How to actually study

Take real practice questions under test-like conditions before the test.

How to do it

1. 1Find past exams, end-of-chapter questions, or make your own.
2. 2Do them timed, closed-book, in one sitting — then grade honestly.
3. 3Restudy only what you got wrong, and test again.

Why it works: Practice testing is retrieval plus exposure to the real format — it’s one of the highest-impact techniques and it kills test-day surprise.

Close the book and pull the answer from memory instead of re-reading.

How to do it

1. 1Read a section once, then look away and write or say everything you remember.
2. 2Check what you missed, then do it again later from a blank page.
3. 3Use questions or flashcards that force the answer out, not ones you just flip and recognize.

Why it works: The act of retrieving a memory is what strengthens it — it’s the single most proven study method, and it beats re-reading by a wide margin.

Spread study over days instead of one long cram session.

How to do it

1. 1Break the material into chunks and review a bit each day.
2. 2Revisit older material on a widening schedule: tomorrow, in 3 days, in a week.
3. 3Five 30-minute sessions beat one 2.5-hour session for the same total time.

Why it works: Letting a little forgetting happen before you review forces a stronger re-encoding — spacing reliably doubles long-term retention vs. cramming.