Study Techniques That Actually Work: Active Recall, Spaced Repetition, and Feynman

Why Traditional Studying Fails

What doesn't work (and why you do it anyway):

Method 1: Reading and re-reading ❌

What students do:

• Read chapter three times
• Feel familiar with content
• "I know this!"

Why it fails:

• Recognition ≠ Recall
• Seeing info again feels like knowing
• Exam requires recall (blank page, no prompts)
• You can't recall what you only recognized

Effectiveness: 2/10

Method 2: Highlighting ❌

What students do:

• Highlight "important" parts
• Entire page becomes yellow
• Feel productive

Why it fails:

• Passive activity (brain not engaged)
• Doesn't require understanding
• You highlight while reading (no processing)
• Review later = just re-reading highlighted text

Effectiveness: 1/10

Method 3: Rewriting notes ❌

What students do:

• Copy notes again (neater, colorful)
• Feels like studying
• Takes hours

Why it fails:

• Mindless transcription (hand moves, brain doesn't)
• Not processing information
• Can copy without understanding
• Time-consuming, low retention

Effectiveness: 2/10

Method 4: Cramming the night before ❌

What students do:

• 8-hour study session before exam
• Memorize everything

Why it fails:

• Short-term memory only
• Forget within 48 hours
• High stress, poor sleep
• No time for deep understanding

Effectiveness: 3/10 (barely passes, forgets immediately after)

Why we use these methods:

✅ They feel productive (busy ≠ effective) ✅ Low effort (passive, comfortable) ✅ Create fluency illusion ("I've seen this before = I know it") ✅ Traditional (everyone does it, must work, right?)

Reality: Most popular study methods are least effective

Technique 1: Active Recall (The Most Powerful Method)

What it is:

Actively retrieving information from memory (no prompts)

Instead of reading: Close book, try to remember Instead of reviewing notes: Cover notes, try to recall Instead of recognizing: Produce the answer

Why it works:

The Testing Effect:

• Retrieving strengthens memory pathways
• Struggle to remember = stronger encoding
• Each successful recall = easier next time

Research:

• Students using active recall score 50% higher than re-reading (meta-analysis)
• Most effective single study technique

How to implement:

Method A: Self-quizzing

After reading chapter:

1. Close book
2. Write down everything you remember (blank page)
3. Check accuracy
4. Note what you missed
5. Focus review on gaps

Example:

• Read about photosynthesis
• Close book: "Photosynthesis is... plants convert... sunlight + water + CO2... glucose + oxygen..."
• Check: Missed chlorophyll, light-dependent vs. independent reactions
• Re-study only what you missed

Method B: Flashcards (done correctly)

Wrong way:

• Q: "What is photosynthesis?"
• A: [Flip card, read definition]

Right way:

• Q: "What is photosynthesis?"
• A: [Force yourself to say answer out loud BEFORE flipping]
• [Then flip and check]

The struggle to remember is the point (not the answer itself)

Method C: Practice problems

For math, science, programming:

• Don't just read solution examples
• Cover solution, attempt problem yourself
• Struggle first, then check

10 problems attempted (even if wrong) > 50 problems read

Method D: The Blank Page Method

Most powerful:

1. Study topic (30-60 min)
2. Put materials away
3. Take blank page
4. Write everything you remember (concept map, explanations, formulas)
5. Compare to source material
6. Identify gaps
7. Re-study gaps only

Repeat until blank page recall is 90%+ complete

Technique 2: Spaced Repetition (Fighting the Forgetting Curve)

What it is:

Reviewing information at increasing intervals right before you'd forget

The Forgetting Curve (Ebbinghaus):

• Day 1: Learn something, remember 100%
• Day 2: Remember 60%
• Day 7: Remember 30%
• Day 30: Remember 10%

But if you review Day 2, Day 7, Day 14, Day 30:

• Memory resets each time
• Retention stays 90%+
• Eventually moves to long-term memory

Why it works:

Spacing effect:

• Retrieval right before forgetting = strongest memory consolidation
• Too soon = too easy (weak learning)
• Too late = forgot (re-learning from scratch)
• Sweet spot = "I almost forgot but got it" (optimal difficulty)

How to implement:

Manual schedule:

Day 1: Learn new material Day 2: Review (active recall) Day 4: Review Day 7: Review Day 14: Review Day 30: Review

After 30 days: Material in long-term memory (review every few months)

Automated: Anki (Flashcard app) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

What it does:

• Spaced repetition algorithm built-in
• Shows cards right before you'd forget
• You rate difficulty (Again, Hard, Good, Easy)
• Algorithm adjusts intervals automatically

Download: ankiweb.net (free, desktop + mobile)

Perfect for:

• Medical school (anatomy, pharmacology)
• Language learning (vocabulary)
• History (dates, events)
• Any memorization-heavy subject

Daily routine:

• 20-30 minutes reviewing Anki deck
• Consistent daily study > cramming

Study schedule combining both:

Week 1 (Monday): Learn Topic A (active recall practice) Week 1 (Wednesday): Review Topic A, Learn Topic B Week 1 (Friday): Review Topics A & B, Learn Topic C Week 2 (Monday): Review A, B, C (notice which topics harder—those need more practice)

Spiral learning—constantly reviewing old material while adding new

Technique 3: Feynman Technique (Understanding, Not Memorizing)

What it is:

Explaining concept in simple terms (as if teaching 12-year-old)

Named after Richard Feynman (Nobel Prize physicist)

The 4 steps:

Step 1: Choose concept

• Pick one topic (photosynthesis, calculus derivatives, supply and demand)

Step 2: Teach it to a child

• Write explanation using simple words
• No jargon allowed
• Use analogies

Example (photosynthesis): "Plants are like tiny factories. They take in sunlight (energy), water, and air (CO2), and turn it into food (glucose) and release oxygen. The chloroplasts are the factory workers that do this job. It's like a solar-powered food maker."

