Active Recall Explained

You sit down, read the textbook, copy down what's written there, and watch a quick video for review. That's passive studying. And it wastes time.

Let's be honest. Most of the time, we don't want to study. So, if we do have to, then lets minimize the time taken to do so. In the following few paragraphs, I outline how you can cut the time you spend studying in half, and get twice the results.

Active recall

Is the method I want to talk about. It means to retrieve information from our memory, and in doing so it solidifies the information in our mind. You're probably asking yourself "But I don't know the information yet! How can I retrieve something I don't know?"

And that's the whole point. You can't. But, to put it in simple terms, when you try and find information, and then shortly after you look it up, you will remember it much more clearly and for longer. And once you do try and retrieve the information again and again, you are telling your brain: This information is important.

I mean think about it. Why would you remember something you never use?

You wouldn't. So here's how you can actively use active recall.

Take out the flashcards

Flashcards are great because they're extremely simple. And they're the perfect example of active recall.

On one side, write a question or term, and on the other side write the answer or definition. Stick to bulletpoints, so that you have less words to memorise. Remember, your memory is limited, so you don't want to add excess words and waste storage.

While using flashcards, I recommend from personal experience that even if you can't remember the answer, you take a few seconds to really try and dig deep for the knowledge. That way, once you see the answer, it will stick for longer.

Further, use technology to your advantage. There's no point in wasting hours painstakingly writing your flashcards by hand. I've done it, and it's not fun. There's also not much benefit to it. Instead, I suggest you opt for an online option such as Quizlet or Brainscape.

Dump it all out

Take out a pen and paper, and just write. Write all you can remember. When you write, you spend more time with the information in your head, so it really solidifies those neural pathways. Then, flip open your textbook, and write down everything you didn't remember.

Just like flashcards, stick to bulletpoints.

Bulletpoints are your greatest ally when it comes to studying efficiently and saving time. Just make sure you don't lose any keywords or important information.

Teach to learn

Once you are a bit more comfortable with the knowledge, teach what you've learned to one of your fellow students. This way, you not only need to recall the informatio from memory, but also need to package it into a palatable, easy to understand format.

Also, your friends might ask you questions, which is a great way to see how well you really know the content. A bit like a practice exam. This will also uncover any gaps there might be in your knowledge, showing you what you should still study.

...And finally, test yourself

Nothing beats a practice exam paper.

Alternatively, you can also create your own questions. Personally, I like to do this right after a braindump, so that I know exactly which knowledge I need to test myself on. Because, the last thing you want is to test yourself on content you already know.

When you're doing an exam paper, I recommend every 2-3 questions you check your answers. That way, you minimise the time between recalling the information and encountering the correct answer. This will make you more likely to remember the correct solution in the future.