...

Study Times; Study Timing; Study Planning
Yes, Studying. There is no way to avoid it. What is Studying? It is reading in detail with the intention of learning (Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language). To read in detail implies you must devote your Full Attention over extended periods of Time. A traditional and generally accepted Rule for studying at the college level is to multiply the number of Credits for which you have enrolled by two to four. The result is the number of Hours per week you should study in addition to your Class and Lab times. For example, for a typical full-time student who is enrolled for 16 credits, she should devote an additional 32 to 64 hours every week to her studies, for a total of 48 to 80 hours for every seven day period. That means, on average, she should be studying about seven to eleven hours every day, including weekends.

"Holy smoke," you may be thinking, "I don't have time for that much studying. And when do I get to play?" Assuming eight hours of Sleep and another three for Grooming and Meals, that still leaves two to six hours for Recreation and Relaxation every day. How much more time for Fun do you need? Personally, I need a break after six hours of Playing. (Alternatively, if you wish to reserve the weekends exclusively for Recreation, you'll have to study about 10 to 16 hours every day Monday through Friday. That would be pushing the limit, in my opinion, and may even be counterproductive. More on that later.) Of course, these are average numbers. They should be adjusted to account for the level and ease (to you) for each class. Still, they are excellent Guidelines.

...

It should be obvious by now that waiting until the night before an Exam to study won't make the Grade, so to speak. You cannot cram several Weeks of Study (hundreds of hours ) into one All-Nighter. Even if you could, it wouldn't work. Why? Because Understanding takes Time, lots of Time. And lots of Practice over that Time. Your Brain needs the Time to form the new Neural Pathways and Patterns that are a result of new Understanding and Skills. Learning Science is similar to learning new Plays in Football or Basketball, or learning new Music on the Piano, or a new Play on the Stage. It takes lots of Practice (or Rehearsal) to master something new, to establish the Muscle-Memory (including Mental Muscles) that makes the new Play (or Piece or Skill or Understanding) Second Nature for you.