Reader’s Question

I would first like to thank everyone at this website for the “Ask the Psychologist” feature. I really hope you can help me out.

I’m a 21-year-old female, in my third year at medical school. I have some questions about the way I study.

I can’t study in a normal fashion like the rest of my friends. I only open the book 5 hours before the exam, then study. The odd thing is that even if I have never read the material in my life before, and even if I didn’t attend the lecture, believe it or not, I will get one of the highest grades on the exam. But I know this way of doing things is probably not good for my future.

I have tried opening the book days before an exam, and have even isolated myself in a room with the book, but I just couldn’t do it! I have also tried writing down everything, but that didn’t work, either.

I really need some help and advice. I know my future career will depend on how well I’m really learning. I am a very optimistic person, and don’t get depressed easily, but I’m really concerned about this.

Our Clinical Psychologist’s Reply

Some individuals have the ability to use the “cramming” method of preparing for an exam with some success, if the only concern is performing well on the the test. However, there are some very definite drawbacks to this approach. First, cramming actually takes more mental energy and creates more stress than does studying for briefer periods over a longer length of time. Second, although short and intermediate-term memory can be strong enough in some individuals to hold information reliably until test time, cramming generally doesn’t allow the kind of processing of information that can embed it into long-term memory. Lastly, in addition to the likelihood that information will not be adequately transfered to long-term memory, it’s also less likely that newly acquired information will be adequately integrated with prior knowledge, thus interfering with the degree of a person’s deeper-level comprehension and understanding of the material.

So, despite the fact that the cramming method might work in the short-run, there are potential problems looming, as you rightly suspect. But the reason you are drawn to this less than optimal solution is the fact that you appear to be one of those persons who has difficulty with traditional methods of study and learning. Some very bright and capable people (including Albert Einstein) have struggled with such learning issues. Fortunately, these days there is a wide variety of techniques available to help individuals who can’t use traditional study methods to acquire the tools they need to study effectively and learn. Techniques range from “study coaching” to various tools designed to enhance attention, mental visualization, comprehension, time management, etc. Your school’s counseling center is likely to have someone on staff who can help you sort out your particular learning needs.