How a 99.95 ATAR Student Takes Notes with Active Recall

Study Workflow: Active Recall and Spaced Repetition

The speaker demonstrates a study workflow that combines active recall and spaced repetition, using Cornell-style notes in Notion and selected flashcards in Anki. The central idea is that notes should prompt retrieval of information—not merely record or summarize it.

1. Adapt the Cornell Note-Taking Method

• Notes: Record the core ideas from a lecture or class rather than trying to capture everything the teacher says.
• Recall cues: Add a relevant question for each piece of information. The speaker prefers questions to isolated keywords because questions make it clearer what to retrieve.
• Test yourself: Hide the answer or notes, read the cue, recall the answer from memory, and then check it.
• Summary section: The speaker removes this part of the conventional Cornell format. Citing research by Dunlosky, he says note-taking and summarizing are generally less useful for learning than active recall and spaced practice, while acknowledging that summarizing may depend on how well it is taught.

2. Organize and Review Questions in Notion

The speaker adapts Cornell notes into a question bank:

• Organize material into topics and subtopics (“scoping”) so technical details fit into a broader conceptual structure.
• Write questions that arise while learning a topic. They do not need to imitate exam questions; practice tests are better for exam-style practice.
• Put each answer beneath a Notion toggle so it can be hidden during self-testing.
• Read a question, try to retrieve the answer without looking, then reveal the answer to check yourself.
• Rate confidence on a 0–5 scale to identify weaker material.

3. Track Revision Retrospectively

Rather than planning revision only in advance—for example, assigning subjects to fixed time slots—the speaker uses a retrospective timetable:

• Record the subtopic reviewed, the date, and a confidence rating.
• Use the record to find material that has not been reviewed recently or that the student feels less confident about.
• Prioritize weak or overdue areas over topics already remembered well.
• Aim to review content at least three times before an exam, in addition to Anki reviews.

4. Select and Create Anki Cards Carefully

The Notion question bank is broader than the Anki deck: only selected, important material is turned into cards.

• Keep cards focused on the minimum information needed for each prompt.
• For lists, create separate cards for individual items or steps rather than requiring recall of a long list all at once. The speaker uses an Anki add-on to generate cards for list items.
• Most of his cards use cloze deletions—fill-in-the-blank prompts.
• A separate card can test how individually learned items fit together.
• Use Anki’s review ratings to indicate how well a card was recalled. Anki schedules difficult cards more frequently and easier cards less often.

To decide what belongs in Anki, the speaker considers how important and likely the information is to appear on an exam:

• Essential or high-priority facts: Make direct cloze-deletion prompts.
• Useful context: Include it around the key term.
• Minor details: Keep them in the card’s extra section, often as a picture or diagram, rather than making them a central recall demand.

The speaker also cautions against adding too many cards, since a large daily review burden can make the system difficult to maintain.

5. Understand Material Before Focusing on Memorization

The speaker emphasizes that memorization tools are not a substitute for understanding. He recommends spending time understanding concepts first, using questions and thought experiments to work through them. Active recall and active learning can support understanding, not just memorization.

Speakers and Sources

• Speaker: Archer Newton, the video’s presenter.
• Research source mentioned: A study by Dunlosky, cited in relation to the usefulness of note-taking and summarization.
• Methods and tools discussed: The Cornell note-taking system, Notion, Anki, and an Anki add-on attributed in the subtitles to “Glutanimate” (the name may be imperfectly transcribed).