Research has shown that people, especially children, tend to mass (or cram) study rather than space their study over long periods of time.  One possible explanation comes from a theory that has been proposed which states that as a result of cramming, people often feel more confident, even though their actual performance decreases.  All of the previous spacing studies were held in laboratory settings using non-realistic materials and experimenter-controlled study schedules. This study, through a serious of experiments, sets out to test this theory in young elementary school children using realistic study situations.  The subjects were placed in many study settings including massing, spacing, and having the option of how to study. These experiments examine whether children do have “illusions of confidence” during cramming and not spacing, and whether these illusions occur in educationally-relevant learning situations.  In addition, we tested to determine whether the “illusions of confidence” disappear when the subjects are able to choose their preferred choice of study.