L·01
Learning & Memory
Retrieval Beats Review
Trying to recall something strengthens memory far more than reading it again. Rereading mostly builds confidence.
- Evidence
- proven
- Topic
- Learning
- Things to do
- 3
- Read
- 1 min
provenHow strong is the evidence?
Tested again and again, by different people, and it keeps coming out the same. You can lean on this.
- Roediger & Karpicke, Psychological Science, 2006
- Dunlosky et al., 2013 — rated highest-utility technique
Why it works
Every successful retrieval rewrites the memory with a stronger path back to it. Rereading exercises recognition, which is not the skill you need later.
What to do about it
- Close the book and write everything you remember, then check. This is the whole technique.
- Turn every source into questions on the day you read it. Answer them from memory later.
- When it feels hard and you're getting some wrong, you're doing it right.
Where people go wrong
Highlighting and rereading — the two most popular study methods and the two least effective.
Where this fits in your day
After reading
Close it and write what you remember. Diarise a revisit at day 7 and day 30.
Read next
- SpacingThe same total study time, spread out, produces far more durable memory than massed together.proven
- InterleavingMixing problem types during practice feels worse and performs better than doing them in blocks.proven
- Guess Before You're ToldAttempting an answer before learning it improves later retention — even when the guess is wrong.solid
- Ask Why It's TrueAsking “why would that be the case?” while reading beats any amount of summarising.solid