It’s the tip students often hear to ensure their success.
But when creating one, many wonder, “When is the best time to study?”
Do I get a quick session in between classes? Or wait until the evening, after arriving home from work? My friend who earns straight A’s says waking up at 7 a.m. to study helps her.
A person’s energy, concentration, and motivation vary throughout the day, meaning the best time to study depends on the individual — and it’s OK if what works best for you differs from others.
By understanding when you feel most alert and least distracted — in combination with proper study techniques — you can focus better and retain more information.
Morning, Afternoon, or Night?
Each time of the day offers its own advantages to studying, whether you rise early or stay up late.
Morning
Our brains tend to be the sharpest after a good night’s rest and a nutritious breakfast. The benefits of studying in the morning include:
- The brain being refreshed and ready to absorb information, particularly ideas or complex problems.
- Naturally available light that keeps you alert.
- Fewer interruptions from emails, phone calls, and social media notifications.
- Increased motivation and productivity for the hours that follow since you achieved crucial tasks early on.
Afternoon
Some research suggests critical thinking and analytic skills peak from 2-5 p.m., making it an excellent time to review difficult subjects. Students who study in the afternoon can also:
- Easily access tutors and professors for quick clarification on questions.
- Meet up with friends and classmates, adding accountability to the learning process and making sessions fun.
- Better integrate new information gained during classes with existing knowledge, leading to deeper retention.
Evening
When the sun goes down, so do the interruptions. Advantages of night-time study sessions include:
- Quiet environments and fewer distractions, allowing you to better concentrate.
- A clearer mind for creative thinking.
Additionally, research from the University of Notre Dame suggests sleeping shortly after studying can consolidate information and improve recall.
How the Circadian Rhythm Influences What Time is Best to Study
Throughout the day, your body’s internal clock, the circadian rhythm, gives cues on when to sleep and to wake up. It also impacts other processes, like hormones, memory and retention, and digestion.
Outside factors, like light and travel, affect the rhythm, so how it functions for one student will differ from another.
You will benefit more from studying regularly, rather than at a certain time of the day.
Establishing the habit of studying allows your brain to prepare, which helps to improve:
- Concentration
- Discipline
- Long-term memory
Morning Larks, Class Subject, and Other Factors
You should also consider the following when deciding what is the best time to study:
- Chronotype: Your disposition to feeling alert or sleepy at certain times of the day. Genetics influence chronotypes, so it cannot be “trained” by sticking to a strict schedule, like circadian rhythm. Experts use the sleep-wake patterns in animals to characterize chronotypes into the following:
- Bear: People with sleep and wake preferences that align with the sun. Most productive between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
- Wolf: Those who wake up later in the day and fall asleep after midnight. Most productive between 1 and 5 p.m., with additional bursts of energy in the evening.
- Lion: These individuals wake up early and go to bed no later than 10 p.m. Most productive between dawn until noon.
- Dolphin: People with fragmented sleep patterns, best described as insomniacs. Most productive between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
- Course Type: Does your classwork require solving complex equations or analyzing data? Or do you find yourself needing to memorize information to succeed?
- Your Schedule: Work and personal commitments fill our days. Portage Learning’s online, self-directed college courses let students take classes in a time frame that works best for them. Credits transfer to more than 2,500 institutions.
How to Find Your Best Time to Study
Jo Seibel, a former Portage Learning student, considers herself a wolf.
“If you look at my testing history, I knock out many of them between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m.,” she says. “The whole setup is perfect for me. I try to do everything with the least amount of stress on my family.”
Jo knows what works best for her, but other students may need to experiment to figure that out for themselves. You can do so by studying at various times of the day and tracking your productivity using tools such as:
- Planners, which provide a clear overview of everything – project progress, exam dates, meeting times, etc. – in one place and visualize when you can fit a session in.
- Pomodoro timers, which break down work into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, followed by 3–5 minute breaks, that repeat until you finish.
- Educational apps, which integrate course materials to create flashcards, power brainstorm sessions, or whatever else you may need.
Portage Learning’s Student Success team helps those who struggle to effectively manage their time.
Best Practices for Productive Study Sessions
And finally, the actual studying.
Keep these tips in mind as you put in the hours:
- Create an ideal environment: Set up a quiet, clutter-free space, away from interruptions. A well-organized study area can improve focus and productivity.
- Use active study methods: Practice tests, spaced repetition, and other learning techniques will keep you engaged with the material and deepen your understanding of it.
- Avoid common pitfalls: All-nighters, memorizing information without understanding, and multitasking all hinder academic performance. When studying, the material should be broken into manageable parts to improve retention.
The Final Minute on When is the Best Time to Study
Just like our unique learning styles, we study better at different times of the day.
So, when implementing the advice that everyone tells you after signing up for a course, push those worries to the side.
You know how to succeed.
Just create the schedule that works best for you — and stick to it.
(The time invested in your education matters. Portage Learning’s online courses are affordable, flexible, and asynchronous, helping you develop valuable skills for career advancement. Explore our offerings and get started today.)
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