What term refers to studying intensively in a short period of time before an exam?

• A. Cramming
• B. Distributed practice
• C. Learning science
• D. Hippocampus

Answer: (A)

Cramming describes studying intensively in a short period just before an exam. This term captures the rush to cover a lot of material in a limited window, often with heavy memorization and quick recall attempts. It fits the scenario of trying to pull information together right before testing, even though it tends to favor short-term recall over deep understanding.

Distributed practice, by contrast, means spreading study over multiple sessions across days or weeks, which supports longer-term retention through repeated retrieval and consolidation. Learning science is the broader field that studies how people learn, and the hippocampus is a brain structure important for forming new memories, not a term for a study approach. In practice, cramming might help in the moment, but spacing study over time usually leads to better exam performance and lasting learning.