I've got an exam on Mos's, BJT's and OP Amps. I feel like I know 80% of the material atm. I still have some other homework (~2 hours?). I'm debating whether I should pull an all nighte'r and just sleep after my morning exam. It's the first exam for my course and I'm nervous about what to expect. For those of you in school, do you pull all nighters for tests much? Just looking to get a little chat going while I study.

 

All nighters are a big mistake. If you have a big test, start studying about two days before then saturate on it the night before but leave enough time to get normal sleep.

 

I've got an exam on Mos's, BJT's and OP Amps. I feel like I know 80% of the material atm. I still have some other homework (~2 hours?). I'm debating whether I should pull an all nighte'r and just sleep after my morning exam. It's the first exam for my course and I'm nervous about what to expect. For those of you in school, do you pull all nighters for tests much? Just looking to get a little chat going while I study.

You will probably do better with 80% of the material and a good nights sleep in you.

Oh, and good luck with the exam, try not to worry too much if it is your first exam on the course.

Dave

 

I hope your test goes well.

I routinely pull all nighters because that is when I get most of my work done and retain it ha-ha. Plus I find it a nice segway into the test. I prepare for it though so I take short naps during the day.

You just have to find what works for you.

 

Presumably, your exam is now underway, so I can't be blamed for advice that doesn't work for you. I hope you did well.

During my schooling, my study companions and I developed a theory about all-nighters that seemed to work for us. It went like this:

1) If there is no need for an all-nighter, just go to sleep as usual, even maybe a little later that usual, but not a lot earlier. It is better to be a little tired than to over sleep. We often would have a Q&A with each other over coke, potato chips, and cream cheese the night before. There is no secret to that menu, except, no alcohol.

2) If an all-nighter is in your future, do it immediately before the exam, not on the penultimate night before. That theory was based on the "hang-over" effect one experiences after an all-nighter. While having a fresh mind is clearly an advantage, most examinations in a university include a good deal of rote recall from lectures and text. The all-nighter immediately before that type of exam facilitates rote recall (according to our theory). Some of us were known to pull multiple all-nighters in a row with only short naps, but never immediately before the exam.

3) For standardized aptitude/proficiency tests, e.g., MCAT, LCAT, we never did an all-nighter before. The theory was that those exams were less dependent on rote recall of a specific lecture series than on general knowledge and problem solving. Thus, you wanted a fresh, but not groggy mind.

John