How to Study Effectively (and remember information for a long time!)
The learning process is usually very time-consuming. Long hours of re-reading, memorizing, and understanding basic concepts. It's no lie that learning requires commitment. Still, when effective learning principles are applied, the differences are quite significant. Not only in terms of studying hours but, and even, more important, in terms of mastery. The book Make it Stick starts by highlighting exactly both of these concepts: a measure of study time, isn't a measure of mastery.
#1 Exposure does not equal Learning
Re-reading full-pages of notes doesn't translate into knowledge acquisition. In fact, it's quite a pervasive method that a significant percentage of students still stick to. In some studies, multiple followed readings of the material did not prove to be effective. It is a strategy that consumes a lot of time and yields low results. Still, it’s one of the most used techniques because it creates an illusion of mastery. You recognize the content and the syntax by repetitive exposure, but that does not mean you're able to relate and apply those concepts. Repetition by itself does not lead to long term memory.
“One of the best habits a learner can instill in herself is regular self-quizzing to recalibrate her understanding of what she does and does not know.”
#2 Test your Knowledge, repeatedly.
Instead of skimming through dozens of pages multiple times, test your knowledge right from the start. All studies conducted prove that active recall — or simply, testing your knowledge — is, by far, the most effective way of learning.
Quizzes are a form of active recall and a great tool for learning as they require the retrieval of knowledge instead of passively skimming through the material — the more effortful the retrieval, the deeper the learning. Students that don’t test themselves tend to overestimate how much they actually know, revealing a false sense of understanding and lower results. Cramming might work for a next day test, but never for long term retention, which should be the end goal.
#2.1 How to test your knowledge?
Rephrase ideas and concepts using your "own" language;
Create questions on the material and spend time answering them (with the book closed):
Use previous exams and exercises;
Relate new concepts with previously acquired knowledge (complement material);
When reading a text, pause periodically to ask questions about the content.
#2.2 Why is testing effective?
Points out your weaker areas — also the ones you should dedicate more time and attention to;
Helps to reconsolidate knowledge and increase long-term memory. The practice of retrieving information strengthens the connection between neural pathways and interrupts the forgetting curve. And remember: The greatest effort on retrieving, the better results;
Testing is not only useful for learning but also exposes the biased inner judgment of knowing something without actually knowing it. Re-reading content creates the illusion of accessible knowledge of the subject, while testing doesn't let it happen. Effective Thinking is a skill, and testing helps to improve it. Richard Feynman had the practice of explaining a concept to someone to expose gaps in his knowledge.
“It’s not just what you know, but how you practice what you know that determines how well the learning serves you later.”
#3 Space out Retrieving Sessions
Quizzing or retrieving are essential to solidify long-term memory and increase mastery. Still, there is one key piece that increases the effectiveness of this method: space out your retrieving sessions, in time and topics.
Time: Cramming can come in the form of a retrieving session, but the results are very short term oriented as single time repeated focus doesn't enhance long-term retention. Instead, spacing out retrieving sessions in time — enough to allow some forgetting to occur — is much more effective.
Topics: Instead of hammering into the same type of problems repeatedly, interleave different topics or subjects. In the short-term, this seems counterproductive, as you are moving to different types of problems before achieving complete mastery. But, in the long-run, the ability to understand problems in different contexts and transfer knowledge to other areas is much higher. If you have a set of problems to solve, do a few of the same type, and move on to others. Then, come back and make the effort of retrieving how to solve those, again. The more difficult the retrieval, the less effective the session was.
#3.1 How to Space out your Retrieving Sessions?
Establish a calendar of retrieval according to the difficulty you had remembering some of the concepts;
During a study day, mix different subjects or topics within the same subject;
Get into the habit of reviewing the material you've been learning at the end of each week;
Use Anki (a flashcard software with an incorporated spacing algorithm).
#3.2 Why is Spaced Repetition so effective?
The learning process has 3 phases: encoding, consolidation, and re-consolidation. The last two phases are enhanced by rehearsing content on different days, which require mental effort thus strengthen long-term memory.
Spaced practice strengths cues (associations that lead to the information) and the learning itself. Some forgetting is essential to learn something new as you might forget some of the cues, but the information is still there. And the more effort retrieving, the more effective the session.
In a sentence: stop re-reading, start-quizzing... often!