Study the Impact of Cramming in Medical Students

Abstract

Aim: To reveal pre- exam cramming among pre-clinical medical students, what drives this practice, failure due to cramming and the problems and difficulties related to the act of cramming.
 Discussion: Cramming is common practice among struggling medical students. The prevalence of cramming is like an iceberg phenomenon. The act of stacking too many information just the night before an exam probably authorize the perpetrator to remember some information in the short term period and enable them to take in enough information for the exam. Along with this practice also comes sleep deprivation, mental and emotional disturbances and even substance abuse in order to achieve good marks and passing the exam. Unfortunately for some experts, cramming is not considered as learning. Procrastination and some other reason are believed to be the reason the culprit commits cramming.
 Conclusion: Cramming not only changes the behavior of the perpetrator, but also has an impact on his family, classmates, environment and future.

The Practice of Cramming among Pre-Clinical Medical Students and Their Remedial Examination Result: A Simple Preliminary Demographic Analysis

“…Procrastination and cramming is completely common practice and widely justifiable among students and yet perhaps officially denied by their institution [1,12]. Along with this practice, especially in the long term, will caused sleep deprivation [13], blood pressure disorders [14], physical-mental-emotional disruption [15] and also substance abuse [16], e.g., tobacco or caffeine, in order to accomplish good marks and passing the exam [1].…”

“…Cramming per definition is an act to try to learn every examination related materials in a shortest time allocation that usually conducted due to previous intended procrastination, e.g., due to internet addiction; cramming usually conducted just the night before the exam [1,2]. Theoretically, postpone of studying until the night before an exam actually can fill a student's brain with a huge amount of information which was actually short-term memory [3,4].…”

“…Theoretically, postpone of studying until the night before an exam actually can fill a student's brain with a huge amount of information which was actually short-term memory [3,4]. In order to master it, the perpetrator to must actually compel his/her brain to selectively [5] and purposely choose which material to study in relation to the allocation of study time [6]; and by getting used to doing that, the perpetrators may feel very satisfied and increasingly shrewd, especially if the material they choose turns out to be the material being tested [1]. The right choose make wise decisions for survival and this sound like a gamble.…”

“…The right choose make wise decisions for survival and this sound like a gamble. When a student gets a good grade through cramming, he/she might potentially feel that rush of relief associated with getting away with something [1,7]. Cramming itself can have direct and indirect effect to health, e.g., increased blood pressure, lack of sleep and emotional disturbance [1].…”

“…When a student gets a good grade through cramming, he/she might potentially feel that rush of relief associated with getting away with something [1,7]. Cramming itself can have direct and indirect effect to health, e.g., increased blood pressure, lack of sleep and emotional disturbance [1]. To the best of our knowledge, no studies have confirmed whether cramming is addictive.…”