Why Students Forget Everything After Exams

Most students suffer from forgetting large amounts of material they've just recently studied. For example, they’ve invested weeks of time in study and past the exam, and only to find most all of it has disappeared from memory.

It’s a common question among students: "Why did I forget everything after the exam?” , “Is my memory really that bad?”, or “Why was I able to recall information during the exam and not afterwards?”

The answer is simple: it’s a normal physiological reaction of the brain and is due to how your brain works.

This article will explain:

Why you tend to forget material after an exam;
How memories form and are lost;
The effect of stress and cramming, and;
Staying ahead when it comes to becoming a long-term memory.

How Does Stress Affect the Brain While Taking Your Exam

As you prepared for your exam to be complete, there is a significant amount of pressure on your brain. While seated in the exam room, your brain will produce a steady stream of hormones including cortisol.

As these hormones are released, they cause stress to be produced in your body, and stress hormones react with the brain, causing your memory response to be inhibited.

When your brain's memory process is blocked, it alters your ability to recall what you studied for the exam; therefore, this is one reason;

You may have a “blank” and most surely you're not going to remember any of the answers you provided, until after the exam is over

you are not losing your memory

Your brain's memory has a temporary delay.

The Forgetting Curve: Why Students Forget

One of the most significant ideas in psychology is the forgetting curve.

The forgetting curve shows how fast we drop information after learning it.

Studies have indicated that:

one day, up to 50% of what you learned may be forgotten
After one week, up to 80% of what you've learned may be forgotten
After one month, more than 90% may have been forgotten

In other words, if you do not review/revise material that you've studied your brain will have no way of remembering most of it.

Short-term Memory vs. Long-term Memory

To understand how/why students forget we first need to understand the differences between memory types.

Short-term Memory

Used to store information for a short period of time (hours to days).
When students do last-minute study sessions they are primarily using short-term memory.
Short-term memories are easily forgotten once the exam is completed.

Long-term Memory

Used to store information over an extended period of time.
Long-term memories require comprehension as well as repeating (learning through practice).
Long-term memories are difficult to forget.

Most students use only their short-term memories during exams (especially when cramming).

After completing the exam, that memory is no longer with you.

Why does cramming result in forgetting?

Cramming means to try to learn all materials within a very small amount of time prior to an upcoming exam.

Cramming is a common way to study but is an effective way to study.

Studies have shown that cramming leads to only weak memories because there is not enough time for the brain to transfer the information needed to be permanently stored.

Cramming presents a number of problems:

Temporary storage of information
Little to no comprehension (depth of understanding)
Memory is easy to forget post-exam

The influences of anxiety and stress

Stress can greatly influence what you can remember.

In a stressful environment:

Your brain's focus will be on just surviving, instead of learning
You will form weaker memories
It will be very difficult to recall what you learned

High stress levels cause the body to produce cortisol, which can negatively impact your memory systems.

That's why many students are not able to recall answers on their examinations and then can remember them when they are calm.

Disuse Theory (Use It or Lose It)

The brain works on a very simple principle:

If you do not regularly use information stored in your brain, it will get rid of it.

After your exams, students will likely:

Stop reviewing the examination answers
Stop using that information
As a result, your brain will remove it
Disuse theory is how memory works.

Memorization vs. Understanding

By far, most students will use their ability to memorize information (rote learning).

The problem with memorizing information is that it works for a short period; however, it does not work over the long haul.

The reason why is that when you memorize something, it gives you no true connection to actually understand that information.

Using Understanding, on the other hand, enables you to create a memory that is strong and lasts longer. Additionally, using Understanding will assist you in effectively solving future problems.

Sleep Deprivation and Memory

Sleep is critical to memory and, in particular, memory recall.

While you are sleeping, the brain organizes the information you learned and transfers it from your working or short-term memory to your long-term memory.

If you do not get enough sleep, you will have difficulty accessing your memories.

Even one night of poor sleep can severely impact your ability to effectively access your memories.

Overloaded with Information

The student often studies lots of information in a short period of time.

We all know that the brain cannot store everything.

As a result:

Stores things that are most important
Removes things that are not needed

This is how the brain prevents information from being too much for it to handle.

Interference of Memory with Other Memories

One of the other reasons people forget is due to the interference of some memory with another.

Interference occurs when:

Someone studies similar subjects
Someone learns something new that replaces something they previously learned.

Example:

Studying several different formulas that are similar
Mixing up several different definitions that mean the same thing

Both of these things will make it harder for someone to remember.

Why People Remember During Exams But Forget After

Many students have said, “I can remember everything for the exam, but after the exam, I do not remember anything.”

This is the result of:

An increase in stress causes an increase in concentration and focus on remembering things temporarily.
When you take away the stress of the examination, your brain deletes temporary information.

Emotional Factors and Motivation

When something is not important to you, the brain will delete it much faster.

After an exam:

Students feel a sense of relief
Students stop caring about the subject and delete everything.

Reasons Why This Is A Growing Problem

The modern day student will forget more information because:

There is an extremely heavy syllabus.
There is a lot of pressure to do well on exams.
There is a focus on receiving high marks rather than having a good understanding of the material.
There are lots of distractions due to using digital devices.

How To Remember Information After Exams

Now let us focus on solutions.

1. Use Spaced Repetition

Instead of cramming, break your study time into smaller amounts of time over several days or weeks.

By studying this way, your memory will last longer.

2. Test Yourself

Instead of just reading, use active recall to test your knowledge by writing things down from memory.

3. Increasing comprehension.

Ask: Why does comprehension matter? How does comprehension work? When a student comprehends, he/she produces stronger memory associations.

4. Getting enough sleep.

Sleep aids in consolidating memories.

These are the recommended number of hours for each age group:

6-8 Hours of Sleep Per Day

5. Minimizing stress.

Before your exam:

Breathe deep
Be calm
Don't panic

6. Utilizing visual aids for learning.

Some examples of visual aids include:

Mind maps
Diagrams
Flow Charts

These types of visuals will create more memorable connections for the student.

7. Purposeful Study

Have a specific focus as to why you are studying:

What am I learning?, and
Why is it important?

The Long-Term Advantages of Memory Development

When you improve memory development, you will:

Increase your understanding of the subject.
Reduce your anxiety when preparing for exams.
Enhance your academic performance.
Retain the knowledge you learn for the rest of your life.

Conclusion

Forgetting after taking an exam is not indicative of failure. It is simply how memory functions in the brain.

The main reasons that contribute to student memory loss are:

the forgetting curve,

reliance on short-term memory,

cramming to learn the material,

student anxiety and stress levels, and

lack of reviewing or studying the material before tests.

By utilizing productive and efficient studying techniques, your short-term memorization will be transformed into lifelong memories.

FAQs

Why do students forget everything after an examination?

There are 4 major reasons why:

they have not reviewed the material,
they crammed the material to learn it,
they were stressed while studying for the exam, and
they relied primarily on their short-term memory.

Is it usual for a student to forget things after an examination?

Yes, it is a result of the way the brain works, and it is completely normal.

Can I slow down my forgetting process?

Yes, by using the techniques listed above:

spaced repetition,
comprehension, and
engaged recall.

Search This Blog

Goondhe