The curious case of exams and Facebook

One sneaky check won't hurt

Everything that is, except Facebook.

Judging by the amount of generic, “I may throw myself off the nearest bridge if I have to read one more academic article” statuses that have cropped up on my news feed over the last seven days, it seems that more people are spending more time on Facebook during the exam period than at any other time during the year.

I suppose the more cynical person would point to the fact that Facebook provides the ultimate tool for procrastination. The ability to let your mind aimlessly wander amongst a general mood of panic seems to cheer people up when things don’t appear to be going their way, and let’s face it, when it comes to revision things never do seem to go your way whether you are the most conscientious worker or someone who relies on a four hour cramming session before a 3rd year final exam.

Procrastination could be labelled as an art form that many students seem to be experts in, and Facebook is certainly there to help with its enticing element of finding out what other people are doing or thinking. Many would use the lull of the notification as a means of distraction from the more sobering reality provided by either revision or essay writing, in the hope that there is something vaguely more interesting out there beyond books and articles.

Yet this week my eyes have been opened to another side of the social networking site that is entrenched as a part of the student’s life. Finding out that Facebook can actually be used as a means to aid revision is something that I would never have believed to be possible, yet used in the right way it can be a deadly weapon in finding out or clarifying things that you aren’t sure about. The ability to switch on your laptop and be able to either post a question or query about revision in a course related group, or to speak to a friend and say “mate I don’t get this, any chance of a bit of help...” is something that shouldn’t be wasted or over-relied on, but if used in the right way can be unbelievably useful.

Procrastination is one thing, using the tools available to you is another. Someone who sits on Facebook all day every day is unlikely to do particularly well in any exam, but equally the person who says, “I’m shutting myself away from the world until I’ve learned everything I can about my degree” is perhaps not doing themselves the greatest of favours by hiding from accessible help. There has to be an element of give and take, and a point where things get taken too far, but in moderation it can really work as an advantage.

Facebook could prove to be an exam curse for many, but provided you don’t moan all the time, you may be surprised at how much you can learn from course mates without ever moving from your desk...

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