📆 Learning Pace
Spaced repetition stretches the reviews over several days/weeks, while cramming squeezes the learning into a short time, usually a single session.
🧠 Memory Retention
Let’s not kid ourselves—cramming gets you through the test, then poof, it’s gone. Spaced repetition actually hacks your brain into holding onto stuff longer, by reviewing right before you’d normally forget it.
⚡ Cognitive Load
Cramming makes your brain feel like it’s running Windows 98 with a hundred tabs open—slow and stressed. Spaced repetition? Much smoother. You don’t fry your circuits, so you actually understand things instead of just memorizing them for 24 hours.
🔁 Review Method
With spaced repetition, you’re actually pulling stuff out of your memory—active recall, baby! Cramming is mostly just reading and highlighting until your eyes glaze over. Not exactly the stuff of champions.
📊 Effectiveness
Science backs this up: spaced repetition crushes cramming for long-term learning. Cramming’s only good if you need to remember something for, like, an hour. Maybe two, if you’re lucky.
💡 Best Use
Honestly, cram only if you forgot there even WAS a test until last minute. If you care about actually knowing anything next week (or next year), spaced repetition is your best bet. Your future self will thank you.