Unlock Your Potential: Science-Backed Study Techniques for Students

Instead of merely re-reading your notes or textbook, active recall involves actively pulling information from your memory. This technique strengthens learning by making your brain work harder to retrieve the information.

How to implement:

• Flashcards: Use flashcards with questions on one side and answers on the other, testing yourself without peeking.
• Blurting: Write down everything you can remember about a topic from memory, then check your notes for gaps. This technique has gained popularity on platforms like TikTok.
• Practice Questions: Regularly test yourself with practice questions or past papers. Students who engage in retrieval practice perform significantly better on exams.
• Self-Quizzing: Turn headings into questions and try to answer them before looking at the content.

Cramming all your studying into one session is one of the least effective ways to learn for the long term. Spaced repetition, or distributed practice, involves reviewing information at increasing intervals over time. This method effectively combats the "forgetting curve" by reinforcing memories just before you're about to forget them.

How to implement:

• Review Schedule: Create a study schedule that revisits key concepts at strategic intervals (e.g., the "2357 method": review 2 days, 3 days, 5 days, and 7 days after initial learning).
• Flashcard Apps: Tools like Anki or Quizlet automatically schedule reviews based on your recall performance, making spaced repetition easy.

Rather than focusing on one topic in depth before moving to the next (blocked practice), interleaving involves mixing different topics or problem types within a single study session. This approach forces your brain to differentiate between concepts and improves your ability to select the appropriate strategies for different types of problems.

Elaboration involves connecting new information to what you already know. This technique helps create stronger neural pathways, making information easier to retrieve later.

How to implement:

• Ask "why" questions about the material.
• Explain concepts in your own words.
• Create examples that relate to your personal experiences or existing knowledge.
• Form analogies or metaphors to understand complex ideas.

Dual coding combines verbal information with visual representations to create multiple pathways for remembering information. Our brains process visual and verbal information separately, so engaging both senses can significantly enhance understanding and recall.

How to implement:

• Create diagrams, flowcharts, or mind maps while studying text.
• Draw sketches or doodles that represent concepts.
• Use visual aids like graphs and illustrations.