By Craig Jamieson
If you’re a college freshman, I hate to break it to you but college level courses aren’t as easy as high-school classes.
Your high-school teachers spent weeks slowly covering basic concepts, making surface level information easy to learn
But college is different…
Professors break down complex topics at a fast pace, while expecting you to learn more in less time…
And from my experience as a college senior, most freshmen use inefficient study tactics that prevent them from gaining a deep understanding of class material.
If you spend hours upon hours rereading the same notes and highlighting texts, while your grades suffer…
YOU’VE COME TO RIGHT PLACE!
In the next few lines I’m going to show you an easy to use study technique that can improve your academic performance, while cutting your study time in half.
A quick disclaimer: The study “hack” is proven to be effective, but it only works if you commit to it!
Before I reveal this life changing hack, I’d like to tell you what it’s done for me…
In high-school I failed math.
And when I say failed… I failed MISERABLY.
So when I got to Sauk Valley Community College (I’m a transfer student) and saw MAT260 on my schedule, I knew I had to do something different.
After the first day of class I went to the learning center and that’s where I met Jane.
Jane was a retired math teacher that became a tutor at the college to keep herself busy in her older years.
I spent weeks studying with her and she was unlike any other tutor or teacher I had before.
She refused to help with my homework, instead she’d ask me questions on the spot, make me explain concepts out loud, and quiz me from memory—even when I was sure I didn’t know the answer.
And when my first exam came around I aced it!
For the first time since grade school I got an A on a math exam.
It was absolutely insane!
At the time I didn’t know what her study technique did or why it helped me ace that test, but it’s actually one of the best study techniques on the planet!
I know this blog is getting long and all of our attention spans are getting shorter… So if you don’t feel like reading the rest of this post , feel free to listen to this summary from Lebron:
It’s called retrieval practice.
It’s a study technique where you try to remember information without looking at your notes.
Instead of constantly rereading the same text over and over again, you’re actively testing what you remember and retaining the information.
Every time you retrieve the information, it becomes easier to remember over time[1].
And research suggests that using retrieval practice helps students retain information with better accuracy and over a longer time compared to passive study methods [2].
How To Get The Most Out Of Retrieval Practices:
#1: Brain Dumping
Briefly review your notes, slides or any other class material you’d like to learn. Then put the information away and grab a piece of paper. Try to write down everything you remember and then compare what you wrote down to the actual material. Fill in any gaps or things you missed and repeat the process [3].
#2: Quiz Yourself
Before big tests I like to give myself quick tests to see if I can recall information from class. The way I like to do this is by adding any notes or slides to chat gpt and telling it to make questions based on the material. You’ll get questions with answers that you can upload to Quizlet using the “import” feature. From there you can use the flashcards, learning or testing feature to actively quiz yourself [4].
(Make sure chat gpt isn’t misinterpreting or giving false information, before you start quizzing yourself)
#3: Quick recall
Read a few paragraphs, cover them and try to recall the main ideas from those paragraphs without looking at the words. Don’t just try and remember the words, try and remember the ideas and paraphrase them with as much detail as possible [5]
#4: Teach it to someone
Back home I had an economics teacher that made us learn different topics and present them to the class. He would always say “The teacher learns the most” at the time I thought this was just his way of getting out of actually teaching the class, but he wasn’t wrong!
One of the best ways of recalling information and getting a deeper understanding of it is by reading and studying a topic and then teaching it to someone else. [6]
You can do this by parenting up with someone from your class, teaching a loved one or even your pet. The idea isn’t necessarily to teach them (although it might be a byproduct), the idea is to retrieve the information so that you learn it better.
#5: Do NOT wait until the last minute
Retrieval practice can work if you cram it the night before (or minutes before) the exam. But speaking from experience, I can tell you that last minute studying is super stressful and not the best way to go about things. Instead review the material and space out your retrieval practice over several days, as this has proven to be effective for long term learning [7].
The Limitations of Retrieval Practice:
While retrieval practice can do wonders for your academic performance, there are a few things to consider before jumping in.
- You can’t retrieve information that you haven’t learned. Before trying retrieval practice you need to study the material, which is why it isn’t a way to completely replace traditional study methods.
- Retrieval practice feels harder than traditional study methods. Re-reading the same notes feels easy and comfortable, while retrieval practice can be a real struggle at first. However, if that struggle is a part of the process and will learn better in the long run [8].
- It’s great for recalling information, but it won’t help on its own when you’re faced with complex tasks like hard math problems. So while it can help you remember formulas you’ll still need to be able to solve the problems themselves [9].
Final Thoughts:
The transition from highschool to college isn’t easy, but if you use the right study techniques (like retrieval practice) you can make that transition a lot easier.
Not only will this help you on test days, but it’ll make your life less stressful, because you’ll be studying smarter rather than spending hours trying to cram information into your head.
In my experience studying smarter rather than harder has helped me feel more in control and confident going into exams… And I truly believe consistently doing retrieval practice can do the same for you!
[1] Washington University in St. Louis. (2024). Using Retrieval Practice to Increase Student Learning. Center for Teaching and Learning. https://ctl.wustl.edu/resources/using-retrieval-practice-to-increase-student-learning/
[2] Agarwal, P. K., Nunes, L. D., & Blunt, J. R. (2021). Retrieval Practice Consistently Benefits Student Learning: a Systematic Review of Applied Research in Schools and Classrooms. Educational Psychology Review, 33(4). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09595-9
[3] Agarwal, P. (2017, November 30). Brain Dumps: A small strategy with a big impact – Retrieval Practice. Unleash the Science of Learning. https://www.retrievalpractice.org/strategies/2017/free-recall
[4] Roediger, H. L., & Karpicke, J. D. (2006). Test-Enhanced Learning: Taking Memory Tests Improves Long-Term Retention. Psychological Science, 17(3), 249–255. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2006.01693.x
[5] Karpicke, J. D., & Blunt, J. R. (2011). Retrieval Practice Produces More Learning than Elaborative Studying with Concept Mapping. Science, 331(6018), 772–775. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1199327
[6] Koh, A. W. L., Lee, S. C., & Lim, S. W. H. (2018). The learning benefits of teaching: A retrieval practice hypothesis. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 32(3), 401–410. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.3410
[7] Rawson, K. A., & Dunlosky, J. (2011). Optimizing schedules of retrieval practice for durable and efficient learning: How much is enough? Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 140(3), 283–302. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023956
[8] Wiklund-Hörnqvist, C., Stillesjö, S., Andersson, M., Jonsson, B., & Nyberg, L. (2022). Retrieval Practice Is Effective Regardless of Self-Reported Need for Cognition – Behavioral and Brain Imaging Evidence. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.797395
[9] Huang, X., Zheng, S., Yu, Z., & Chen, S. (2023). Retrieval practice may not benefit mathematical word-problem solving. Frontiers in Psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1093653