Most students study the way that feels productive: rereading notes, highlighting, cramming the night before. The problem is that the techniques that feel best are often not the ones that work best.
What the evidence says
A widely cited 2013 review by John Dunlosky and colleagues looked at ten common study techniques. Two came out with the strongest evidence of helping across many subjects and ages:
- Practice testing (retrieval practice). Testing yourself (flashcards, past papers, explaining from memory) beats rereading.
- Distributed practice (spacing). Spreading study over many short sessions beats one long cram.
Rereading and highlighting, the most popular techniques, were rated as low utility.
Turn the evidence into habits
- Daily flashcards, 15 minutes. Small and frequent is exactly what spacing needs. Track it as a daily habit.
- One past-paper question a day in your hardest subject.
- Explain it back. After every lecture, write a three-sentence summary from memory, then check your notes.
- Plan the week on Sunday so study sessions have a fixed time, not "when I feel like it".
- Protect sleep. A consistent bedtime is a study habit too.
Make it stick through exam season
- Use a timer. Timed study blocks (25 or 50 minutes) make starting easier, and logging time shows you where your week went.
- Study with someone. An accountability partner or a group challenge ("30 days of revision") makes it harder to skip.
- Plan your breaks. After exams, take real time off. A paused streak beats a broken one.