Study Hacks

Every hack is checked against a cited source · open the link to see where it comes from.

• 📝

  Space study sessions across days, not one cram

  Break study into short sessions spread over days instead of one long block · you remember far more for the same time.

  One cram block1 relative recall

  Spread over days3 relative recall

  Steps

  1. List the topics for an exam and split them across several short sessions instead of one marathon.
  2. Study a topic today, then revisit it after a gap of a day or more rather than rereading it back-to-back.
  3. Make the gap longer when the test is further away: short gaps for next week, longer gaps for an exam months out.
  4. Cycle back through earlier topics in later sessions so each gets revisited more than once.

  Why it works

  A meta-analysis of 317 experiments found spaced learning beats massed (crammed) study, and the gap that maximizes retention grows as the time you need to remember grows.

  Good to know: Spaced study feels harder and slower than cramming · that effortful feeling is the point, not a sign it is failing.

  Source: Psychological Bulletin (Cepeda et al., 2006)
• 📝

  Test yourself from memory (the testing effect)

  Close the book and recall the material rather than rereading it · retrieving from memory builds lasting retention.

  1. 1📖Study, then close it
  2. 2✍️Recall from memory
  3. 3✅Check and fix gaps

  Steps

  1. Read or study a section, then put the material away.
  2. Write down or say aloud everything you can recall without looking.
  3. Check against your notes, mark what you missed, and re-study only the gaps.
  4. Repeat the recall on later days so each fact is retrieved more than once.

  Why it works

  Roediger and Karpicke showed students who repeatedly retrieved material remembered far more on a one-week test than students who simply reread it.

  Good to know: On an immediate test, rereading can look as good or better · the retrieval advantage shows up on delayed tests, so do not judge it after one day.

  Source: Perspectives on Psychological Science (Roediger & Karpicke, 2006)
• 📝

  Recall to learn, do not just remap notes

  Active recall beats elaborate restudying (even concept-mapping) · spend your effort retrieving, not re-organizing.

  1. 🗺️Just remapping
  2. 📈Recall: more learning

  Steps

  1. Read a passage once for understanding.
  2. Set the text aside and freely write everything you remember.
  3. Read it once more, then do a second free-recall round.
  4. Use any concept maps or diagrams as a self-test target, not as a passive copy-out.

  Why it works

  Karpicke and Blunt found practicing free recall produced more meaningful learning than elaborative studying with concept mapping, even when the final test was a concept map.

  Source: Science (Karpicke & Blunt, 2011)
• 📝

  Mix problem types instead of blocking them

  Shuffle different kinds of problems together so you must pick the right strategy each time, like a real exam.

  Blocked: same type1 delayed score

  Interleaved: mixed2 delayed score

  Steps

  1. Instead of doing 20 problems of one type in a row, mix in problems of several different types.
  2. Arrange consecutive problems so they cannot be solved by the same method.
  3. For each problem, first decide which strategy it needs before solving it.
  4. Build a mixed set by pulling problems from several past assignments or chapters.

  Why it works

  Rohrer's classroom trials found interleaved practice strongly outscored blocked practice on a delayed test, because students learn to choose the right strategy, not just apply a known one.

  Good to know: Interleaving feels harder and your accuracy during practice may drop · the benefit appears on the later test.

  Source: Journal of Educational Psychology (Rohrer et al., 2015)
• 📝

  Ask why and how, then answer it

  Push past memorizing facts by asking why each one is true and how it connects to what you already know.

  1. 1❓Ask why and how
  2. 2💡Answer it
  3. 3🔗Link to what you know

  Steps

  1. List the ideas you need to learn.
  2. For each, ask yourself a why or how question (Why is this true? How does this work?).
  3. Find and produce the answer, linking the idea to things you already know or have experienced.
  4. Double-check your explanation against your materials, then work toward explaining from memory.

  Why it works

  Asking and answering why/how questions forces you to integrate new material with prior knowledge, which organizes it and makes it easier to recall later.

  Good to know: Less effective if you lack background knowledge · you may need to learn the basics first or check that your answers are correct.

  Source: The Learning Scientists (per Dunlosky et al., 2013)
• 📝

  Explain it simply, in your own words

  Explain each step to yourself plainly · gaps in your explanation reveal what you do not yet understand.

