Annet Teta will never forget how she used to procrastinate when it came to revision, until the last minute. 

Teta, a student in Kigali, explains that she wasn’t interested in reading even when the timetable was out — she was mostly engaged in chats with friends on social media and sometimes, preferred to watch her favourite movies instead of doing revision. 

She kept telling herself she’d read at school to avoid home distractions, but time at school was spent chatting with friends. 

As exams drew close, she started cramming almost everything — exactly as it was written in her books. If all it took was couple of sleepless nights, she would do so. 

But during the exams, she struggled to remember what she’d crammed, and when results came back, she had passed some subjects and failed others. Because of cramming, and for long, she developed on and off migraines because she lacked enough sleep and read continuously without rest, and hardly ate. 

She eventually started interacting with other students in class who helped her prepare for exams in a healthy way. They formed discussion groups and revised extensively. This paid off with time because she even learned to help other students who were weaker in specific subjects.

In education, cramming is explained as the practice of working intensively to absorb large volumes of informational material in short amounts of time. It is often done by students in preparation for upcoming exams, especially just before they are due. It usually involves reviewing notes rather than doing practice or recall. It often involves having sleepless nights just to squeeze more hours in.

Like Teta, many students are fond of cramming all their notes at the last minute. Research has proven that students who cram forget most of the information.

It is said that cramming places too much stress on the brain, pushing it beyond its limits. The brain’s short-term memory capacity is limited. It’s like having too many tabs open on the web browser, slowing the whole system down. Trying to use one’s short-term memory for long-term storage can lead to chronic stress, fatigue, and memory issues. After several hours of looking at study material, the mind tricks a person into thinking that they have learned it. In the end, the mind and body will be more stressed out too, which will have an effect on a person’s immune system and overall health.

Michael Maniraguha, a lecturer at University of Rwanda, Huye campus, is of the view that nothing good can come from cramming. On the contrary, it will lead to stress, inability to concentrate and poor sleeping habits, making it even harder to do well in exams. 

"Students panic when they see piles of books and reading materials paraded in front of them, this makes it hard to concentrate or absorb the information, which results in poor performance,” he says.

How to avoid cramming

Maniraguha says that students should avoid typing their notes or letting their friends write for them because reading notes in their own handwriting boosts their ability to retain information, comprehend new ideas, and be more productive. This is something that is more effective for long-term memory.

He also notes that students should have a study plan as this will assist them in finding a balance that they are comfortable with, helping them craft good study habits and initiate excellent study routines. It will ensure that all subjects are studied and given appropriate time.

Maniraguha also points out that the study plan reviews all the required material, and enables learners to assess their stronger and weaker areas. They will have a chance to revisit those more challenging topics. But most importantly, a study plan doesn’t keep work accumulating. 

"Students should know that reading in time before exams leads to a healthier outlook in the long run, it will result in better grades, an ability to recall information much easier and promote confidence while taking the exam,” he states. 

He adds that learners need to increase their motivation to learn. Give more time to the subjects that they are weak at, develop effective learning strategies, for instance, assess themselves and close their books and see how much they revised. Making summaries also helps learners recall what they have been reading, especially a few days before sitting an examination.