Ever spent so much time attempting to study for a big exam, then receive a lower grade than expected?

Well according to educational psychology perhaps you weren’t as focused as you believed you were. Metacognition is the state within one’s brain that becomes critically aware of one’s thinking and learning processes.

As daunting as the word may seem, metacognition can be the difference between failing or passing a class. Studies show that when learners engage with poor metacognition, meaning the learner may attempt to multitask while learning a subject, they are less likely to truly comprehend that subject to their best capability. Therefore, those great studious moments of checking Facebook every five minutes while trying to learn about Stoichiometry for the first time is probably not the most executive decision, and also it’s probably a contributing factor as to why one would continuously fail that Chemistry exam.

Studies show that in fact, the most efficient way to study is by completely focusing on the material at hand for 50 minutes then taking a break for 10 minutes and allowing one's brain to process the information.

As much as one would like to believe that pulling an all-nighter studying for an exam would be more effective, it actually is not.

Also, as much as one would like to believe that pulling an all-nighter studying for an exam would be more effective to retaining information, it actually is not. Taking the quality time to rest not only improves one’s learning abilities but also one’s memory. Obviously, sleep deprivation causes lack of a better attention span, lowering one’s chance of utilizing their metacognition to their best ability. But also, sleep plays a major role in consolidating better memory.

So moral of the story kids is make sure you get enough sleep, put down the phone when studying and truly focus when you are studying, and you will surely be more successful in memorizing the matieral covered.