Active Recall and Spaced Repetition
Key ideas and card-writing rules for making science facts stick with minimal study time.
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Study Smart Tips for Active Recall and Spaced Repetition
Master these concepts using proven study techniques that actually work:
Active Recall
Test yourself before flipping each card to strengthen memory retention
Spaced Repetition
Review difficult cards more frequently than easy ones
Multiple Sessions
Break study time into shorter, focused sessions
Explain Aloud
Verbalize answers to reinforce understanding
Questions Covered in This Set
10 cards to master
What is active recall?
Practising pulling information OUT of memory without looking, instead of repeatedly putting it in by re-reading.
Why does re-reading and highlighting feel effective but fail?
It creates a feeling of familiarity ('I've seen this before') that the brain mistakes for real knowledge — recall is not tested.
What is the testing effect?
Successfully retrieving a fact strengthens the memory path to it, so self-testing produces far better long-term retention than re-reading (Roediger & Karpicke).
What is 'desirable difficulty'?
The mild struggle of recall is what builds memory — if a card feels smooth and easy it teaches you almost nothing; near-failure is the productive zone.
What did Ebbinghaus's forgetting curve show?
Memory decays fast at first then levels off; reviewing at the point of near-forgetting flattens the curve so the next review can wait longer.
Give a typical spaced-repetition schedule for a new fact.
Review tomorrow, then after 3 days, 7 days, then 21 days — about six spread reviews over a month.
Why is 'Describe photosynthesis' a bad flashcard?
It breaks the one-idea-per-card rule — it's ten cards pretending to be one. Better: 'What are the two reactants of photosynthesis?' → carbon dioxide and water.
What is a cloze deletion card?
A fill-the-gap prompt, e.g. 'An exothermic reaction ___ heat to the surroundings, so the temperature ___.' Fast to write and great for definitions.
Why write cards for skills, not just facts?
Science exams test process — e.g. 'Why repeat an experiment three times?' → 'To spot anomalous results and calculate a mean, improving reliability.'
Describe the three-pile paper system.
Sort cards into Again (tomorrow), Good (~4 days), Easy (~2 weeks) — a simple, effective version of spaced repetition using three boxes or envelopes.
