Active recall: why testing yourself works

Active recall means answering from memory: closing the book and asking yourself, “what were the three conditions?”, then checking. It feels harder than rereading, and that effort is exactly what makes the memory stronger.

What the research says

In a well-known experiment, students read a passage and then either reread it or practised recalling it. A week later, the ones who practised recalling remembered about 61% of it; the ones who reread remembered about 40%. The rereaders had felt more confident.

Roediger & Karpicke (2006), “Test-enhanced learning”, Psychological Science.

A large review of ten common study methods rated only two as highly effective: practice testing and spacing your practice out. Rereading and highlighting were rated low.

Dunlosky et al. (2013), Psychological Science in the Public Interest.

How to do it

1. Learn it once, properly.

   Read or watch to understand it. Don't try to memorise yet.

2. Close everything and recall.

   Write or say what you remember: definitions, steps, the argument.

3. Check, and notice the gaps.

   The bits you missed are the ones to practise next.

4. Repeat it later, not straight away.

   Recall is strongest when it's a little hard. That's why spacing matters.

Doing it in Qenot

• Flashcards and quizzes are recall, one item at a time.
• Teach-back is recall out loud, with follow-up questions.
• Recall brings every item back at the right moment.