Summary of "How to study for exams - Evidence-based revision tips"
Key Wellness and Productivity Strategies for Exam Revision
- Ineffective Common Techniques:
- Rereading: Popular but low utility; offers limited retention improvement and is less effective compared to other methods.
- Highlighting/Underlining: Also low utility; may help with difficult texts but can hinder higher-level understanding and inference making.
- Summarizing/Making Notes: Mixed evidence; effective only if the learner is skilled at summarizing, which requires training. Often time-consuming and less efficient.
- Highly Effective Technique: Active Recall (Practice Testing)
- Involves actively retrieving information from memory rather than passively reviewing it.
- Strengthens neural connections and improves long-term retention.
- Supported by numerous studies showing significant improvements (10-30%+) in test performance compared to rereading or passive review.
- Counterintuitive to many students who tend to prefer rereading; evidence strongly favors Active Recall.
- Specific Strategies to Implement Active Recall:
- Using Anki (Flashcard App):
- Utilizes spaced repetition by adjusting flashcard review frequency based on how well you recall each fact.
- Particularly useful for memorizing facts, definitions, and study details.
- Free web version available; popular among medical students.
- Making Notes with the Book Closed:
- Study a topic, then close the book and write down everything you remember.
- Review the source afterward to fill gaps.
- Combines Active Recall with self-assessment and spaced repetition.
- Helps deepen understanding and retention.
- Writing Questions for Yourself (Cornell Note-Taking Method):
- Instead of passive notes, write questions based on the material.
- Use these questions later for self-testing.
- Forces cognitive effort and retrieval practice.
- Proven to be effective in improving exam performance.
- Using Anki (Flashcard App):
- Additional Points:
- Active Recall is most effective when combined with spaced repetition and interleaved practice (to be discussed in future videos).
- Students’ intuitive preferences for study techniques often do not align with evidence-based best practices.
- Enjoyment of note-making or highlighting is fine but should be supplemented with Active Recall for better results.
- Recommended reading: Make It Stick (book) for deeper understanding of evidence-based study methods.
Presenter:
- Ellie, final year medical student at Cambridge University
Category
Wellness and Self-Improvement
