Active Recall: How to Study by Testing Yourself

Active recall means retrieving information from memory, by answering a question, explaining a concept or writing down everything you remember, rather than re-reading or highlighting your notes. Researchers call the benefit the testing effect or retrieval practice: the act of remembering strengthens the memory itself.

A widely cited 2013 review by John Dunlosky and colleagues evaluated ten popular study techniques and rated practice testing and distributed practice as the most useful, while highlighting and rereading were rated low. If you change only one study habit, make it this one.

Why rereading feels better than it works

When you reread notes, the material feels familiar, and familiarity is easily mistaken for knowledge. In an exam, you have to produce the answer without the page in front of you. Practising that production is what prepares you for it. Recall feels harder, and the effort is a sign it is working, not that you are failing.

Six ways to practise active recall

1. Question-based notes

As you study, turn each important point into a question. Write questions in the margin or a separate column and cover the answers when you review. The Cornell note-taking method builds this in.

2. Flashcards

Put one question on the front and a short answer on the back. Say or write your answer before flipping. Sort cards into "knew it" and "did not" piles and review the difficult pile more often.

3. The blank page

After a lesson or chapter, close everything and write down all you can remember: key ideas, diagrams, formulas, examples. Then open your notes and fill the gaps in a different colour. The gaps show you exactly what to study next.

4. Practice questions and past papers

Answer exam-style questions under realistic conditions, then mark them honestly. Past papers also show you how questions are phrased.

5. Teach it

Explain a topic aloud to a friend, a family member or an empty room, without notes. Where you stumble, you have found a gap. This is the core of the Feynman technique.

6. Brain dumps between topics

Before starting a new session, spend three minutes writing what you remember from the last one. It takes almost no time and reinforces earlier material.

Combine it with spacing

Recall is most powerful when reviews are spread out over time rather than crammed. Review new material the next day, then after a few days, then after a week or two. Each successful recall at a longer gap makes the memory more durable. Flashcard apps with spaced-repetition scheduling automate this, but a paper system works too.

A sample weekly routine

1. During lessons: write questions alongside your notes.
2. Same evening: 10-minute blank-page recall on what you learned.
3. Next day: quiz yourself on yesterday's questions.
4. End of the week: mixed practice questions covering all the week's topics.
5. Two weeks later: revisit the topics with another round of questions.

Common mistakes

• Looking at the answer too soon. Struggle for a moment first; even an unsuccessful attempt helps.
• Only testing what you already know. Spend most time on the cards you get wrong.
• Making cards too complex. One idea per card is easier to recall and review.
• Skipping understanding. Recall strengthens memory; it works best on material you have first understood.

Where to learn more

The Learning Scientists, a group of cognitive psychologists, offer free posters and guides on retrieval practice and other evidence-based strategies for students and teachers. Pair active recall with focused study blocks, as described in our guide to the Pomodoro technique for students.