Solution · Education & Learning · Updated 2026-11-01 · Reviewed by Monirujjaman Monjil

How to remember what you study (and stop forgetting it a week later)

Stop rereading and start testing yourself. A major review of study techniques by John Dunlosky and colleagues (2013) rated practice testing and distributed practice (spacing study out over time) as the two most useful methods, because they work for learners of different ages and abilities across many kinds of tests. In practice: close the book and recall, use flashcards or past questions, and come back to each topic several times over days and weeks instead of in one long session.

The problem

What it looks like

You read your notes several times, highlight the key parts and feel ready, then in the exam or a week later most of it has gone.

Who it affects

Students at school and university, adults studying for professional exams or certifications, and anyone learning a language or new skill.

What it costs you

Hours of study that don't stick, last-minute cramming, stress before exams and lower results than the effort deserves.

Why it happens

Rereading makes material feel familiar, which is easy to mistake for knowing it. Cramming everything into one session works for a day or two but fades quickly. Neither forces you to pull information out of memory, which is what an exam asks you to do.

The 2013 review examined ten common techniques. Practice testing and distributed practice received 'high utility' ratings. Some of the most popular habits, such as highlighting and rereading, were not among the techniques the authors recommended most strongly.

Practice testing means anything that makes you retrieve the answer from memory: flashcards, past papers, explaining a topic out loud without notes, or writing everything you remember on a blank page.

Distributed practice means spreading the same total study time over several sessions with gaps between them, rather than one long session.

Common mistakes

Rereading notes until they look familiar.
Highlighting most of the page.
Studying one topic for hours, then never returning to it.
Checking the answer before really trying to recall it.
Only testing yourself on what you already know well.

How to fix it, step by step

Turn notes into questions
After each study session, write questions about what you just learned, on flashcards or in a two-column page with questions on the left and answers on the right.
Recall before you reread
Start each session by writing or saying everything you remember about the topic, then check your notes and fill the gaps.
Use past questions
Practise with past exam papers or end-of-chapter questions under realistic conditions.
Space your reviews
Come back to each topic after a day, then a few days later, then a week or two later. Short, spaced sessions beat one long one.
Mix topics in a session
Alternate between related topics or problem types rather than doing all of one kind in a row.
Focus on what you got wrong
Keep a list of questions you missed and test yourself on them again next session.
Explain it to someone
Teaching a topic to a friend, or to an empty room, quickly shows what you really understand.

Doing it without an app

You do not need to download anything to solve this. Any of these work:

Paper flashcards

Questions on one side, answers on the other. Sort them into 'know' and 'review again' piles.

Blank-page recall

Write everything you remember on a blank page, then compare with your notes.

Study partner

Quiz each other for 15 minutes at the end of each session.

Tools that can help

Flashcard apps with spaced repetition
Past-paper collections
A study calendar for spaced reviews

Questions

Is highlighting useless?

It is fine for marking what to turn into questions later, but on its own it does little to help you remember. Spend the time testing yourself instead.

How far apart should reviews be?

Start with a day, then a few days, then a week or more. Longer gaps work well for material you need to remember for a long time.

I have very little time before my exam. Does this still help?

Yes. Even in a few days, testing yourself is more useful than rereading. Spread what time you have over several short sessions.

Sources

Improving Students' Learning With Effective Learning Techniques: Promising Directions From Cognitive and Educational Psychology, Psychological Science in the Public Interest (via PubMed), 2013

Checked 2026-11-01. Found a mistake? Tell us. Read our editorial policy.