Helping your child thrive during exams
Picture a student like those you may have seen in the movies: hunched over a desk, surrounded by mountains of notepads and worksheets. The glow of a laptop screen highlights their bleary eyes as they stifle a weary yawn. It is late, yet with an examination looming tomorrow, they naturally assume that staying up longer will help.
But sadly, this problem is not just fictional. Recent Japanese survey data suggest that cramming remains a common strategy among students: about 40% of test-prep students admitted to pulling an all-nighter before a major exam, and many reported negative health effects and lower performance afterward.
And here’s the truth: students do not need to—and should not—sacrifice sleep in this way. Research supports this message: sacrificing any amount of sleep to cram at the last minute is never the answer.
One clear example comes from a 2019 study by Okano, K., Kaczmarzyk, J.R., Dave, N. et al., in which over 100 students had their sleep patterns tracked. The findings were unanimous: “better quality, longer duration, and greater consistency of sleep correlated with better grades.”
So, how can we use this information to support our young people?
With semester exams now fast approaching, we would like to ask for your support as parents at home. Here is some simple advice to help your child stay rested and get ready:
1. Prioritise quality sleep
Encourage your child to get enough rest rather than last-minute cramming. Consistent bedtimes and wake-up times, even during busy periods, help the brain consolidate learning, strengthen memory, and improve focus and emotional regulation.
2. Keep a regular sleep schedule
Even during exam season, sticking to a routine is crucial. Even small deviations, like sleeping in on weekends, can disrupt the cycle. Irregular sleep disrupts concentration and makes it harder to retain information.
3. Study smart, not long
Short, focused revision sessions spaced across several days are far more effective than late-night revision. Sleep, especially deep and REM sleep, helps transfer information from short-term memory in the hippocampus to long-term memory in the neocortex, improving recall of what has been learned.
4. Healthy routines support better sleep
Provide balanced meals, make space for physical activity, and limit screen time. Limiting screen time before bed helps melatonin production, supporting high-quality sleep. This, in turn, strengthens memory, learning, and overall brain function for the following day.
By supporting your child’s sleep, study habits and routines, you are giving them more than just preparation for exams: you are helping them to develop crucial habits that boost learning and wellbeing for life. If we prioritise in this way, our students and children will be truly rested and ready—ready to show what they know, both in their exams and beyond.