  1. 1🧩Go step by step
  2. 2🗣️Explain it plainly
  3. 3🔍Find the gaps

  Steps

  1. Work through a problem or passage one step at a time.
  2. After each step, explain in plain words why it follows and how it fits the bigger picture.
  3. When your explanation stalls or feels vague, mark that as a gap and go relearn it.
  4. Redo the explanation until you can give it clearly without paraphrasing the text.

  Why it works

  Chi and colleagues found students who generated more self-explanations while studying understood and solved problems far better; explaining forces you to infer missing knowledge and spot inconsistencies.

  Good to know: Genuine explanation, not just rereading the sentence in slightly different words · paraphrasing does not produce the benefit.

  Source: Cognitive Science (Chi et al., 1994)
• 📝

  Pair words with visuals (dual coding)

  Combine verbal notes with diagrams or labelled images so your brain has two routes to recall the same idea.

  1. 1📝Key idea in words
  2. 2➕Add a visual
  3. 3🖼️Two recall routes

  Steps

  1. Find the key ideas in your notes or text.
  2. Create a matching visual for each: a diagram, timeline, labelled sketch, or simple graphic.
  3. Put words and the visual together so each explains the same concept.
  4. Practice describing the visual from memory and the idea from the visual.

  Why it works

  Dual coding theory holds that verbal and visual information are processed in two channels, so pairing them gives more than one path to understand and retrieve the material.

  Good to know: Keep visuals simple and tied to the concept · decorative or excessive images can overload working memory instead of helping.

  Source: The Learning Scientists (Paivio dual coding theory)
• 📝

  Anchor abstract ideas with several examples

  Make abstract concepts stick by tying them to multiple concrete examples and spelling out how each fits.

  1. 1🧠Abstract idea
  2. 2🍎Several examples
  3. 3🔗Link to the idea

  Steps

  1. Collect concrete examples of an abstract concept from your class materials.
  2. Gather several examples that look different on the surface, not just one.
  3. For each, explicitly explain how it illustrates the underlying idea.
  4. Try generating your own new example and check it against the concept's definition.

  Why it works

  Multiple examples with different surface features help you grasp the shared underlying principle, and research confirms concrete examples enhance learning of abstract concepts.

  Good to know: Novices tend to remember the example itself, not the principle · always make the link to the abstract idea explicit.

  Source: The Learning Scientists
• 📝

  Drill with past papers and practice tests

  Use past exams, end-of-chapter questions, and flashcards as real practice tests for memory and weak spots.

  1. 1📄Grab past papers
  2. 2⏱️Answer under test
  3. 3🔁Re-study misses

  Steps

  1. Gather past papers, end-of-chapter problems, or make flashcards with the answer on the back.
  2. Attempt them under test-like conditions, writing out full answers before checking.
  3. Score yourself, then re-study only the items you missed.
  4. Repeat each item on later days until you can answer it correctly several times.

  Why it works

  Dunlosky and colleagues rated practice testing a high-utility technique: it works through direct retrieval that strengthens memory and indirect feedback that reveals knowledge gaps.

  Good to know: Always check answers and follow up on what you got wrong · testing without feedback leaves errors unfixed.

  Source: American Educator (Dunlosky et al., 2013)
• 📝

  Stop relying on highlighting and rereading

  Highlighting and rereading feel productive but barely help · convert that time into self-testing and explaining.

  1. 🖍️Just highlighting
  2. 📈Recall: real retention

  Steps

  1. If you highlight, treat it only as a first pass to flag key ideas, not as studying.
  2. After reading, close the book and test yourself or explain the material from memory.
  3. Replace a planned reread with a recall attempt, checking your notes only afterward.
  4. Space these active sessions over several days rather than rereading in one sitting.

  Why it works

  Dunlosky and colleagues found highlighting and rereading are low-utility, with negligible long-term benefit, whereas retrieval and spacing are high-utility.

  Good to know: This is the most common study habit, so the easy, familiar feeling of highlighting is exactly the trap · easy does not mean effective.

  Source: American Educator (Dunlosky et al., 2013)