The Observer, April 28, 2006
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 26
Free Speech Zone: Sleeping more important than studying
As we come to the end of the semester, students are under considerable stress regarding final exams. As an instructor for one of the large undergraduate courses, at least some of the blame for this can be laid at my feet. When students come to me asking how best to prepare for the final exam, I offer two pieces of advice: 1. Study so as to master the central concepts of the course. 2. Get plenty of sleep the night before the exam.
Actually, upon reflection, 2 is probably more important than 1. It is the rare student who comes into the last week of classes feeling adequately prepared for final exams. Typically, for each class, a student will consider the numbers of days (or hours) remaining and will try to optimize the use of time between studying and sleeping. Obviously, this is a trade off. Unfortunately, as an instructor I see that many students err on the study side at the cost of sleep. It no longer surprises me to have to wake a student who has fallen asleep in the middle of my final.
It is a fact: research shows that sleepy students' performance is substantially degraded on exams. This is especially true if the task requires synthesis of previous knowledge applied to an unfamiliar problem – just the kind of problem professors like myself love to put on exams. The most challenging tests do not ask what you know, they ask what you can do with what you know. You cannot answer these kinds of questions if you are sleepy.
Further, research shows conclusively that sleepy students invariably underestimate the negative impact of sleep on their performance. In other words, not only are you wrecked, you are much more wrecked than you think you are.
Pulling an all-nighter before an exam is neither impressive nor helpful. It is the equivalent of intentionally shooting yourself in the foot – doing so requires willpower, but you get nothing for it except that you are subsequently disabled.
So students, whatever strategy you plan to take to prepare for finals, be sure it includes getting at least eight hours of sleep the night before each exam. You'll be glad you did.
