How-to-study cards
The two study habits rated highest in a major review of ten common ones were quizzing yourself and spreading study out. Rereading and highlighting rated low (Dunlosky et al. 2013(opens in a new tab)).
| Grade band | The card says |
|---|---|
| 3–5 | Close the book and say it. Tell someone what you learned without looking. Then check. Do a little every day. Ten minutes on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday beats thirty on Wednesday. |
| 6–8 | Quiz, don't reread. Make flashcards with a question on the front. Space it out. Start studying a week before the test, not the night before. Mix it up. Practice different kinds of problems together. |
| 9–12 | Test yourself first. A blank page and everything you remember, then check your notes. Space it. Review on day 1, 3, 7, and 14. Mix problem types. Real tests don't tell you which method to use. Don't trust the feeling. Rereading feels like learning because it's familiar; quizzing feels harder and works better (Roediger & Karpicke(opens in a new tab)). |
Brain dump template
- Write (3 minutes, no notes): everything you remember about [topic].
- Check (3 minutes): open your notes; add what you missed in a different color.
- Circle: the things you missed. They go on tomorrow's flashcards.
Flashcard three-pile method
- Pile 1, every day: cards you got wrong.
- Pile 2, every few days: cards you got right once.
- Pile 3, once a week: cards you got right several times.
- Wrong at any point? Back to pile 1.
Test-prep calendar
| Days before the test | What to do |
|---|---|
| 14 | Brain dump on the whole unit; make flashcards for what you missed |
| 10 | Flashcards; mixed practice problems from the whole unit |
| 7 | Brain dump again; compare with day 14 |
| 4 | Practice test, closed book; review every wrong answer |
| 2 | Flashcards from pile 1 only |
| 1 | Short quiz on the hardest items; sleep |
The specific days are a rule of thumb. The evidence supports spacing in general; the best gaps depend on how long you need to remember it (Cepeda et al. 2006(opens in a new tab)).
Listening path
New to the science of learning
Foundations first, then the two big ideas.
Principles
Sources
- Dunlosky et al. 2013, study techniques (opens in a new tab)
psychologicalscience.org
- Roediger & Karpicke 2006 (opens in a new tab)
psychology.ecu.edu
- Cepeda et al. 2006, spacing (opens in a new tab)
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov