I've heard people say you can practice activities in dreams and the skill you gain is carried on into your waking life.

This is a really exciting but I'm skeptical.

Can anyone offer some experiences of their own where they've concretely studied or practiced something in a dream - like making a free throw, studying for a test, memorized language cards, etc - and felt that the skill / knowledge carried over into their waking life?

On a somewhat related note, when I was in middle school, I recorded my study guide into a cassette recorder, and listened to it over and over while I slept in place of actually studying. Needless to say, I failed the test.