Pulling an All-Nighter

[silver 2039]

I have a math exam tommrow which I have to study for all of tonight otherwise I'm going to fail miserably and my life will be ruined and such unpleasant things....

Anyway how do I stay awake all night and during the exam which is tommrow morning? Caffine? I need to ensure that I stay awake for the exam which is from 8:30 am-11:30 am.

 

[Masquerouge]

Usually the stress of the exam was enough to keep me up.
But I would advocate against not sleeping at all. Work until midnight, then get up early (5:00) and work some more before the exam. It will be a lot more efficient.

 

[hossam]

i once stayed awake for 30 hours without caffine i dont drink the stuff but i understand caffine and cany work well in situations like these.

 

[geminisama]

Caffeine pills would work. If you dont have any, soda and coffee. Or meth. O.o;;

 

[Truronian]

You'd be better to get some sleep then wake yourself up at 4/5ish and study then. You'll be more awake during the exam.

 

[MjM]

Caffeiene wont work. Will make you more tired.

 

[Serutan]

Don't stay up all night. What you may gain in extra studying you'll lose from not thinking clearly due to fatigue.

 

[Aramazd]

Get some sleep and wake up early. You'll get more studying done and you'll be awake during your exam.

 

[nivi]

If pulling all-nighters was easy for you then you wouldn't need advice, but since it's not I suggest not doing since the fatigue during the exam will hurt you more then the study will help you.

 

[LucyDuke]

Go to sleep. Review a bit in the morning.

If you feel like you need to study all night to do well, you're going to be hurt by sleep deprivation more than you'd be hurt by skipping out on the studying.

 

[Ciceronian]

Maths is the kind of subject where you have to gradually build up your understanding of the topics being examined throughout the year, unlike a subject where "cramming" is possible like for instance Biology. As for myself, I had exams just very recently, and managed to cram a bit for my Greek and Latin Literature exams, just beating as many texts into my head as I could. But when it came to Translation, I didn't do any extra revision as I had been building my skills throughout the year.

So the upshot of all this is: it's a bit too late now. The best thing you could do is probably memorise all the important formulae and do a timed exam from one of the past years' papers (two timed exams was all the maths revision I did in my final year of school). Work without caffeine for as long as you can, then get up after about 5 or 6 hours of sleep, drink a lot of coffee/tee/red bull and work until your exam starts.

 

[skadistic]

Get some one to flog you every time you doze off.

 

[Integral]

I've never found the fatigue from all-nighters too demanding. To stay awake, I recommend a combination of caffiene and food. Chewing gum and eating food helped me stay awake, and drinking about one Coke every 3-4 hours helped tremendously.

Study actively, and stay focused. If you mind wanders, you're better off sleeping. All-nighters must be used conservatively, since they're so damaging in the long run. Again, if you're not studying actively and productively, you're better off with the sleep.

Eat a healthy breakfast around 7:00 or so, to keep you up during the exam.

Integral

EDIT: Oh, Red Bull. The stuff tastes nasty, but it will keep you awake. I found that it increases concentration too...

 

[IglooDame]

I once pulled an all-nighter to study for Naval Law and English exams. Tried a few cans of Jolt cola. Did pretty well on the Naval Law exam the next morning, but was falling asleep during the English exam. I got through it, but the prof (who knew my writing abilities) later asked me what was up, "your essays were occasionally disjointed, like you were losing your train of thought" - those were the points where I'd nodded off.

So yeah, I'd suggest maybe a quick 15-min catnap right now, then study for a couple hours, then sleep till a couple hours before the test, and continue studying right up till.

 

[The Yankee]

I have a math exam tommrow which I have to study for all of tonight otherwise I'm going to fail miserably and my life will be ruined and such unpleasant things....

Anyway how do I stay awake all night and during the exam which is tommrow morning? Caffine? I need to ensure that I stay awake for the exam which is from 8:30 am-11:30 am.

Breaks, caffeine (though probably better if you just drank something with caffeine in it, maybe it's just me, but the feeling and taste of soda or ice coffee helps me stay up), and cooler air, if possible. Maybe it's just me, but it's that much harder to pull an all nighter when it's warm and I'm feeling like if it were 1 degree warmer, I'd start sweating.

And as few distractions as possible. Getting to 11:30 AM plus however long it takes to get back to bed isn't all that bad.

All this probably isn't best for studying, but more for having to complete an assignment. If you don't feel more tired after sleeping for less than a full night, it's up to you.

 

[Mirc]

STOP POSTING ON CFC.

After you do that, it's a matter of preference. I did play in the National Music Olympiad after not sleeping for an entire night and drinking some beers, and it was one of my best moments, so I guess this is different for everyone.

I'd suggest waking up very early in the morning too, rather than staying awake all night.

I also think cold soda or drinks with caffeine are better than just caffeine pills, but that's up to you.

 

[civverguy]

I think you should sleep late and wake up early in the morning.

 

[searcheagle]

And as few distractions as possible. Getting to 11:30 AM plus however long it takes to get back to bed isn't all that bad.

That goes against my advice. I could never study without background noise. I spent my entire college career studying while the TV was on in the background, including when I was studying late at night.

STOP POSTING ON CFC.

I was going to say that too!

 

[The Yankee]

That goes against my advice. I could never study without background noise. I spent my entire college career studying while the TV was on in the background, including when I was studying late at night.

I had that too, but I only really paid attention to it during breaks. If the silence annoys you, then don't have it. But it still shouldn't be a big enough distraction that you wander off to it and before you know it, an hour is lost.

 

[Kennigit]

What's the exan actually on? And how is the test gonna be like, with free response or what? I forget what grade your in from your OMG IM SO SCREWED thread, but your in high school so you've had time throughout the year to learn the material in class.

First suggestion is to not worry so much. Think about everything you know already (hopefully), and a few minor details will just come with time. Most math problems have multiple ways to figure it out, so you need to familiarize with the main concepts and as you're taking the test you'll start to remember more and more. If its multiple choice of course, then its a breeze probably.