As finals come around the corner, you seem a really common trend picking up more and more pace: all-nighters. Basically, people think that if they stay up all night before the final or last major exam studying they will go into their test and get 100% and ace their class. In reality, it’s the complete opposite way around.

The longer you stay up, the less you’re going to retain the information that you’re studying. You can study everything you need to. You can quiz yourself a million times but if you woke up at 7 A.M. the day before your 8 A.M. final the next day and spent the 24-25 hours primarily studying, you’re going to running on no sleep and your cognitive functions will have decreased. There’s also the chance that a half hour into your final you’ll be sound asleep and snoring.

Personally speaking, the longer I stay up the night before, the more tired I am the next day. That probably explains why I’m tired about 80% of the time. At the very least, I know when to take a break from studying. There’s a point where no matter how much more you study, you won’t retain a thing. There is a method to studying that makes a lot more sense though! Guess what it is! No, really, guess!

It’s sleep.

No, really. It’s sleep.

Say you want to go to bed at 11 P.M. but you still want to study and retain the information. Start studying at 9 and go until 11, then just sleep. Sleep on what you studied. In the morning, quiz yourself and you’ll be surprised at how much you actually remember from your short studying period the night before. It’s not everything, but that’s why you should spread out your study sessions as well.

Let’s be honest, you have to know that studying all of the information in one night will get you nowhere. One semester of information cannot be entirely learned in a period of one day. You can try, but unless you have been studying smartly throughout the entire semester for prior exams, you won’t get anywhere.

As finals come around, just keep these tips in mind: study, space out your studying, prioritize your finals, and sleep. More than anything, remember to sleep, because we all need it at this time of the year.