Study Techniques That Actually Work

Pulling information out of your brain from memory (retrieval) instead of pushing it in by re-reading; the struggle strengthens the memory pathway.

The finding that retrieving a memory (self-testing) strengthens it more than re-studying the same material.

Students who read a passage once and then repeatedly self-tested remembered far more a week later than students who re-read it four times — even though re-readers predicted they'd do better.

They build recognition ('I've seen that') rather than retrieval ('I can produce that from nothing'), which is what tests and real use demand.

Close the book, write everything you remember on a blank sheet, then check the source and fix the gaps in a different color — those corrections become your study list.

Reviewing at increasing intervals so you catch ideas just as they start to fade; it flattens the forgetting curve, while cramming stacks all reviews at once and fades fast.

Same day (hours later) → next day → 3 days later → ~1 week later → ~3 weeks later. Easy recall = longer interval; blanking = reset to tomorrow.

Mixing different problem types in one session (e.g., factoring, slope, systems) instead of blocking 20 identical problems, so you must decide which tool a problem needs.

One fact per card with a question on the front, not a topic. For math, the front should be an actual problem rather than a definition.

A vertical line ~2.5 inches from the left: narrow left column for cues/questions, wide right column for notes, and a ~2-inch summary box at the bottom.