With final exams beginning next week— or even this week for some— some students have been studying each day in preparation for their final grades.

Some, however, are setting aside their note cards and study guides until the last minute.

Putting off studying until the night before an exam and cramming for an exam is a method of studying that some students have used and a select few have benefited from.

According to UCLA’s newsroom, in a study done by psychology professor Andrew Fuligni at UCLA, it was found that although sleep is essential to achieving higher test scores, a consistent schedule is also a contributing factor to how well students will do on exams.

In the article, he said scheduling conflicts arise with students, making it difficult for them to set aside a certain time each day to study, but trading sleep for studying is actually counterproductive.

Studying before you sleep, however, allows your brain to actually remember more information the following day.

Graduate Assistant and Business Tutor Lily Szymanski said studying each day is more effective than trying to fit everything in last minute.

She said although the amount students should study and how they should study differs by subject area, planning ahead will allow more time for students to learn the mistakes they’re making and seek help.

“Students who are preparing for a multiple choice test prepare differently than those who are just writing an essay,” Szymanski said. “I see more students struggle with multiple choice because there’s a lot of information and different types of questions.”

Once students have time to recognize an error they’re making, they then need time to learn how to correct it, she said. Szymanski said she’s had students for tutoring that have crammed for an exam that did not perform well, which is why she wouldn’t recommend it.

What she does recommend, though, is doing practice problems, especially for classes that require math and equations.

“I try to do problems on a bigger white board; that way I have a strong visual of what I’m doing and can see all my work,” Szymanski said.

Stephanie Thrams, a freshman at the University, said her experience with cramming for an exam was fortunately a positive one.

“I stayed up until about 5 a.m. to study and had to wake up early the following day, but I ended up getting an A on the test, so I thought it was effective,” Thrams said.

Gavin Heath, on the other hand, said cramming for an exam wouldn’t cut it when it comes down to taking his finals.

“Waiting until the last minute and cramming just doesn’t give you enough time to learn all the information,” he said.

Although Heath said he has crammed for an exam before, he said it makes studying even more stressful than it would have been if he had just studied over the course of a few weeks.

Both Heath and Thrams said they fill out study guides provided by instructors ahead of time so they have time to study it.

“I usually make note cards based off a study guide that my teachers give me,” Thrams said.