Step 3: Identify gaps

• Where did you struggle to explain?
• Where did you use complex terms without understanding?
• Where did you say "it just works" without explaining how?

Step 4: Review and simplify

• Go back to source material
• Learn the parts you couldn't explain
• Simplify explanation further
• Repeat until you can explain without hesitation

Why it works:

Identifies illusion of knowledge:

• Reading about something ≠ understanding it
• If you can't explain simply, you don't truly understand
• Forces you to think about connections, not just facts

Deepens understanding:

• Teaching requires organizing information logically
• Creating analogies = processing at deeper level
• Simplifying = understanding essence (not surface details)

Variations:

Version A: Teach a friend

• Actually explain topic to classmate
• They ask questions (reveals gaps)

Version B: Record yourself

• Pretend you're making YouTube video
• Explain topic to camera (or just voice record)
• Listen back—notice where you stumbled

Version C: Write a blog post/essay

• Explain topic in 500 words
• Simple language
• No looking at notes while writing

Technique 4: Interleaving (Mix It Up)

What it is:

Mixing different topics/problem types instead of blocking

Blocked practice (traditional):

• Monday: Chapter 1 only (2 hours)
• Tuesday: Chapter 2 only (2 hours)
• Wednesday: Chapter 3 only (2 hours)

Interleaved practice:

• Monday: Chapters 1, 2, 3 mixed (2 hours)
• Tuesday: Chapters 1, 2, 3 mixed (2 hours)
• Wednesday: Chapters 1, 2, 3 mixed (2 hours)

Why it works:

Forces discrimination:

• Must identify which technique applies (problem-solving)
• Real exams mix topics (not blocked)
• Strengthens ability to recognize problem types

Example (math):

Blocked: 20 quadratic equation problems (you're on autopilot) Interleaved: 5 quadratic, 5 linear, 5 exponential, 5 logarithmic (must think which method each time)

Feels harder (it is), but retention is 43% better (studies)

Technique 5: Pomodoro Technique (Focused Study Sessions)

What it is:

25-minute focused work + 5-minute break

The system:

1. Set timer for 25 minutes
2. Study with ZERO distractions (phone in other room, no social media, no music with lyrics)
3. Timer rings → 5-minute break (walk, stretch, water)
4. Repeat 4 times
5. After 4 Pomodoros (2 hours) → 15-30 minute longer break

Why it works:

Prevents burnout:

• Can't sustain focus for 4+ hours straight
• Short breaks = refresh, maintain intensity

Increases urgency:

• 25-minute deadline = work faster
• "I only have 25 minutes" = eliminate distractions

Tracks productivity:

• Completed 8 Pomodoros today = 4 hours deep work (quantifiable)

Combining Techniques: The Ultimate Study System

Putting it all together:

Week-long study schedule example:

Monday (Learn):

• Read chapter (30 min)
• Active recall: Blank page, write everything remembered (20 min)
• Feynman: Explain topic simply (15 min)
• Identify gaps, re-study (20 min)

Wednesday (Review + New):

• Active recall Monday's topic (10 min—spaced repetition Day 2)
• Learn new chapter (30 min)
• Active recall new chapter (20 min)

Friday (Review + New):

• Active recall Monday & Wednesday topics (15 min—spaced repetition Day 4)
• Learn new chapter (30 min)
• Active recall (20 min)

Next Monday:

• Review previous week's topics (20 min—spaced repetition Day 7)
• Continue pattern

Exam prep (2 weeks before):

Week 1:

• Active recall all topics (blank page method)
• Practice exams (interleaved, timed)
• Feynman technique on weak topics

Week 2:

• Daily practice exams
• Active recall weak areas
• Spaced repetition reviews
• Day before exam: Light review only (no cramming)

What About Different Learning Styles?

The truth:

"Learning styles" (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) are mostly myth

Research shows:

• No evidence matching teaching to "style" improves learning
• Everyone learns best through active engagement (regardless of style)

What matters:

• Method (active recall > passive reading) for everyone
• Not your "type"

Use multimodal learning:

• Read (visual)
• Explain out loud (auditory)
• Write/draw (kinesthetic)
• Engage multiple senses = stronger memory

Replace passive studying (highlighting, re-reading, rewriting notes scoring 1-2/10 effectiveness) with active recall (self-quizzing blank page method forcing retrieval scoring 9/10), spaced repetition (reviewing Day 2, Day 4, Day 7, Day 14, Day 30 preventing forgetting curve dropping 100% retention to 10% monthly), Feynman Technique (explaining concepts simply exposing knowledge gaps teaching-to-learn deepening understanding), interleaving (mixing chapter problems rather than blocking increasing retention 43%), Pomodoro sessions (25-minute focused work 5-minute breaks preventing burnout sustaining intensity). Use Anki app automating spaced repetition algorithm showing flashcards optimal intervals right before forgetting. Research proves active recall outperforms passive methods 50% higher scores meta-analysis. Learning styles myth—everyone benefits active engagement regardless visual auditory kinesthetic preference. Study smarter not longer achieving better grades less time.