![]() If you’re among the many, many people who struggle with procrastination, you’re in good company. Procrastination makes spaced repetitions impossible. ![]() They might get you through a test the next day (though they usually come at the expense of sleep, which creates its own problems: see below), but the information you recall during the test is more likely to be gone by the time a midterm, final, or other cumulative exam comes up, without studying a great deal more. ![]() Then, when you feel confident, try spreading the sessions out further.Ĭonsider, on the other hand, cram sessions. Just be careful not to cross the line where you’ve forgotten the material altogether: better to err on the side of studying again a little too soon. Spreading study sessions out will always help, but it appears pushing the space between sessions almost to the point where you’ve forgotten the material has a maximal effect. The phenomenon was first studied in the 1930s, with a resurgence of interest starting in the 1960s (with papers like this one produced in 1970). “Spaced repetitions” refers to this technique, which results in learning more in less actual time spent studying. Research has shown that spreading out study sessions is important to building lasting knowledge. Test yourself and you’ll know not only that you understand the material, but that it’s there in your memory. This is the illusion of competence: We feel confident because we understand the material when we read our notes, but we don’t actually remember it when we’re not looking at them. In addition to improving recall, testing as a study strategy has the added benefit of helping us dodge what some researchers have called “the illusion of competence.” Most of us have had the experience of feeling confident while reviewing our notes, only to go blank on important information when we take an actual test. You’ll want to spread out the quizzes too: Test yourself on the material again after you’ve been away from it for a period of hours, days, or even weeks (see “spaced repetitions” below). Be sure to correct your answers: The technique works even when you get things wrong, but only if you correct yourself. How do you use the testing effect to your advantage? After an initial period of study, quiz yourself on what you’ve studied.
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