Science-Backed Study Techniques: Active Recall, Spaced Repetition and Interleaving Explained

Many students spend hours rereading notes and highlighting textbooks, only to forget most of it before the exam. Research in cognitive psychology shows that how you study matters as much as how long you study. With board exams, competitive exams and semester tests approaching, these evidence-based methods can make preparation far more effective.

A widely cited 2013 review by psychologist John Dunlosky and colleagues evaluated ten common study techniques. Two were rated high utility:

Techniques such as rereading, highlighting and summarising were rated low utility for most learners.

Active recall means pulling information out of memory rather than putting it back in by rereading.

How to do it:

Why it works: Each retrieval strengthens memory pathways, a phenomenon researchers call the testing effect. A well-known 2006 study by Henry Roediger and Jeffrey Karpicke found that students who practised recall remembered more a week later than those who restudied.

In 1885, German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus described the forgetting curve, showing how quickly we forget new information without review. Spacing reviews over increasing intervals flattens that curve.

A simple schedule:

Flashcard apps such as Anki automate spacing. A paper-based Leitner box, where cards move between boxes reviewed at different intervals, works too.

Instead of practising one type of problem repeatedly (blocked practice), mix different topics or problem types in one session.

Interleaving feels harder but helps you learn to choose the right method, a skill exams demand.

Ask "why" and "how" questions and connect new ideas to what you already know. For example: Why does increasing temperature speed up a reaction? Explaining links builds deeper understanding.

Combine words with visuals: diagrams, timelines, flowcharts and mind maps. Drawing a labelled diagram of the heart from memory combines dual coding with active recall.

Abstract concepts become clearer with specific examples. When studying demand elasticity, think of how onion price rises affect household purchases.

Not useless, but weak on its own. Use it to mark material you will later turn into recall questions.

Quality matters more than hours. Short, focused sessions using recall and spacing often beat long passive sessions.

Yes. Practice testing and spacing are especially suited to large syllabi and question-based exams.

The most effective study methods feel challenging: testing yourself, spacing reviews and mixing topics. Replace rereading with retrieval and cramming with spacing, and you will remember more with the same effort.