Techniques
The average student spends ~1,440 hours studying each year.
Say this same student improves his/her studying techniques by 10%. That's 144 hours saved each year – the equivalent of 6 days. Even a 1% improvement saves 14 hours. I'm more than willing to bet you'd love 144 more hours each year, or even 14.
Students spend a ridiculous amount of time studying each year. But when did you take a class on how to study? See that's the problem with traditional schooling. Students are immersed in material with no strategies – no map – on how to succeed in school. So let's explore the science-based techniques that will catalyze your success as a student, no matter your age.
#1: Active Recall
Active recall is the process of recalling information directly from memory. It's essentially testing yourself. The key difference lies in effort. Learning isn't a passive process. I'm sure after years of traditional schooling you still reread your notes to prepare for tests. Or maybe you highlight the key information in your notes. Some even rewrite their notes. These are passive processes that are overshadowed by active recall, at least in the scientific literature. Here's the supporting literature.
A 2010 study showed that active recall dominated, even in questions requiring the application of knowledge, not only recall.
A 2011 study showed that active recall outperformed concept mapping.
A 2013 meta-analysis – a study that analyzes other studies – found that testing (active recall) outperformed all other study methods. Active recall and spaced repetition – studying at intervals, as opposed to cramming – received the highest rating. The techniques which received the lowest rating were summarizing, highlighting, and rereading.
How is it that the poorest study techniques are the ones most used by students? Let's discuss an additional technique that incorporates active recall.
#2: Teaching
If you've ever researched learning techniques, you're probably familiar with the Feynman technique. If not, don't worry, it's quite straightforward. The idea is you recall content and teach it to yourself out loud. Here are the three critical aspects of teaching.
1) Connect it to something you know. This is known as making a mental model.
2) Recall the content during the process, don't shorten and summarize the information.
3) Teaching should feel difficult because it requires complete understanding of the material. Taking a complex topic and simplifying it into basic terminology is hard.
#3: Spaced Repetition
Our last technique is not necessarily a technique, but rather method to the madness. Spaced repetition is the idea that spreading out studying over a time period helps significantly more than cramming. While this is obvious, it appears to be much more efficient than cramming in terms of overall study time.
Applications
We've learned all the science, so how do we go about applying this? In general, students should study 30-60 minutes per day. They should review every subject briefly through a method such as teaching, or even flashcards. Keep in mind, it's better to briefly cover all subjects than cover a few subjects in depth. For subjects like math, whereby critical thinking is valued, we recommend recalling the info, then brainstorming possible applications. If practice tests are available, practice tests are ideal.
Additional Resources