Use ‘Distributed Practice’ to Better Retain What You Study

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One of the best ways to retain knowledge when studying for a test is to maintain a particularly strict study schedule. The technique is called “distributed practice,” and I won't pretend it is easy to set up, but it's much more efficient than trying to cram. Here's what to do so you actually remember what you're supposed to be learning.

What is distributed practice?

Distributed practice, like a number of the most common study techniques you can try, has its roots in the work of Hermann Ebbinghaus, a German psychologist who studied memory. Over 100 years ago, he studied nonsense syllables over and over to figure out the best way to get them to stick in his memory. He found that the frequency with which he studied them, as well as the order in which he studied them, had an impact on how well he retained them. Right now, we're going over the value of frequency, but if you're interested in the role order plays in helping you remember what you study, read this.

Ultimately, his findings led to the development of what we now know as distributed practice, which is just a fancy name for spacing study sessions out in a specific way and studying the same thing every time. In essence, it’s the opposite of “massed practice,” which is more commonly known as cramming. Instead of studying everything in one block before your test, you study it in smaller bursts leading up to the test.

How do you distribute the practice?

The trick here is deciding how often to space out your study sessions. Ideally, set aside study time every day, like one hour, and leave a day for resting. (Breaks are crucial for productivity overall.) What you study on those days will depend largely on what tests you have coming up and when they are.

Look ahead in your syllabi and mark all test dates in your planner. According to one study, your best bet for maximum retention is to study the same topic every 10% to 30% of the time you’ll need to retain it. That means if you have a test in 10 days, you’ll study from every one to three days from now until then.

This is where retrieval practice comes in. During your first few study sessions, you’re just studying as normal, using a technique like SQ3R or KWL to engage in active reading. After that, though, you should be using active recall strategies to retrieve the information you already know during the study sessions. The best way to do this is using flashcards, especially following the Leitner system to review the content you already know on spaced intervals that depend on how well you’ve mastered it.

The most important part of distributed practice, though, is repeatedly going over the content on a fixed schedule. Even if that means just rereading and reviewing it every four days, it will be more beneficial than cramming. It might be helpful to download an app, like My Study Life, to create a schedule for yourself so it's easier to stick to. This part boils down to willpower, but you can do it.

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