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Active Recall and Quiz-Based Learning: The Science Behind the Most Powerful Study Method
Decades of cognitive psychology research reveals that the most effective study method is not reading or highlighting. It is active recall: testing yourself on what you have learned, spacing those tests over time, and using retrieval difficulty as the signal for what to study next. The research, pioneered by Roediger and Karpicke, shows that retrieval practice produces substantially larger long-term learning gains than equivalent study time spent on relearning. This article explains the science and shows how to apply it to any subject.