Situation guideAny grade
How to Study Better: Simple Study Methods That Actually Help
Re-reading notes feels like studying, but the answers often will not come in the test. Four methods that work better, each with a short example, and a four-evening plan for a Friday test.
Studied hard, then went blank
Many students study by reading their notes again, feel ready, and then go blank in the test. If you help a student revise, start with the four methods below. Each has a short example, and there is a plan for the week before a test.
Why re-reading lets students down
Re-reading feels like work because the page starts to look familiar. But a test asks the student to pull the answer out of their own head, and re-reading mostly practises recognising it. Highlighting and neat rewrites have the same problem: the pen is busy, but the memory has little to do.
A large 2013 review of ten study methods, led by the US psychologist John Dunlosky, rated two as the most useful: testing yourself, and spreading study out over time. It rated re-reading and highlighting as low.
Recall it from memory
Close the book and write down everything you remember, then check. Example: after a lesson on the water cycle, a fourteen-year-old writes for two minutes about evaporation and rain. She ticks what she got right and circles what she missed. The circled points are tonight's study.
Spread the practice out
Three short sessions on different days tend to work better than one long session the night before. Each session starts with a little forgetting, and digging the answer back out is the useful part. Example: twenty minutes on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday instead of an hour on Thursday night.
Spacing feels harder than cramming while you do it, so explain that before asking a student to try it.
Answer practice questions
Questions from the textbook, a past paper or a short worksheet turn study into a small test. Example: the student answers the five questions at the end of the chapter with the notes closed, then marks them.
For maths, mix different kinds of problem in one set instead of twenty of the same kind. In a US trial published in 2020, involving 54 Grade 7 maths classes, pupils who practised mixed problems did better on a test a month later than those who practised one type at a time.
Explain it in your own words
Ask the student to teach the topic to you, or to a younger brother or sister, with the notes closed. The point where the explanation goes vague is the gap to study next. Example: a student explaining the water cycle stalls at "condensation". That word is tonight's study.
Four evenings before a Friday test
A science test on the water cycle on Friday, and four evenings to prepare.
- Monday, 15 minutes: notes closed, write down everything remembered, then check against the notes and circle the gaps.
- Tuesday: nothing for this test. The gap is part of the plan.
- Wednesday, 15 minutes: answer the textbook questions without notes, then mark them. Each wrong answer becomes a question on a small card.
- Thursday, 10 minutes: explain the water cycle out loud to you, notes closed. Anything vague goes on a card.
- Friday morning, 5 minutes: answer the cards once more before school.
Answer: About forty-five minutes in all, spread over four days, with every session asking the memory to do the work.
Checklist before a test
1Did they recall before reading the notes again?
If not, start there. Two minutes of writing from memory shows what is missing.
1. Did they recall before reading the notes again?
Answer: If not, start there. Two minutes of writing from memory shows what is missing.
2Is the study spread over more than one day?
Two or three short sessions, with a gap between them, beat one long one.
2. Is the study spread over more than one day?
Answer: Two or three short sessions, with a gap between them, beat one long one.
3Did they answer questions, not just read?
Textbook questions, a past paper or cards they made themselves all count.
3. Did they answer questions, not just read?
Answer: Textbook questions, a past paper or cards they made themselves all count.
4Could they explain it without notes?
Where the explanation goes vague is what to study next.
4. Could they explain it without notes?
Answer: Where the explanation goes vague is what to study next.
5Did the time go on what they missed?
Ticked points are already learned. Circled points get tonight's time.
5. Did the time go on what they missed?
Answer: Ticked points are already learned. Circled points get tonight's time.
If you are the one studying
Close the book before you feel ready, and write down what you remember. Check it, and spend your time only on what you missed. Then test yourself again in two days. A session that felt a bit hard was probably a good one.
When studying is not working
If a student studies this way and still cannot remember the basics, or study time often ends in tears, talk to the teacher. Ask what the test will cover and whether there are practice questions.
Before the next test, start with Monday's step: notes closed, write down everything they remember, then check.
Questions parents ask
Are flash cards worth making?
Yes, if they are used as a test. Say the answer out loud before turning the card over, and sort the cards into "knew it" and "not yet". Flash cards that are only read through work much like re-reading.
Was this guide helpful?