Active Recall — The Single Best Study Technique

Active recall means testing yourself on material instead of passively re-reading notes. In a well-known experiment (Roediger & Karpicke, 2006), students who tested themselves on a passage remembered about 61% of it a week later; students who spent the same time rereading remembered about 40%. Here is how to use it for board and entrance exams.

What Is Active Recall?

Active recall is the practice of stimulating your memory during learning. Instead of reading your notes and highlighting, you close the book and try to recall what you just studied. Every time you successfully recall something, that memory becomes stronger.

How to Use Active Recall for Board Exams

• After reading a chapter, close the book and write down everything you remember
• Use flashcards — write a question on one side, answer on the other
• After solving a maths problem, try to solve a similar one without looking at the method
• At the end of each study session, write 5 key points from memory
• Test yourself on formulas every morning before looking at your formula sheet

Active Recall vs Passive Reading

A large review of study techniques (Dunlosky et al., 2013) rated the common methods like this:

Re-reading feels productive because the page looks familiar. Recall is harder — and that effort is what makes the memory stick.

Combine with Spaced Repetition

Active recall works best when combined with spaced repetition — reviewing material at increasing intervals. Day 1: learn and recall. Day 3: recall again. Day 7: recall again. Day 21: recall once more. Each successful recall makes the next one easier, so you spend less time per review as the weeks go on.