- Question
- What is the best way to study?
- Position‹2 of 3›
- Short-term study skills
- Argument‹3 of 3
Cramming
Cramming the night before a test is the most effective way to study.
The argument
Cramming is a legitimate way to review learned material just before a big test. It gives students a chance to go back over notes, completed assignments, and supplemental materials which have all of the information needed to help them pass a test.
Premises
[P1]Cramming lets students review already-learned material—notes, completed assignments, and supplemental resources—just before a major test.
[P2] This concentrated last-minute review covers the information needed to help them pass.
[C] Therefore, cramming is a legitimate short-term study skill.
Counter-arguments
Students don't retain the information gleaned from cramming just before a test. As soon as the test is over, all of that crammed information is immediately brain-dumped, and is of no use for future applications which require said knowledge.
Rejecting the premises
[Rejecting P1] Cramming only prepares students for the short term, not the long term.