced out over time (i.e., distributed practice). Waiting until the day before the exam and staying up all night to study is not an effective strategy and can lead to fatigue and forgetfulness during the exam.

Tom Tells You That He Has a History Exam Coming