saut

I'm not sure what section this really belongs in, so I'm posting it here. Tomorrow I have two huge tests that I really need to study for and I have to work until 10:00 or so tonight, so that really cuts into my time. I'd like to stay up all night (and all day tomorrow) to study -- what can help me accomplish this? I thought about "energy drinks" but I'm afraid that if I drink a bunch of those I'll just crash after a while. So to my fellow TFPers who are going/went through college, what do you recommend?

lurkette

Penguin mints, frequent breaks, fresh air.

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saut

Penguin mints?

My friend recommended crystal light lemonade (no sugar) and apples.

Ripsaw

Your ability to concentrate and retain information will drop steeply if you do as you plan. Caffeine or any other energy booster that you use will definitely make you crash, as you have said. If these tests are really important, I would recommend taking off work and studying, instead of pulling off an all nighter. Get at least six hours of sleep prior to the tests, if not more. Any less and you are liable to fall asleep while you are taking the test. I have this uncanny ability to fall instantly asleep anytime I sit in auditorium style seating.

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saut

I can't take off work, I just called off last Wednesday to study for two other tests. I'm not worried about falling asleep while taking the test, I'm just need to figure out what the hell is going on. I might be doing this with 3 or 4 friends that are in my class as well, so that might help. I'm not sure if they plan to pull an all-nighter though...

maleficent

Lots of fresh air.
Music (not uber loud but whcih has an energetic beat)
No carbs - they make me sleepy
I'll stay away from coffee too (that makes me crash eventually)
Lots of liquids though



PS -- Cramming for tests isn't really all that effective in the long run, set aside some time each day to keep up with your work that way you don't have to kill yourself at the last minute.

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saut

Yeah, I know it's not a good way to learn, but it's hard to do anything else when working 30 hours a week and going to school.

irateplatypus

i'd go the route ripsaw advised...

more study time doesn't necessarily translate into a better test grade. i would suggest studying till 1 in the morning, then waking up at 6AM and going for the rest of the day. if you rely on caffeine and distractions... you'll be awake but won't get as much out of test preparation as you would with a rested mind. find a balance between the two and be disciplined enough to sleep on your breaks and study with intensity when you have the book in front of you.

good luck.

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telekinetic

I'm not kidding...get two or three rockstars, and sleep will be borderline physically impossible. I stayed up for 72 hours finishing a project for a final exam a couple years ago in college, and I don't think i would have lasted 48 without this stuff.

Edit: Situations like this is the exact reason I'd like to see modafinil/Provigil/Alertec available over the counter It seems like it would be so much healthier to take a more targeted anti-drowsiness pill than suck down all that caffiene and sugar. But alas....

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Glory's Sun

a little bit of good ol' crystal meth will do the trick!! ok don't go that route.. go with what Mal and ripsaw said.. sounds like good advice to me

World's King

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Redjake

works for me

seriously though, I don't think I've ever actually studied for a class unless it was the night before an exam.

back on topic,

and, I know it's probably too late now, but I'd get some sleep (at least 4 hours) and then wake up and start studying. you will be able to learn way faster and keep attention

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Rodney

Herbal thing -- works for me, anyway.

Go to the health food store or vitamin store and buy a bottle of ginkgo biloba caps. Don't get the cheap stuff, get something that looks reputable, 'cause there's no real regulation of the herb market and some of these companies use fillers.

Take about five good-sized caps. Ginkgo is credited with doing all sorts of amazing things, which it probably doesn't do, but one thing that it _does_ do is increase blood/oxygen flow to the brain temporarily. This doesn't make you smarter, but it does tend to keep you alert late into the night. I'm 48, and left to myself I'm too sleepy to concentrate on bookwork past 9 pm. But with gingkgo, I can keep concentrating for several hours more. The upside is, it's not really a stimulant, so it won't keep you awake when you decide to go to sleep. The downside is, you may forget you _need_ to go to sleep.