Study techniques that are actually backed by research
Active recall, spaced repetition and interleaving explained in plain language — plus the popular methods that do not work.
Active recall beats re-reading
Close the book and write down everything you remember, then check. Retrieving information strengthens the memory far more than seeing it again.
Highlighting and re-reading feel efficient because the material becomes familiar — but familiarity is not the same as being able to produce the answer on a test.
Space it out
Reviewing a topic after 1 day, 3 days, and 7 days gives dramatically better retention than the same total time in one sitting.
This is why a daily goal of 10–30 minutes works so well: the schedule does the spacing for you.
Mix problem types
Doing 20 problems of the same kind teaches you to repeat a procedure. Mixing types forces you to first decide which method applies — which is what an exam actually tests.
Chapter reviews with 20 random questions from the whole chapter are built for exactly this.
Put it into practice
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