Study smarter: the two habits research keeps backing
Re-reading and highlighting feel productive but barely help. Spacing your revision and testing yourself do. Here's how to use both for school, college and competitive exams.
Most of us revise by re-reading notes and highlighting the important bits. It feels like work, and the page feels familiar the second time. The problem is that familiar isn't the same as remembered.
What the evidence says
In 2013, a team of psychologists led by John Dunlosky reviewed ten popular study techniques. Two came out on top: practice testing (quizzing yourself) and distributed practice (spreading study over time). Highlighting and re-reading were rated low in usefulness.
1. Space it out
More than a century ago, Hermann Ebbinghaus tested his own memory and found we forget fast at first, then more slowly: the "forgetting curve". Reviewing just as you start to forget resets the curve and makes the memory stronger. A large review by Cepeda and colleagues confirmed that spacing study sessions beats cramming the same hours into one sitting.
Try this: review a chapter the next day, then after three days, then after a week. Short sessions count.
2. Test yourself
Pulling an answer out of memory strengthens it more than looking at it again. Close the book and write down what you remember, or use flashcards and answer before you flip.
Try this: end every study session with five questions to yourself. Getting some wrong is fine; that's where the learning happens.
How Psych AI uses this
Every chapter ends with a quick check, and Mind Quest brings back questions from earlier units so they're spaced over days, not crammed in one night.
Sources
- Dunlosky J, Rawson KA, Marsh EJ, Nathan MJ, Willingham DT (2013). Improving students' learning with effective learning techniques. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1), 4-58. doi.org/10.1177/1529100612453266
- Cepeda NJ, Pashler H, Vul E, Wixted JT, Rohrer D (2006). Distributed practice in verbal recall tasks: A review and quantitative synthesis. Psychological Bulletin, 132(3), 354-380. doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.132.3.354
- Ebbinghaus H (1885/1913). Memory: A Contribution to Experimental Psychology (Ruger & Bussenius, Trans.). psychclassics.yorku.ca/Ebbinghaus/index.htm
This article is for general education and isn't medical advice. If you're worried about your mental health, please speak to a qualified professional. In India, Tele-MANAS (14416) is free and open 24×7.