Nicholas Camilleri
Life Reporter

When students study a mass amount of learning material last minute, they’re more likely to forget what they learned, said Dr. Roberto Antonio Giaccone, a specialist in neurology in Nepean, Ontario.

“It’s not just one part of the brain, but many parts being used when someone is learning,” said Giaccone.

“Students might struggle with a test, even if they studied for hours, as they will have so much information stored they will have trouble recalling information properly,” he said.

Students should understand that when they study well in advance and for long durations, they are using their long-term memory, and information is more likely to stay with them longer, said Giaccone.

Bengamin Aronoe, 19, a first year student in Humber’s health and fitness program said if he knows a test is coming up, he makes sure that he is studying a week in advance.

“I’ve crammed in the past and it’s worked, but it was horrible,” said Aronoe, adding that it left him with headaches, stress and lack of confidence.
“Cramming may work for some people – it could be their learning style,” he continued. “They might like working under the pressure. When someone crams they may have the knowledge fresh in their mind, but it is likely that it will be quickly forgotten.”

Rhaendra Jadduroy, 23, a student in the civil engineering technology program, said he studies all the time, so he doesn’t really struggle when it comes to a test.

Jadduroy said tests are a breeze for him because he spends much of his spare time in the library studying and going over notes.

He said he has crammed a few times, but doesn’t think it’s a safe study method.

“[Cramming] may help you on a test, but it’s useless,” said Jadduroy.

“If you’re going to pay for an education, you want to make it worth something.”